| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 10/07/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 24 |
| Copyright: Other |
Global partnership
Pacific carriers to launch Web agency
Report by PAULNORRIS
A NINE-STRONG alliance of Pacific carriers has been confirmed as the third global airline partnership to launch an on-line travel agency, as exclusively reported in Travel Weekly on June 12.The site, as yet unnamed, will offer flight bookings, accommodation, car hire and tour packages.
Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Royal Brunei Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Ansett and Asiana will co-operate on the venture when it goes live from October.
The initiative follows the setting up of an 11-strong European airline travel Web site in May and a US version earlier this year. Carriers including British Airways, British Midland, United Airlines and American Airlines are involved.
Agent groups in the US and Europe are trying to ban the sites due to fears over competition and the future availability of cheap flight deals.
However, SIA deputy chairman and chief executive Dr Cheong Choong Kong warned the Pacific site was just the start of airlines using the Web to sell products.
SIA and its partners’ on-line portal will comprise two elements, a business-to-consumer side and a business-to-business section.
The consumer component features market-specific areas for each Asian and Australasian country. Users will also be able to receive tailor-made updates.
The business element will give agents access to the airlines’ products and the ability to set up secure intranet links to the carriers. Future developments are expected to see co-operation worldwide between the different airline travel sites, plus links to individual carrier’s Internet portals.
Airlines are also enhancing their own Web sites and those of their different global partnerships such as Star Alliance and SkyTeam, to increase on-line bookings.
BA and Lufthansa, for example, have set ambitious goals of increasing on-line sales to 50% of bookings in the next three to five years.
Partners:SIAand Cathay Pacific are just some of the airlines co-operating in the new Web venture