Future is mobile, says Travelport

Future is mobile, says Travelport
By admin


Travelport has highlighted mobile technology as “the future” for the travel trade, as it prepares for the release of its first mobile application for agents into the Australian market.

While the firm recently launched Galileo Terminal, which allows agents to log in to the GDS from a laptop or even a mobile device, the program is not built around technology which enables it to display properly on smart devices, general manager Pacific Alex Fitzpatrick told Travel Today.

“For an application to run properly on a smart device, it’s got to support collapse down technology,” she said.

As a result, Travelport will launch Galileo Mobile Agent in response to demand from agents in a “matter of weeks”.

The application, already available “for some time” in Europe, features a “smart, graphical” interface, according to Fitzpatrick.

But, while it will offer many of the functions of the GDS, it is designed to be used as a “support”.

“I think we’re a little way off before anyone wants to run their business entirely off a smart device,” she said. “But I definitely see it going that in Australia, because people here really embrace technology.”

Both Amadeus and Sabre Pacific have recently launched mobile products in the Australian market.

Meanwhile, Travelport continues to enrich and roll out its Universal Desktop product. The product has emerged from its beta testing period with Flight Centre and will be rolled out to around 200 Harvey World Travel agents next year with sales now underway.

In addition it will start promoting its Rooms & More hotel aggregator to agents that aren’t subscribed to the Travelport GDS, stressing that with 350,000 featured hotels, it caters to a growing trend towards boutique properties.

“You can be on another GDS, or not on any GDS at all, and you can still access Rooms & More,” Fitzpatrick said. “You just need a Paypal account at the moment to get your commission.”

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