In other airline, hotel & travel industry news this week… Analysts expect United Airlines to place a major aircraft order early next year for as many as 200 narrowbody aircraft, possibly splitting it up between Airbus and Boeing. In a much better financial position for such a large order than American, I would anticipate these…
Global Distribution System (GDS)
Category Archives for Global Distribution System (GDS).
Test-driving Google Flight Search: A total disappointment
As widely reported and reviewed, Google launched their much-anticipated Flight Search feature after having completed the acquisition of ITA Software. ITA’s Matrix Airfare Search tool is bar none the most robust and user-friendly way to search for airfares – everything from simple roundtrips to complex multi-city combinations – and it’s my go-to website where I…
Google Flights, FAA funded, Heathrow’s pods, hotel unSafes, more Qantas strikes and a GDS fined
In other airline, hotel and travel industry news this week… Google launched a much-criticized Flight Search feature this week. Limited to airfare searches for travel within the United States, this is definitely just a teaser as confirmed by Google’s Inside Search blog where the company states, “This is just an early look, not the final…
Delta layoffs, Qantas strikes, 747-8 livery, Hawaiian Disney, GDS lawsuit, TSA news and 757 replacement
In other airline, hotel and travel industry news this week… Delta Air Lines will be laying off 200 employees, the majority of which from their headquarters in Atlanta. This combined with another 2,000 employees taking voluntary buyouts, the airline claims soft demand, fuel prices and reduced capacity make the workforce reductions necessary. Engineers at Qantas…
Follow up on my review of Everbread’s Haystack airfare search engine
A week and a half ago I posted a review of Everbread’s Haystack airfare search engine that provides functionality similar to ITA Software’s Matrix Airfare Search. I noted its similarities to ITA and also called out some glaring shortcomings, such as its inability to search for flights with flexible days (+/- x-days, month long, etc),…
United cuts schedules, WikiLeaked safety concerns, seat certs, 737 Max, GDSs and improved amenities & cabins
In other airline, hotel & travel industry news this week… Continental Airlines will be recertifying Koito-manufactured seats on 278 aircraft to meet FAA airworthiness compliance. It was discovered in 2010 that the seat manufacturer falsified test data, sending the industry into a frenzy and causing aircraft delivery and overhaul delays for airlines around the world.…
Scoot Airlines, cabin scents, iPads & apps, aircraft orders, route changes, ancillary fees and U-Haul
In other airline, hotel & travel industry news last week… Earlier this year Singapore Airlines announced they would be getting into the low cost carrier market using a combination of narrowbody and widebody aircraft, including refitting some of their existing Boeing 777 aircraft. Exact details have yet to be released, but it’s being reported Singapore’s…
Competition for ITA Software? Review of Everbread’s Haystack airfare search engine
I recently posted some videos put out by UK-based Everbread showing a humorous yet accurate description of how Global Distribution Systems came into being and their evolution to present form. Those videos were admittedly a selfless plug for the company’s Haystack airfare search engine, whose underlying technology is marketed as a business-to-business solution with greater…
Videos: Airline Global Distribution Systems explained, with a bit of humor
Eventually I’ll get around to posting a detailed description and history of Global Distribution Systems (GDSs), but in the meantime check out these videos from Everbread. The UK-based travel technology company put these together in part to explain the method by which airline reservations have been booked since the 1950s, but also to expose the…
US Airways sues pilots, mechanic steals; new airline routes; GDS extensions and profits galore
In other airline, hotel and travel industry news this week… Late last Friday US Airways filed a lawsuit against… its own pilots. Upset with what they’re calling an “illegal slowdown” by some East (read: US Airways) pilots, the carrier claims their West (read: America West) pilots are far more efficient in minimizing delays that impact…