GDS supplier Amadeus has said online agency Opodo will not form a key part of its future strategy. Multi-national customer group vice-president Gillian Gibson said of a one billion euro, three-year investment, the bulk will be spent on developing its GDS distribution platforms.“We are building a low-cost carrier solution and a hotel distribution platform,” said…
Opodo not part of key future strategy for Amadeus
GDS supplier Amadeus has said online agency Opodo will not form a key part of its future strategy.
Multi-national customer group vice-president Gillian Gibson said of a one billion euro, three-year investment, the bulk will be spent on developing its GDS distribution platforms.
“We are building a low-cost carrier solution and a hotel distribution platform,” said Gibson. “Opodo is not a major thrust of our strategy. We are a technology company, not a retailer.”
The comments came during a debate where the GDSs were asked whether owning online agencies put them in direct competition with their agency customers.
Sabre, which owns Travelocity and Lastminute.com, said owning online agencies gave it a far better understanding of how they work.
EMEA senior vice-president Richard Adams said: “It also gives us close links with airlines and enables us to negotiate good supplier content.”
But Worldspan vice-president and general manager EMEA Graham Nichols said: “We differ from all three in that we do not compete against our customers. You don’t have to buy an agency to understand them. There is no advantage in that.”
