Travelport AgenciaTM
Updated: January 17, 2008
Full Content & Full Functionality | Economics
Q: What is Travelport AgenciaTM?
A: It is a revolutionary product developed by Travelport GDS that will enable Galileo-connected Canadian travel agents to access and book the full range of Air Canada’s innovative a la carte fare products and attributes, including Flight Passes.
Q: What makes Travelport Agencia unique?
A: Travelport GDS is the first and only GDS to offer an application capable of booking the full range of Air Canada's products, including both its web-only and GDS content, integrated into one display. Travelport Agencia offers Galileo-connected agencies full product descriptions, the ease of a graphical display, and prompts the user when optional services are available, such as discounts for no checked bags, and advance seat assignments.
Q: What capabilities does Travelport Agencia support?
A: Travelport Agencia will enable Galileo-connected agencies to shop, price and book all Air Canada domestic, U.S. transborder and international itineraries and fares (including Tango, Tango Plus, Latitude, Latitude Plus and Executive, as well as the capability to book flights using Air Canada’s complete range of Flight Pass products) along with all other Apollo participants’ fares and itineraries. Upon completion of the booking, all information is integrated into an Apollo passive PNR, allowing the agency to add additional agency accounting information and subsequently drive an itinerary, invoice and/or MIR.
Q: What is the industry reaction to this application?
A: Following the announcement, ACTA issued this statement:
ACTA is pleased with the agreement launched by Air Canada and Galileo yesterday and applauds the initiative for a first solution provided by a GDS to support all of Air Canada’s fares and Flight Pass products. “This is a very positive development for Galileo travel agents as it will allow them access to the full range of Air Canada’s fares and Flight Passes as of the fourth quarter of 2007,” said ACTA president Christiana Théberge. “It took more than one year to get there, if one remembers what we now call the Tango Affairs of June 2006 when Air Canada pulled away its lowest fares from GDS. We are hoping that the other GDS companies will follow in Galileo’s footsteps.” She added, “It is also good news for the consumer who will now be able to get complete information and a full range of choices through the valuable and trusted service and support he gets from travel agents.”
Q: There seems to be some backlash from competitor's regarding Travelport's solution. Can you comment?
A: Travelport GDS is the first GDS to bring to market a product like Travelport Agencia, which capitalizes on distribution of fares via an application programming interface (“API”) connection. Increasingly, airlines (especially low cost airlines) establish connectivity for distribution of fares via an API, versus the large host based systems that GDSs have connected to in the past. These platforms enable merchandising products and upselling to the customer. In the past, the price the traveler paid was largely dependent on when the ticket was driven. Those days are gone. Today, it's one-way faring on the short-haul domestic marketplace increasingly, and if you want a seat assignment, you have to pay extra, and if you don't check a bag, you get money off. That intelligence isn't built within the airlines' host reservations system, it's built outside of it, and the way to gain access is through blending API and traditional GDS connectivity. This is exactly what is being done with Travelport Agencia.
Q: When will Travelport Agencia be available?
A: Travelport Agencia will be in beta test through the end of May 2008. General deployment will follow the beta period and is currently targeted for June 2008.
Q: Will Travelport Agencia increase productivity for my agency?
A: It is anticipated that Travelport Agencia will enhance your agency’s efficiency. Travel agency customers have told us that the current way they do business is highly fragmented. Many travel agencies are using a combination of resources and much manual intervention in order to access the content needed while continuing to create a PNR to support invoicing, back office and reporting needs. Travelport Agencia provides a solution that closes that gap and enhances efficiency by aggregating full content on the agency desktop and automatically building the supporting PNR.
Future functionality being considered includes cancel and rebook and schedule change capability.
Q: Is Travelport Agencia an arrangement with Air Canada or an overarching strategy for aggregating content moving forward?
A: Travelport GDS is committed to securing new and full content for our travel agency customers, and delivering cost-effective and value-added distribution solutions for our supplier customers. We intend to deliver full content in the best and most efficient means possible, working to create the solution that works for both individual airlines and our travel agency customers.
Q: Does Travelport Agencia sell other travel components besides Air Canada products?
A: Yes, Travelport Agencia integrates air availability and fare content from the Travelport GDS system (Apollo) with Air Canada’s online content for all itineraries that either originate in or terminate in Canada such as YYC to YVR, ORD to YUL, or YVR to HKG.
Q: Where will these bookings (including Flight Pass transactions) reside - within Galileo or on Air Canada's website?
A: Travelport Agencia is capable of aggregating content from the core GDS as well as Air Canada’s API (application programming interface). The application provides access to both traditional GDS content and full Air Canada content in an integrated display, and can be booked within a single PNR. The Air Canada bookings made through the desktop, including Flight Pass, will reside in Air Canada’s host system and other airlines’ flights will be booked as live segments in Apollo. Upon completion of the Travelport Agencia reservation, a single PNR will automatically be created in Apollo containing both traditional GDS content and the Air Canada content. A future release of the application will handle exchanges and refunds.
Q: Is Travelport Agencia a web site similar to Air Canada’s agency website?
A: Travelport Agencia is a web-based application - not a web site. It connects to Air Canada via an API, not Air Canada’s web site, for access to all of Air Canada’s content. Travelport Agencia will allow you to shop for all Air Canada fare families, book Flight Pass travel, and offer all of the appropriate ala carte content like seats, no baggage, and so on. When shopping, you will see all of the appropriate Air Canada content along with any Apollo content that is available for the chosen origin and destination - all on a single screen. In summary, Travelport Agencia offers a single place to shop and book all GDS and Air Canada content, purchase all ala carte offerings, and have a single PNR automatically created for itinerary, invoice and MIR production. Truly one stop shopping!
Q: Will all fares be guaranteed, particularly those that do not reside in the Apollo system?
A: Fares that reside in the Apollo system will be covered under the Travelport GDS Fare Guarantee Policy. Fares that do not reside in the Apollo system will be subject to Air Canada’s fare policies.
Q: Will the inventory involved be limited to Tango, Tango Plus, Latitude, Latitude Plus and Executive as well as Flight Pass products? Or, will the new program include all AC inventory?
A: All of Air Canada's inventory for domestic, transborder and international markets will be available.
Q: Will these bookings be available through corporate booking tools? If so, which ones?
A: Yes, it is our intention that in a later release of the product, Air Canada content will be available via Galileo Traversa™, the Travelport GDS next generation corporate booking tool.
Q: How are itinerary changes, cancellations, and upgrades handled?
A: For content sold from the Apollo GDS, changes will be handled as usual; for the Air Canada content booked via Travelport Agencia, changes can be serviced through Air Canada's agency site or by calling Air Canada (as agents do today). Change and cancel of Air Canada segments booked via the new application will be included in Release 2 of the product, which is scheduled for early 2008.
Q: Will my private fares be available via Travelport Agencia?
A: When you use Travelport Agencia your airline-filed and agency-created private fares will be considered in the shopping request and returned if appropriate. This includes fares that have been filed or created with or without an account code. With Travelport Agencia you will have access to the full range of Air Canada content, including your agency or corporate negotiated fares.
Q: What will the process for managing seat assignments be?
A: Graphical seat maps will be available for seat selection on Air Canada flights. Notation of seats selected on Air Canada flights will be automatically added to the associated Apollo passive PNR utilizing Associated Remarks, enabling seat assignment information to be included on itinerary/invoice documentation. Seat assignments for other carriers will continue to be made via the standard GDS process.
Q: How are interline itineraries sold?
A: Interline connections, for example Air Canada plus another carrier required for travel between an origin and destination, will be available via Travelport Agencia. Because Travelport Agencia is able to aggregate content from both the Air Canada API and the Apollo GDS, Air Canada content can be obtained from both sources and displayed accordingly. In addition, creation of multi-carrier itineraries (ex. Air Canada outbound and another carrier on the return) will also be supported
Q: How does the travel agency provide a traveler with a complete itinerary including hotel reservations and car/limo reservations without manually entering the passive Air Canada segments in Apollo?
A: Travelport Agencia automatically creates a booking (Air Canada segments as passive, other airline segments as active) in Apollo, so car and hotel bookings can be included in the same PNR using existing processes.
Q: How are airline schedule changes (not passenger changes) handled and who is notified?
A: For bookings made through the Apollo system, schedule changes will be processed as they are today. For bookings made through Travelport Agencia, agencies or passengers (end travelers) will be notified by email as they are today when they book on aircanada.com. A subsequent release of the product will incorporate these changes into the PNR.
Q: Does Travelport Agencia pull second level Pro-File information into the booking?
A: Yes, BAR and PAR data can be pulled from Pro-Files and accessed from the passenger detail / booking screens. Agency data such as phone numbers, addresses and contact names are part of the administrative tool and are automatically included in the booking process.
Q: Is the new process secure?
A: Travelport GDS takes steps to ensure that its entire booking system is secure, including Travelport Agencia.
Q: How can travel managers track the whereabouts of their employees during emergencies?
A: Upon completion of the reservation in Travelport Agencia, a single PNR will automatically be created in Apollo containing both traditional GDS content and the Air Canada content. With the creation of this complete PNR, it is anticipated that no process changes will be required.
Q: How do travel managers apply their travel policies to these bookings?
A: Travel Management Companies ("TMCs") will continue to manage policy as they do today with the added benefit of access to Flight Pass, Tango and Air Canada’s full range of merchandized product.
Q: Will these bookings be integrated seamlessly into the back office and reporting tools?
A: All available information regarding services sold will be integrated into the PNR, including the appropriate fare and ticketing info which will enable a MIR to be generated to backroom systems.
Q: Are these bookings made in real time or are they dependent on synchronization with Air Canada’s website?
A: Bookings are made in real time.
Q: What training programs will be available for travel agents to learn how to use Travelport Agencia?
A: The specific details on training programs are being finalized; however, they are anticipated to include regularly scheduled online instructor-led training classes and recorded product demos. Training will be supplemented by quick reference materials for both agents and administrators as well as on-line help within Travelport Agencia.
Q: Will there be a cost associated with using this application?
A: Fees will be assessed, since use of the Travelport Agencia provides added value, including access to unique content. Specific commercial terms are not yet finalized.
Q: Does this model introduce inefficiencies in the form of higher costs to travel agencies and TMCs and corporations?
A: The concept of fee payment in exchange for access to full content has been in existence for some time. In June 2004, Sabre announced an agency opt-in program on Air Canada that would enable access to "virtually all published fares.... in return for a reduced booking fee rate." ( http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_June_11/ai_n6063182 ) Since that time, customers of all GDS systems in the U.S. pay for the ability to access full content through a variety of "opt in" programs. In addition, travel agencies have faced increased operational costs given the current fragmented business process required to access the content needed while continuing to create a PNR to support invoicing, back office and reporting needs. Travelport Agencia provides a solution that closes that gap and enhances efficiency by aggregating full content on your agency desktop and automatically building the supporting PNR.
Q: What about passive bookings in the Apollo system – are charges for them passed on to subscribers?
A: Currently, Travelport GDS does not charge agency customers for passive bookings.
Q: What is the duration of the agreement with Air Canada?
A: We have a multi-year agreement in place with Air Canada. Specific terms will remain confidential.