Travel & Travel Technology News.

For more travel news, data and analysis, please go to: http://www.airguideonline.com/order_formsubs.htm Aug 14, 2006

Airlines try to regain distribution control with fees for unapproved booking channels. Airlines have been insisting for more than a decade that something has to give in the ever increasing costs of GDS distribution. In the last few weeks, two of the largest U.S. carriers have made it clear that if they can't wring more out of the GDS companies, travel agencies that use uncooperative GDSs will have to do the giving. Their moves follow close on the heels of announcements by Sabre and, more reluctantly, Galileo that they will introduce "opt-in" programs in which agencies trade some of their booking incentive payments for access to full content. Aug 8, 2006

Amadeus

Amadeus signed three-year agreements with China Eastern Airlines and China Airlines to power their international websites with its e-Retail Solution. Both airlines also plan to implement the Amadeus e-Merchandise solution within a few months. Aug 9, 2006

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines Seeks To Outsource Work To IBM. Delta has asked a US bankruptcy court to let it outsource some computer-related work to IBM in a move that would save costs and cut 200 jobs, the airline said on Tuesday. Delta currently operates and maintains its own computer infrastructure, which it uses for applications such as reservations, record-keeping and communications, through its unit Delta Technology. Outsourcing the task to IBM will save on costs and allow it to focus on restructuring, the airline said in a court filing. The employees affected by the plan will have the opportunity to transition to IBM, Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton said. The unit has a total of 1,800 employees. Earlier this year, the airline asked the court to let it launch an incentive plan to keep employees at Delta Technology from leaving, saying the subsidiary had seen attrition in its ranks spike over the last year. The job cuts are part of the airline's plans to slash 7,000 to 9,000 jobs, as part of cost cutting aimed at returning to profitability, Talton said. Aug 8, 2006

OnAir

No mobile, that is the sign that could replace the outdated "no smoking" ceiling message on aircraft coming off the production lines. Whilst on-board satellite phones have been available for at least the last decade they have never really caught on due to cost. All this is about to change in Europe (in the US, a single country, on-board phones are nothing new). Air France will be the first airline to try out the satellite-based technology early next year, followed by bmi and TAP. The technology, developed by Airbus and SITA joint venture OnAir, will allow passengers to make in-flight mobile calls and send text messages on short haul flights across Europe at a cost of around $2.50 per minute. Security issues may however require a rethink. http://www.onair.aero Aug 12, 2006

Ramco Systems 

Ramco Systems said that Air Lloyd Luftfahrt Technik of Germany has selected its Aviation & MRO Software. Aug 10, 2006

Singapore Airlines 

Singapore Airlines now offers broadband Connexion by Boeing service on flights from Changi International to London and Sydney; as well as on the SIN-Frankfurt-JFK route. Aug 9, 2006

Unisys Corp, Cathay Pacific Airways

Unisys Corp. signed a three-year contract with Cathay Pacific Airways to host its core business applications. Unisys will move Cathay's reservations, departure control and cargo platforms to the Unisys data center in Rhodes. The multimillion-dollar deal includes a two-year option. Aug 8, 2006

Virgin Atlantic Airways

Virgin Atlantic is always innovative. First there were individual movies, then masseurs and now meditation, but Richard Branson's airline is still at it regarding ideas. It now plans to introduce the world's first in-flight texting service, which will allow passengers to have questions answered on any topic at 35,000 feet. They will be able to text questions from their seat-back television screens to an existing land-based text answer service which promises to answer any question within minutes. On the way to New York you can ask for a recommended bar or the best way to your final destination. Maybe the latest cricket or football score. However, texting mates over the North Atlantic is still not with us although Air France is running a trial of technology that will enable passengers to use their mobile phones whilst flying in early 2007. Each question costs one pound to 63336. http://www.virgin-atlantic.com Aug 12, 2006

Worldspan

Worldspan signed a five-year global distribution and airline hosting partnership with MAXjet Airways and a five-year Worldspan Meridian hosting and distribution agreement with Daallo Airlines of Djibouti. Aug 8, 2006