Category Archives: Technology

FCS Computer Systems (FCS) and NEC Enterprise Solutions EMEA, providers of advanced ICT solutions to the hospitality sector, have inked a partnership agreement that incorporates FCS solutions into the NEC Hospitality offering for the Hotel sector in EMEA. Under the new agreement, NEC Enterprise Solutions, NEC partners and their hotel clients will have access to FCS’ full suite of hotel operations management applications. The multi-language, web-based applications streamline a multitude of back-of-house and guest-facing hotel operation needs, from real-time maintenance requirements to housekeeping management to guest issue tracking and a comprehensive customer relationship management platform. The FCS suite of hospitality interface and operational solutions, encompassing billing interface, voicemail, job dispatch, engineering, housekeeping, glitch management and more, are fully tested and integrated to work with NEC’s range of IT and communications servers, and will be available directly to order through NEC’s business partners in EMEA. Eric Rogers, FCS’ Vice President EMEA, will be working closely with his team to support NEC partners in their rollout of these solutions. “This partnership is not just only about call accounting and voicemail, but also about providing NEC partners a fully featured range of new solutions to offer their hotel partners, thereby enhancing the value and relationship of new and existing customers,” said Rogers. “I have been working closely with Kees Van Donk (director of hospitality EMEA for NEC) and his team to make this a reality and am delighted to say that today the partnership is now in full effect, and I am looking forward to working closely with NEC’s Hospitality team, and the wider NEC partner family to support this new agreement.”

Travelport announced that it has become the first GDS to be granted with both ‘Aggregator Level One’ certification and ‘IT Provider Level Two’ status by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as part of its New Distribution Capability (NDC) programme. For airlines, this means that Travelport is able to fully integrate with its NDC application programme interface should the airline choose to use NDC-XML messaging to distribute and deliver their fares and products. For travel agencies and travel management companies, this means that when shopping for and booking flights via Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform, they will have even more enhanced travel content and greater access to ancillary offers. In particular, Travelport-connected agents will be able to make ancillary sales post the original flight booking, and through their preferred agency workflows, for the first time. Travelport has also achieved the NDC-capable ‘IT Provider’ Level Two status, making it only the second organisation — and first GDS — ever to be designated as NDC certified and NDC Capable.  This further expands its NDC capabilities and means that Travelport also has the option to distribute IATA NDC offers for fares and prices on behalf of the airlines electing to use IATA’s industry standards. Ian Heywood, Travelport’s Global Head of Product and Marketing, Air Commerce, commented: “We know the industry needs to transform the way flights are sold and IATA’s NDC is an important part of this.  It very much complements the pioneering merchandising technology we launched in 2014 with our Rich Content and Branding solution which enables airlines to retail their full range of products, and extensively promote their brand, to the travel trade and corporate bookers.  With this latest industry-first milestone, we …

Travelport has announced a new multi-year agreement with Astra Travel, the first dedicated travel management company in Egypt. This new partnership will provide Astra Travel with access to Travelport’s travel content – including the branded fares and ancillaries from the world’s leading airlines and low cost carriers, as well as over 650,000 hotel properties and 36,000 car rental locations in nearly 180 countries across the globe. Astra Travel will access this consumer-ready content via Travelport Smartpoint, Travelport’s industry leading point of sale solution for travel agents that provides rich, graphical detail in a fast and accurate single workflow. Established in 1990, Astra Travel provides integrated travel services as well as event management services to large local and international firms. Fatma Nosseir, Managing Director, Astra Travel commented: “Considering the constant changes and customer needs of the travel industry, all of us at Astra Travel, are fully dedicated to customer satisfaction and devoted to serving our clients efficiently. Our investment in Travelport’s industry leading technology solutions is an innovative move for us to grow our business in the region. Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform will provide our business with opportunities to work smarter and improve our productivity and profitability, helping us to stand out from the competition.” Mervat Alfy, Country Manager, Travelport Egypt said: “Astra Travel is a key player in the Egyptian travel industry. This partnership with Astra Travel, is testament to the value that our Travel Commerce Platform brings to travel business and demonstrates how we are working with Egypt’s travel industry leaders to innovate together and support them in growing their businesses. Travelport’s presence in Egypt is steadily growing and we are looking forward to working with Astra Travel over …

UAE based loyalty and payments solutions company Infinia Services and Solutions will be launching its mobile application “Dubuy” during this week. Dubuy is the first one of a kind application in the Middle East with many benefits for tourists to Dubai at any time of the year. It is a smartphone application which can function on both Android and iOS formats for travellers to Dubai. Tourists can browse for merchant categories, apply filters and find locations near them using the simple geo-location tool, which shows all merchant offers nearby. It can be availed through hotels, DMCs or registered travel agents of Dubuy. A tourist visiting Dubai will be provided with a downloadable application link by the travel agent. Once the link is downloaded, entering an authentication code makes the application ready for use. The tourist can then view multiple options of discounts, offers and deals across various categories to explore in Dubai. Dubuy enfolds a number of options to discover Dubai like never before, with valuable discounts, offers and deals across shopping, dining, leisure & attractions, spa & wellness and many more.  The initial launch phase of Dubuy has already brought leading brands on board and plans are to build Dubuy into the ultimate experience for a tourist. With Dubuy, Infinia brings to tourists the ‘great deals more fun’ experience in one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations – Dubai. “The driving force for growth at Infinia results from putting the customer at the centre of everything we do. Instead of offering a one-size-fits all model, we invest time and effort in understanding consumer needs and go about devising comprehensive solutions with the help of best-in-class technology and innovation. …

Travelport and Emirates have launched Emirates Fare Brand chosen — available for the first time to book on Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform. The program gives the ability to select and pay for seats in advance. The launch of advanced paid seating options for certain economy fares on Travelport continues to promote Emirates’ ongoing investment in inflight customer experience which includes numerous new and innovative products.  Previously only available on Emirates’ website, the enhancement allows over 68,000 Travelport-connected online and offline travel agencies and travel management companies operating in over 180 countries across the globe an even more personalised and enhanced service to travellers. Derek Sharp, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Air Commerce, Travelport, commented: “This is an exciting development in Travelport’s longstanding and deep relationship with Emirates. Their decision to launch advanced paid seating through Travelport – in an industry-first move – is testament to how we are able to help Emirates market their unique offerings to the global travel trade and end travelers.  Emirates has made some significant investments in its inflight customer experience and it’s essential that we are able to fully explain this to travel bookers around the world.”

Careem, the Middle East’s ride-hailing app, has confirmed that its “Ride Now” booking service will be available again in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Careem users will be able to book on-demand rides through the app, with a new service called “Careem Limo”. This service offering will be operated under the regulations for limo services in Abu Dhabi, making Careem the only ride-hailing app service in the city, said a statement from the company. On launching the new Careem Limo service, Aura Lunde, general manager of Careem UAE, said: “Abu Dhabi is a special market for Careem- being home to many of our team members as well as being the second ever city launched when we first started out in 2012. Our mission is to simplify and improve the lives of people. We are fully committed to offering a great service for people in the UAE capital, as well as supporting our captains who are the lifeblood of our business. “We will continue to work in close partnership with the local authorities to enhance the transportation network for all residents and visitors to Abu Dhabi and hope to introduce new services in the near future,” Lunde said. – TradeArabia News Service

Sabre Corporation has signed a new agreement with the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air, to provide an expanded portfolio of core passenger services technology covering reservations, departure controls and all other aspects that touch passengers directly. For the past two decades, Gulf Air has been using SabreSonic core reservations and departure control systems to conduct the most critical services ranging from sales of tickets to checking in passengers on flights. “It is clearly evident that Gulf Air is enjoying much greater success and has a clear path for continued growth over the coming years,” said Dino Gelmetti, vice president Airline Solutions EMEA, at Sabre. “Sabre is proud to have played an integral role in its turn-around strategy by providing robust, reliable and flexible technology that forms an essential foundation for streamlining its operations, reducing costs and increasing revenue. We look forward to continuing to support Gulf Air in what continues to be an important and exciting period of change and growth.” Under this new agreement, Sabre will continue providing the latest developments and trends through its technology solutions to Gulf Air, giving the airline access to an expanded portfolio of progressive technologies including passenger re-accommodation, mobile concierge services, ancillary inventory and real time revenue integrity software. “We continue to invest in and focus on enhancing the passenger experience, and are doing so via a multi-faceted approach that includes cutting edge technology solutions to make the entire travel experience more convenient and comfortable for Gulf Air passengers,” said Gulf Air Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Ahmed Janahi. “We are pleased to utilise an expanded range of solutions provided by Sabre, geared towards increasing passenger satisfaction and giving them greater control …

Al Tayyar Travel Group, as part of its sustained efforts to contribute to the development of the corporate travel sector, has signed a new partnership agreement with Amadeus. The agreement extension till the year 2020 will transform the existing relationship between Amadeus and Al Tayyar to a strategic partnership, and expand their cooperation from the local level to the Middle East and North Africa. The signing of the agreement marks a step forward in ensuring the delivery of quality services to a wider customer base across the region. Al Tayyar Group’s decision to upgrade the partnership with Amadeus to the regional level is in line with its intensive projects and investments in the e-commerce, travel and tourism industries, as well as its global expansions. Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Dawood, Managing Director & CEO of Al Tayyar Travel Group, said, “As a major company in the regional travel sector, Al Tayyar has been building on the solid foundation of our existing relationship with global travel solutions providers like Amadeus. Our vision is to find innovative ways to meet the needs of the market and create new avenues for growth. The expansion of our strategic partnership with Amadeus to the regional level will further strengthen our relationship and infuse fresh energy to the corporate travel sector in the region.” Amadeus is one of main leading innovators in the travel sector; it has been empowering the regional travel industry with next-generation products and services to help it overcome rising costs, unpredictable market conditions and changing business models. Its integrated and comprehensive suite of solutions allows travel agencies to streamline and enhance the corporate travel process, enabling them to leverage the opportunities offered by automation …

Travelport and Flynas, a low-cost carrier from Saudi Arabia, have announced the signing of a multi-year, full content agreement. Launched in 2007, Flynas operates nearly 1,000 weekly flights to 30 destinations within and outside Saudi Arabia. The new agreement will see Flynas’ full content and inventory, including its branded fares and ancillaries become available to over 68,000 travel agencies, across 180 countries through Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform. Furthermore, the airline now joins over 180 airlines which are currently live on Travelport’s merchandising technology solution for airlines, Travelport Rich Content and Branding. Through Travelport, the airline will be able to effectively promote Flynas’ products and services, including its dedicated Business Class Cabin, which has seen a significant investment from Flynas since 2013. Agents will also be able to access naSmiles, the frequent flyer program of Flynas, through which travellers can earn SMILE Points when booking flights and ancillaries. Also, Rich Content and Branding will enable the airline’s content to appear on travel agents’ screens, with rich, graphical product descriptions, boosting upselling opportunities for the travel agent community at the time of booking. Paul Byrne, Chief Executive Officer at Flynas, commented: “This new agreement with Travelport will provide the platform for our business to further improve our customer service, expand our presence across the globe and grow our revenues. Travelport’s industry leading Travel Commerce Platform has impressive capabilities and we are pleased to have signed this partnership. “ Matthew Powell, Managing Director, Middle East and South Asia, Travelport said: “We are delighted that Flynas has seen the value in our innovative Travel Commerce Platform. Our platform enables travel providers and their evolving technologies to deliver the widest choice of relevant content for …

Sabre Corporation is supporting Emirates airline with industry-leading technology that personalises the travel experience for consumers by enabling them to easily purchase a range of customised fares. Sabre and Emirates have also signed a new long-term global distribution agreement to make the airline’s fares available to travel agents globally who use Sabre. Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, operates more than 3,600 flights per week to over 150 destinations across six continents. Sabre’s technology will enable the airline to effectively market and sell its expansive roster of fares globally through the Sabre Travel Marketplace, reaching more than 425,000 travel agents across the world. Sabre’s technology enables travel agents to meet a growing demand and expectation from consumers for more personalised products and services. Using Sabre’s enhanced solution, travel agents can now provide travellers with Emirates’ range of branded fares, which enable passengers to choose fares based on what is most important to them – such as purchasing a budget fare, earning the most air miles or having the greatest degree of flexibility. “Emirates airline is a brand that invests significantly in differentiating the traveller experience, and personalisation plays a central role in this strategy,” said Dean Bibb, interim senior vice president EMEA at Sabre. “The airline’s new range of branded fares offers passengers more choices and greater control over their travel experience, which often means happier travellers and higher satisfaction. Helping our airline customers put travellers at the heart of their operation is a major focus for Sabre and our investment efforts.” Travel agents using Sabre can now offer clients more informed choices and a higher level of customer service, while also driving upsell opportunities based on enhanced visibility to …