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Over the last 8 weeks I have been swamped with two large projects and my Weblog activity took a back seat to a heavy travel schedule (on the road 80% of the time) and long 70 hour weeks. Well enough about my excuses for not writing more frequently, here are a few thoughts on some of the latest happenings in […]

Over the last 3-5 years a great deal has been written about CRM and related technology. In fact to some extent the term CRM has simply become another buzz word that lacks a consistent definition. Are opt-in email campaigns that target specific pre-defined preferences an example of CRM? How about the concept of “my trip” folders for online travel reservations. […]

A great panel…Tim Claydon -Jet Blue, Al Lenza- NWA, Dean Sivley -Cendant, John Stow- Sabre, Jeremy Wertheimer-ITA Software, NWA- Al chided Sam about the $7.50 charge, he said that he would ” like to have a bill for his NWA segments at that rate”. He commented on $4 , or $5 as the cost.Cendant – Costs should evolve (following on […]

“Owning the Value Chain” – having the most value to you. Sam began by emphasizing the global aspect of travel echoing Trip’s initial comments. He mentioned that one focus must be on the stability of provider (an obvious reference to the GNE startups) Goal is to take best practice from all Cendant entities. Strategy for Travelport / Orbitz, travelport serves […]

First up Alex Zoghlin…”Myth Vs. Reality” What exactly is the “new” distribution model?”Alex began with Sam Gilliland quote saying the GNEs are a solution looking for a market, comparing it to H.M. Warner Bros. comment regarding talkies. He went on to compare quotes from Worldspan and Amex with comments about the birth of telephone or other “new” technology at the […]

In travel procurement terms, “Strategic Sourcing” has traditionally been defined as the standard bidding process for airline, car, hotel and travel agency services. With the dramatic changes emerging in travel distribution technology, strategic sourcing can take on new meaning. These changes reflect the urgent need of traditional airlines (AA,UA, DL) to lower distribution costs and the emergence of lower cost […]