Agents will be able to book pre-paid seating on British Airways flights through Travelport GDS for the first time.
Travelport is claiming an industry first with the facility, which it says was previously only bookable via ba.com.
The GDS signed a full content agreement with BA which included a commitment to integrate BA’s pre-paid seat offering.
Jason Clarke, Travelport’s managing director for Europe and Brazil, said the development would make the booking process easier for agents and help them deliver better customer service by offering to book a pre-parid seat.
He said the initiative with BA was just one of a number of merchandising announcements the GDS provider hopes to make over the coming months with other carriers.
Travelport Options Integrator, which is available for connected agents to download free of charge, is the technology behind the new function and links directly to BA’s pre-paid seating content.
John Mornement, head of selling and distribution for British Airways, said: “Since signing our global agreement with Travelport, we have been working together to make our pre-paid seat selection service available on the Travelport GDS. We’re delighted to be going live with the Travelport functionality this month.”