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It appears that American Airline is about to remove itself from the tradition global distribution system and introduce its own distribution system. American Airlines is advocating for distribution companies to utilize AA direct connect which is a direct link into AA's host reservations system. Currently American Airlines fares are no longer available on Expedia or Orbitz sites. This is because no contractual agreement was reached for the distribution of AA products. Travel professionals are waiting to see the result of this bold move by American as this has great implication for the future of airline distribution systems. If American Airlines pulls away from the mainstream GDS, consumers and travel specialist alike will be faced with the inconvenience of going to a separate reservations system to compare fares. Although travel professionals are now urged to use direct connect on a trial basis, the general feeling is that eventually they will be charged to sell American Airline flights. To defend this move American Airline is only saying that direct connect will make it easier for them to tract ancillary fees like priority seating. It was noted in the article that Southwest Airline for the most part is a stand alone reservations system but they do not negotiate with the GDS companies to sell their flights. It is therefore quite evident that this move by American is really to reduce expenditure by eliminating the middle GDS companies while increasing revenue by charging travel partners for utilizing direct connect. American Airlines clearly wants to globally control their distribution system and maximize revenues. Contract renewal for both world span and sabre are due and the experts are waiting to see if American will renew with them. Sabre is owned by American Airlines so its a wait and see game to see how all this will be panned out. The real problem for the consumers and travel specialists are that if other airlines are to follow this move by American the tra

This article explains the distribution route American Airlines is taking to sell their flights. Due to not seeing eye to eye with the two most probably used websites for travel, Expedia and Orbitz, American has now taken their products away from both airline distribution sites. American suggest that all travel agencies and distribution companies begin using Direct Connect, which is a system for only American Airlines flights. If this would happen, travel agencies and companies will then begin having to pay for the system in order to sell Americans flights. At the moment you can still book flights through other distribution sites, but until when will that be? They already stopped Orbitz and Expedia, what's not to stop the others. The future of global distribution systems will be up in the air if all airlines choose to sell their own systems to be able to sell reservations. The only positive that was pointed out in this article was that if this system takes over, then more consumers will have to go back to using travel agents to secure the best reservations for flights and such.

With the contracts for major global systems, Worldspan and Sabre, being up for renewal in the near future, this article analyses the possible outcomes for airlines, and alternatives should they choose not to forgo continuing use of GDS

This article discusses a war between American Airlines and Orbits, and how they cannot come into an agreement in regards to using the GDS. American Airlines is mainly the provider for most of the fares and traveling but orbitz is there other marketing strategy that is used to sale the tickets online. Nonetheless, American wants and pushes for travel agents to use their direct system to book flights rather then using Orbitz or another chain of coming to book travelers flights. America does offer a variety of prices depending on different categories, as well as frequent flyers miles/points if they book with American website and sources. In essence, American Airlines still wants to have control of their flights and prices as they are the main sources from the beginning of time.

The main focus of my article is about the financial connection between India and the U.S. The article discusses a few key issues about India and their tech support in relation to the U.S. It tells us that "India's burgeoning tech sector is responsible for creating more than 400,000 American jobs, according to a report released Monday that prompted calls from leaders in both nations to reform business practices so the industry remains a bright spot in an often unreliable global economy". The article goes on to list some more interesting statistics. For example, "The new study from the National Association of Software and Service Companies, a trade group representing Indian technology firms, said business deals between firms in the two countries have generated $22.5 billion in tax revenue for the U.S. since 2011". I feel that these two statistics are important because in too many cases, Americans feel that "foreigners" are coming to the U.S. and "stealing" all of our jobs. That is clearly not the case with every situation, as the article points out. The article further explains that India is seeking to ease the process of coming into the U.S. to work. They feel that if they are providing their highly skilled techs to come work here and/or gain their American education here than the process of getting the visa should be much more lax than it is for other countries. I don't know if I agree with that one, but I understand their point.

This article talks about the challenges of internet referral webpages that is hurting American Airlines and other big airlines.  This is an example of how this travel business is loosing profit by paying referral fees.

Wireless networking is a important application of computer networks. And this news is very interesting. Because with my own experiences during traveling, I found out that a lot of passengers do not want to turn-off their phones during their flying time, some may choose to turn to the fight mode. And when I took Qatar airline, I found out that they install the wireless services for people to send message or make phone calls. That was the first time I experience this kind of service, I was very excited but calmed down when I saw the expensive fees I need to pay if I want to use. So I think it is time for FAA to look ways which can satisfy travelers' demand through possible new allowances.

I am one of those Americans that have a hard time disconnecting from technology when boarding an aircraft. I usually fly American Airlines and a majority of their airplane offer Wi-Fi available for purchase, I don't mind paying $12.95 so that I can stay entertain, I can't wait to hear the chime at 10,000 feet followed with the message from the flight crew telling me that "it is now safe to use electronic devices." On May 16th, 2012, Virgin Atlantic announced that passengers would be able use cell phones onboard the airplane utilizing VoIP. Can you imagine this technology aboard a plane from Los Angeles to New York? http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Virgin-Atlantic-Cell-Phones-Planes-In-Flight-Cost,15642.html

This article is about the new new anti-spam laws that will be enforced in 2013 by the Canadian government. What was pretty interesting was the fact that 60 percent of American marketing companies were unaware of the new law. Funny thing is that most of those who were aware decided that they would simply resort to other forms of spam like telemarketing and postal mail.

Technology group joins green initiative and climate-related advocacy projects to that benefit the the environment, but also contribute to the economy. Tech Networks of Boston a provider of tech services to non-profit and small business has recently joined / aided / launched programs : Climate Action Liaison Coalition (CALC), and  The American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC). CALC provides business community with support services that sponsor business's speaking out about climate change, but also supporting policy improvements. The ASBC project is a co-sponsored initiative which seeks to promote signing of a Climate Declaration that covers topics such as employment, environmental impacts, and sustainability. Tech Networks of Boston http://bit.ly/17vfaBq American Sustainable Business Council http://bit.ly/14Tu9of Climate Action Liaison Coalition | CALC http://bit.ly/1a1nRnm

American Airlines embarked upon direct booking to cut costs to GDS and was found itself facing legal consequences. This reflected the continuous fierce competition in the travel industry and the lucrativeness of the GDS.

There is clearly a connection between ownership of "stuff" and proper stewardship of the same. this article brings to light how this process needs to be sustainable and the responsibilities that we all have to ensure that our own footprint is not causing more harm to our planet through poor management of the items we have purchased. According to a 2013 report by the Consumer Electronics Association, the average American household uses about 28 electronic products such as personal computers, mobile phones, televisions and electronic readers (e-readers). With an ever increasing supply of new electronic gadgets, EPA's Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling show that Americans generated 2.7 million tons of consumer electronics goods in 2018, representing less than one percent of all municipal solid waste generation.

This article talks about secure technology measures for the travel industry. The myth that Apple iOS devices are not infected with viruses is a total lie. But what is true is that Android devices are much more susceptible to malware attacks than Apple iOS devices. The big boss of security "for years…was what made Blackberry the darling of IT departments everywhere." But now what has driven new markets especially transportation is the increasing use of Android devices. American Airlines uses thousands of Android Galaxy Notes for flight attendants and in-flight entertainment devices for passengers as well as those used by the maintenance crew. Samsung's SAFE platform was a key reason the company was influenced to go through with the product because of a security issue. It's important to remember that not one device is immune and to explore an innovative and secure option when picking a device.

The article discusses how American Arlines (AA) flights could not be found on Expedia or Orbitz because the company could not reach an agreement with Expedia. AA then suggested customers book flights directly via their website or via Direct Connect, a new system. Southwest airlines is another company that does not sell via third party or GDS sites, they only sell on their on site. When companies begin to remove themselves from traditional GDS systems it changes the way consumers and travel agents begin to book flights. It will make more difficult because we will spend more time comparing multiple sites and we we will never be sure if we are getting the best deal.

Ok so this article is lengthy but comprehensive. And the general consensus is the GDSs are never going away. They will likely change with new technologies, but they won't be replaced completely by something new. Heck, even though air travel is dominant among travel options, we still have trains, right? Overall this article takes the reader through the birth of the GDSs, their evolution to today and thoughts about what to expect in the future. One part of the article of particular interest is the talk about New Distribution Capability for airlines that uses XML coding language to allow airlines to sell ancillary products like seat upgrades. This layers directly into revenue increases through revenue management of seats on flights. There are already price differences between cabin classes. But instead of all seats being one price in the main cabin, seats closer to the front of the plane could be sold for a slight premium. There could be a different fare for window or aisle or exit row. There are 3 levels of this certification for an airline and although some airlines like American Airlines has been certified as level 3, full capability, most airlines have not gone beyond level 1. None of the GDS companies offer level 3 for New Distribution Capability which means you need to go a company's site directly to be able to purchase the specific desired attributes of your seat. By not having that capability, the GDSs disadvantage themselves as a distribution channel.

This articles talks about the physical plant situation that Marriott had years ago. After Marriott faced challenges in 2005 with its management company that was in need of separating its IT infrastructure from its parent company, they now use Oracle E0Business Suite 22i's HR and Payroll applications. Marriott in North America had a long history of using Oracles application, Marriott U.K and Hewitt stayed with Oracles .

This article analysis the future of the GDS for airlines from both the airline company's perspective and the marketing perspective. The conflicts between airlines and GDS and the agencies is a recycling battle. It has been back and forth with the airlines withdraw from the system and ended up renewing contracts. The most recent war initiated by American airline pulled its inventory from Orbitz in December, 2010, in order to force GDS Travelport to drop the distribution cost. The two parties need each other and it is time for them to reach common ground and have mutual benefits.Delta has done something for that by adopting three second-tire OTAs. http://www.tnooz.com/2010/12/22/news/delta-cites-apple-experience-exits-cheapoair-bookit-com-onetravel/ But those are the short-term issues. In the long term is that " airlines' long-term strategy to advance distribution from fare- and schedule-led selling to merchandising. " The article also give a marketing perspective. It shows the intention of American Airline to build a system that link directly to the airline that don`t have to obey the searching rules of the agency. It also listed nine unanswered questions and wild cards, which indicates the risk of this strategic shift.

The International Air Transport Associate (IATA) at their annual general meeting in Beijing have had enough with the outdated Global Distribution Systems technology. The new Director General Tony Tyler indicated that in the 70's the system was cutting edge technology expanding distribution for airlines but years later the technology lacks innovation and must be brought up to date with airline product differentiation. This can be done by adopting new standards through XML messaging schema. Farelogix has donated XML through Open Axis, an organization that promotes the XML technology for linking airlines with distributors, similar to the technology that American Airlines has been using. IATA indicates that this year they will define the foundation standards in partnership with the GDSs, a necessary progression.

As Americans tries to go paper less in many areas, the process is taking longer than expected. A survey conducted by TNS Global Market asks Americans if they would be willing to go paperless. Here are the results: 48% would be willing to reduce their use of newspapers, 45.9 % would reduce their use of magazines, 37.6 % are happy to reduce their use of forms, contracts, documents, 31.6% are willing to reduce their use of books and 6.1% would be willing to reduce their use of toilet paper. What do you think of that 6.1% that is willing to reduce the use of toilet paper?

This article is basically the rules and regulations of how to write an email. Netiquette is important because if you make yourself seem professional, the people whom you send these emails to will reply and treat you with respect. Especially if its a business email. The article teaches you about how to write a subject line and the difference between cc and bc. It also teaches you not to use lol and thesmiley face emoticon unless the email is personal. This article also teaches you on how to relax on the punctuations. Too many exclamation marks might seem like your going crazy screaming at someone. It also teaches you about how to properly send signatures. I think everyone should read this article to perfect their emails. Especially students because now and days , there is no need to go to your teachers office. You just shoot your teacher an email and it will make your life easier.

This article is about the basic rules of netiquette. It breaks down from everything from the subject to the signature. It shows you differences of writing a business email and a personal email.

Air Canada's new platform, NDC Exchange, which works outside of the GDSes, allows the airline to manage the way its bookings appear on travel agency registration systems. The system was created by ATPCO (Airline Tariff Publishing Co.) and SITA, the latter of which transforms the data while the former provides the data services that make it have the ability to run,. Recently, several GDSes, such as Sabre, Amadeus, along with other entities like Verteil Technologies, Serko, and more, have also began to utilize their own NDC Exchange program.

In this article you will find a analysis released by The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) which states the crisis of the hotel industry during this past 6 months and how sales have been declining and the results of this in the Amercian economy.

Proximity Marketing is the trend of the marketing sector of the hospitality industry. Based on the statistics, there is a great increase in using proximity marketing recent years. And there are some reasons why hotels choose to use this technology. First, it enables the hotel to reach potential customers and providing electronic forms of advertising. By notifying guests of exclusive promotions hotels have to offer through their mobile phones, hotels and advertisers have a greater chance of customers responding to their advertisements, and therefore a greater ROI on their marketing spend. Second, from the perspective of the hotel, it decrease the advertising cost in terms of decreasing labor cost. It is said that proximity marketing has a tremendous revenue-production potential, and more hotels are engaging in using proximity marketing.

Proximity marketing is the localized wireless distribution of advertising content associated with a particular place. It is now becoming one of the most popular marketing tools in any industry especially in hospitality. Marketing people from hotel industry were looking for new marketing tools past few years. Instead of sending out promotion mails or emails, they need to have better ideas. What they realized is that wish an increase in the use of mobile devices, hotels can communicate and provide better service with guest cell phone. They also realized guests usually watch TV, while they are waiting to be C/I. So hotel is now providing offers while guests are in line. It is a Win-Win situation. The way to find communication is now the key of marketing. Proximity Marketing is a type of eMarketing that will help to communicate with guests with low cost.

According to this article, it said that by the end of 2011, 91% of Americans  owned mobile phones, and Smartphone penetration have been doubled. Obviously, it becomes a trend in hospitality industry nowadays that more and more people use smart phones and tablets. Based on wireless such as bluetooth, it allows hoteliers to interact with customers much easier and more convenient. Proximity marketing is one kind of eMarketing which is very popular in daily life. It is well known that better marketing brings better sales which of course increases revenues of companies. By sending guests nearby informations about promotions and discounts, hotels attract more guests than before. However, too much informations sent to guests will make them sucks and they have no choice to select what they really want. So in my opinion, I think it should be improved.