Most traffic numbers are now in for February. Almost across the board traffic is just off. In many markets it has been over 20%. Asia seems to have been especially hard hit. While the US and European markets are affected - it is hard to find any good news out there.
However I will hold up LATAM as a good example - at least for passenger traffic. While freight traffic is still in the dumps (off >20%) passenger traffic for the first 2 months are still slightly ahead. And this is with the extra day from last year.
The only other bright spot seems to be the GCC markets.
Ouch
07 April 2009
Welcome to AirlineInformation.Org as a Syndication Partner
This is just to welcome our latest syndication site www.airlineinformation.org
This is a new site and has great promise to deliver some interesting content and discussions if the beta site and newly launched website is any indication.
Best of luck chaps
Cheers
This is a new site and has great promise to deliver some interesting content and discussions if the beta site and newly launched website is any indication.
Best of luck chaps
Cheers
Dave Berry and Gary Larson
How anyone can just stop producing "art" cold turkey remains a mystery to me. Why Gary Larson stopped producing the Far Side remains a complete mystery to me. He "retired" at only 45 and it has now been 13 years since a new Far Side cartoon was published.
But Dave Berry does a lot in words what Larson did in 'Toons.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/dave-barry/story/963637.html
Thanks to Professor Gill for sending me this one. The referenced Larson cartoon is probably my most favorite one. Right up there with "Tutored" and "We're all going to die".
Cheers
Timothy
But Dave Berry does a lot in words what Larson did in 'Toons.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/dave-barry/story/963637.html
Thanks to Professor Gill for sending me this one. The referenced Larson cartoon is probably my most favorite one. Right up there with "Tutored" and "We're all going to die".
Cheers
Timothy
The Prize For Bravery Goes to ANA....... First to Fly 787s
In a bid to outdo its competition - ANA has managed to steel a march on both its local competition and probably many different players as well. ANA is braving the flack and commercial risks by agreeing to take most of the first 11 aircraft off the line. I clearly don't think this is hubris and it could turn out to be a very smart move. Given the amount of compensation that Boeing is going to have to pay everyone for the late deliveries - this could also actually increase the cost for Boeing.
Of course we don't know at the moment what the likely performance is of the initial aircraft whether they will be -8s or -3s. I suspect they will be -8s.
There are a few others mixed in. DL has pushed its first aircraft out and ceded a delivery spot to AI. Co I think gets ship #7. It also looks like most of these will be new builds rather than refurbs. Boeing will quietly use the first few aircraft as demonstrators or have an extensive "test" fleet program which will likely not see the initial aircraft going back into commercial operation - at least for quite some time.
it also means that the ramp up delivery schedule is going to be pretty light. Punters are betting on a Pre June 30th (I am not saying which year) first flight. Personally I am still thinking its going to slip still into Q3 (or is that actually Q8 ;-)
An interesting aside here is to consider the dynamics of the order books in Japan. Airbus has been pinning a lot on ANA being the Japanese customer for the A380. As they operating experience with an Airbus type. With JAL's commercials now a lot more stable - this may create on opportunity for Super Salesman John to persuade JAL to take the Airbus jumbo. We shall see.
Cheers
Of course we don't know at the moment what the likely performance is of the initial aircraft whether they will be -8s or -3s. I suspect they will be -8s.
There are a few others mixed in. DL has pushed its first aircraft out and ceded a delivery spot to AI. Co I think gets ship #7. It also looks like most of these will be new builds rather than refurbs. Boeing will quietly use the first few aircraft as demonstrators or have an extensive "test" fleet program which will likely not see the initial aircraft going back into commercial operation - at least for quite some time.
it also means that the ramp up delivery schedule is going to be pretty light. Punters are betting on a Pre June 30th (I am not saying which year) first flight. Personally I am still thinking its going to slip still into Q3 (or is that actually Q8 ;-)
An interesting aside here is to consider the dynamics of the order books in Japan. Airbus has been pinning a lot on ANA being the Japanese customer for the A380. As they operating experience with an Airbus type. With JAL's commercials now a lot more stable - this may create on opportunity for Super Salesman John to persuade JAL to take the Airbus jumbo. We shall see.
Cheers
06 April 2009
And the Winner Is....Amadeus
Last Week's April Fools Spoofs generted a lot of Traffic to the Professor's Blog.
Traffic was up by over 56%.
However the stunning surprise was which Spoof (of the 3) was the most read. The Answer was Amadeus.
So I have had a quiet chat to my shrink about this and we can only surmise that one of the following are true:
1. There are one heck of a lot of John Steward Fans out there.
2. Everyone is expecting a new Amadeus logo
3. There are a lot of closet Milos Forman/Peter Shaffer fans out there.
We will let you be the secret judge of your own convictions....
Cheers
Traffic was up by over 56%.
However the stunning surprise was which Spoof (of the 3) was the most read. The Answer was Amadeus.
So I have had a quiet chat to my shrink about this and we can only surmise that one of the following are true:
1. There are one heck of a lot of John Steward Fans out there.
2. Everyone is expecting a new Amadeus logo
3. There are a lot of closet Milos Forman/Peter Shaffer fans out there.
We will let you be the secret judge of your own convictions....
Cheers
US Airline Quality Index - Legacy Carriers Not So Good -
This morning the US Airline Quality Index (AQI) for 2008 was published.
http://www.aqr.aero/index.htm
There is good news in that the ratings actually went up. Almost universally this has been attributed to the reduction in traffic. If nothing else this shows that it is both possible to improve and also that the incremental travellers need to be better serviced. Hmmm does that indicate that the airlines have too many staff/resources for the amount of current passengers or not enough for the peaks. THAT is an interesting question. But I digress.
If we look at the carriers in the list apart from Northwest (who astonishingly has come in at 4th position) Continental of the legacy network carriers is highest at 7th. The lowest positions are occupied by the Airlines and their feeder ACMI carriers. Delta being one of the worst off here.
So apart from the people who live in Detroit and Minneapolis who must either be expecting bailout money or someone has put something in the water ;-) , it shows that the smaller carriers do better on their own and provide a better service.
Here is the list:
1. Hawaiian
2. AirTran
3. JetBlue
4. Northwest
5. Alaska
6. Southwest
7. Frontier
8. Continental
9. American
10. US Airways
11. United
12. Delta
13. SkyWest
14. Mesa
15. Comair
16. American Eagle
17. Atlantic Southeast
Thanks to Professor Robert for this heads up.
Cheers
http://www.aqr.aero/index.htm
There is good news in that the ratings actually went up. Almost universally this has been attributed to the reduction in traffic. If nothing else this shows that it is both possible to improve and also that the incremental travellers need to be better serviced. Hmmm does that indicate that the airlines have too many staff/resources for the amount of current passengers or not enough for the peaks. THAT is an interesting question. But I digress.
If we look at the carriers in the list apart from Northwest (who astonishingly has come in at 4th position) Continental of the legacy network carriers is highest at 7th. The lowest positions are occupied by the Airlines and their feeder ACMI carriers. Delta being one of the worst off here.
So apart from the people who live in Detroit and Minneapolis who must either be expecting bailout money or someone has put something in the water ;-) , it shows that the smaller carriers do better on their own and provide a better service.
Here is the list:
1. Hawaiian
2. AirTran
3. JetBlue
4. Northwest
5. Alaska
6. Southwest
7. Frontier
8. Continental
9. American
10. US Airways
11. United
12. Delta
13. SkyWest
14. Mesa
15. Comair
16. American Eagle
17. Atlantic Southeast
Thanks to Professor Robert for this heads up.
Cheers
The Hawaii SuperFerry Heads to Mobile Al.
The Grand Experiment is over. Someone has lost oodles of money and the State of Hawaii is the biggest loser. The SuperFerry service is now but a memory and the boat itself is going to Alabama.
High Speed Ferry transportation is a proven form of short haul traffic handling. Sea Catamarans have been in safe and profitable service for almost 20 years. If not longer.
For the objections and court battles that ensued around the Superferry, much of which was a time wasting exercise, there can only be one winner. Lawyers.
This is a sad day for everyone.
Hawaiian Airlines must be laughing all the way to the bank
Cheers
High Speed Ferry transportation is a proven form of short haul traffic handling. Sea Catamarans have been in safe and profitable service for almost 20 years. If not longer.
For the objections and court battles that ensued around the Superferry, much of which was a time wasting exercise, there can only be one winner. Lawyers.
This is a sad day for everyone.
Hawaiian Airlines must be laughing all the way to the bank
Cheers
05 April 2009
EI Loses Another CEO
Aer Lingus, one of the poster children of the Hybrid Value Carriers has lost its CEO, former Emirates executive, Dermot Mannion.
A formal announcement will be made this morning to the Irish stock exchange where EI's shares are traded.
Michael O'leary must be rubbing his hands with glee. And perhaps not just a little bit of relief. Twice his Euro 1.40 offer has been rejected. On Friday EI's shares closed at less than half that value 67 cents.
A short three years plus of Mannion's reign has come to an abrupt end. With a projected loss of near 120 million euros forecast for 2009 - nearly double Mannion's original estimate of 55 millions, things are starting to look pretty dire for the former Irish Flag Carrier.
The global economic gloom is being especially hard on marginal airlines such as EI. Surprisingly the two characteristic carriers of the Legacy Carrier moving down Air Canada and Aer Lingus have both lost their leaders in the space of a few weeks.
while the timing may be coincidental the pressures on the executive suite at any airline is getting pretty intense.
Thanks to Professor Stuart for this one.
Cheers
A formal announcement will be made this morning to the Irish stock exchange where EI's shares are traded.
Michael O'leary must be rubbing his hands with glee. And perhaps not just a little bit of relief. Twice his Euro 1.40 offer has been rejected. On Friday EI's shares closed at less than half that value 67 cents.
A short three years plus of Mannion's reign has come to an abrupt end. With a projected loss of near 120 million euros forecast for 2009 - nearly double Mannion's original estimate of 55 millions, things are starting to look pretty dire for the former Irish Flag Carrier.
The global economic gloom is being especially hard on marginal airlines such as EI. Surprisingly the two characteristic carriers of the Legacy Carrier moving down Air Canada and Aer Lingus have both lost their leaders in the space of a few weeks.
while the timing may be coincidental the pressures on the executive suite at any airline is getting pretty intense.
Thanks to Professor Stuart for this one.
Cheers
04 April 2009
Comprehending Traveler Disloyalty
I am an avid reader and inhale "stuff" about our business. It is perhaps the old researcher in me.
Yesterday I received a piece from PhocusWright inviting me to participate in their new study: "The Disloyal Traveler: Influencing the Undecided".
This did get me thinking why the Traveller (Traveler) has become "disloyal". At the recent conferences I have attended this was somewhat of a whispered issue. No one wants to admit that indeed the era of branding has radically changed if not died.
The demand for instant metrics, performance and more important delivery (aka bookings) has undermined the traditional notion of a brand. It has also finally exposed the fact that (and humour me here - I am addressing airlines in the main) that the product is a commodity.
Of course this is not a binary factor. But in times of economic disability (I am tired of using GFC) price becomes ascendant over quality even if quality was universally measurable and assured - which we know is not the case.
So PhocusWright is correct in looking at this subject. However will the answers be really truthful? Will we get data that will tell us what the consumer really things and is this applicable to the real world?
One thing is for certain - the destruction of brand value is not just a function of the economic environment, nor is it a result of consumer behavior - nor even the web and the fabric of social media. Rather it is a combination of factors not least of which has been the behavior of the brand owners themselves. When cash is king - then their behavior tends towards survivalist.
Understanding the core value of the brand proposition over the recent years seems to have been lost. For example in the recent past legacy airlines focused on yield rather than on value. The value proposition high ground was grabbed by the Low Cost Carrier segment. To differentiate from the commoditization value offered by the LCCs, the Legacy Airlines actually went further up market. Coming back to compete with the LCCs, has these airlines now fighting in the trenches. Unfortunately to do so has meant undermining the "goodwill" of their brands further commoditizing their products.
Sure if there is an apple to apple comparison then the player with a differentiated brand value wins. However this strikes at a core principal of airline products namely opaque pricing. I am sure by now there will be some readers hunting for the comment or flame button. But hear me out. True airline pricing is all about obfuscating the price in relation to the cost. It is as close to a pure buy and sell model as you can get. But it is only now becoming easier to make that true comparison. The operational inflexibility of an airline means the assets are not actually that flexible. It is not that easy to reposition your 777 from transatlantic to the San Diego/LAX market.
At this point in the evolution of the Travel Market, airlines are forgoing brand value for cash value. When people talk about the life time value of a customer - now is the time to really focus on that and mine that loyalty. Sadly but realistically - the lure of instant gratification of cash now vs brand future value has destroyed that image and the resulting value. Thus the customer is not really being disloyal. It is just the manifestation that never was that loyal to you in the first place. Anyone who made that assumption is seeing that in cold hard cash (or lack thereof). Its like the recent movie title - "He's just not that into you." An All Star cast doesn't guarantee success.
I remember once chatting with a SVP of Marketing for a large airline at a small gathering. He had done his homework on his audience and actually gone to the bother of checking up on who was a "loyal" customer to his brand. He was quite taken aback when he thanked me for my loyalty, I explained that it was not loyalty but other attributes such as schedule that made me come back. Returning visits do not mean someone is loyal. This is a new lesson. I also made him even more comfortable when I explained that I was also at Elite status on 2 other airlines. (Back when that meant something).
So food for thought. I look forward to seeing the results of the study. I hope that there are real lessons and pointers for the future.
Oh and one more thing - Big is not necessarily a positive brand value!
Cheers
Yesterday I received a piece from PhocusWright inviting me to participate in their new study: "The Disloyal Traveler: Influencing the Undecided".
This did get me thinking why the Traveller (Traveler) has become "disloyal". At the recent conferences I have attended this was somewhat of a whispered issue. No one wants to admit that indeed the era of branding has radically changed if not died.
The demand for instant metrics, performance and more important delivery (aka bookings) has undermined the traditional notion of a brand. It has also finally exposed the fact that (and humour me here - I am addressing airlines in the main) that the product is a commodity.
Of course this is not a binary factor. But in times of economic disability (I am tired of using GFC) price becomes ascendant over quality even if quality was universally measurable and assured - which we know is not the case.
So PhocusWright is correct in looking at this subject. However will the answers be really truthful? Will we get data that will tell us what the consumer really things and is this applicable to the real world?
One thing is for certain - the destruction of brand value is not just a function of the economic environment, nor is it a result of consumer behavior - nor even the web and the fabric of social media. Rather it is a combination of factors not least of which has been the behavior of the brand owners themselves. When cash is king - then their behavior tends towards survivalist.
Understanding the core value of the brand proposition over the recent years seems to have been lost. For example in the recent past legacy airlines focused on yield rather than on value. The value proposition high ground was grabbed by the Low Cost Carrier segment. To differentiate from the commoditization value offered by the LCCs, the Legacy Airlines actually went further up market. Coming back to compete with the LCCs, has these airlines now fighting in the trenches. Unfortunately to do so has meant undermining the "goodwill" of their brands further commoditizing their products.
Sure if there is an apple to apple comparison then the player with a differentiated brand value wins. However this strikes at a core principal of airline products namely opaque pricing. I am sure by now there will be some readers hunting for the comment or flame button. But hear me out. True airline pricing is all about obfuscating the price in relation to the cost. It is as close to a pure buy and sell model as you can get. But it is only now becoming easier to make that true comparison. The operational inflexibility of an airline means the assets are not actually that flexible. It is not that easy to reposition your 777 from transatlantic to the San Diego/LAX market.
At this point in the evolution of the Travel Market, airlines are forgoing brand value for cash value. When people talk about the life time value of a customer - now is the time to really focus on that and mine that loyalty. Sadly but realistically - the lure of instant gratification of cash now vs brand future value has destroyed that image and the resulting value. Thus the customer is not really being disloyal. It is just the manifestation that never was that loyal to you in the first place. Anyone who made that assumption is seeing that in cold hard cash (or lack thereof). Its like the recent movie title - "He's just not that into you." An All Star cast doesn't guarantee success.
I remember once chatting with a SVP of Marketing for a large airline at a small gathering. He had done his homework on his audience and actually gone to the bother of checking up on who was a "loyal" customer to his brand. He was quite taken aback when he thanked me for my loyalty, I explained that it was not loyalty but other attributes such as schedule that made me come back. Returning visits do not mean someone is loyal. This is a new lesson. I also made him even more comfortable when I explained that I was also at Elite status on 2 other airlines. (Back when that meant something).
So food for thought. I look forward to seeing the results of the study. I hope that there are real lessons and pointers for the future.
Oh and one more thing - Big is not necessarily a positive brand value!
Cheers
02 April 2009
BA to phase out 757s from the Fleet
BA and Eastern Airlines shared one common heritage item - they launched 2 aircraft - the Boeing 757 and the Lockheed L1011 both with Rolls Royce RB211 engines.
I can almost bet that no one out there can remember why the engines were so labeled RB211. Let's see how many real geeks and anoraks there are in the audience.
So it is with a twinge of nostalgia that the last few B757s are being removed from BA's mainline fleet. Most of the fleet was sold off to DHL. With that contract long fulfilled - the remaining planes will likely go for conversion to Freighters of some sort or another.
Ah Sweet Nostalgia ...
I can almost bet that no one out there can remember why the engines were so labeled RB211. Let's see how many real geeks and anoraks there are in the audience.
So it is with a twinge of nostalgia that the last few B757s are being removed from BA's mainline fleet. Most of the fleet was sold off to DHL. With that contract long fulfilled - the remaining planes will likely go for conversion to Freighters of some sort or another.
Ah Sweet Nostalgia ...
IATA Terminates Aeropostal after IOSA
IATA seems to be getting serious about terminating airlines that fail its safety audits. So when the dreaded IOSA team shows up on your doorstep - you had better get your ducks in a row. So this year Aeropostal has been added to the list. They join the following:
2008: Air Botswana, Air Malawi, Air Tanzania, TAAG, Rwandair Express, Tassili Airlines, Varig Log and Zambian Airways.
In addition Ariana Afghan Airlines, Solomon Airlines and Palestinian Airlines resigned in 2007.
Those terminated in 2006 and 2007 were Aero Asia, Aero California, Air Marshall Islands, AVIATECA, Samara Airlines, Turkmenistan Airlines, Albanian Airways, Iraqi Airways and Lloyd Aero Boliviano.
Good for IATA for making this a matter of principal and finally putting teeth into their programs.
Cheers
2008: Air Botswana, Air Malawi, Air Tanzania, TAAG, Rwandair Express, Tassili Airlines, Varig Log and Zambian Airways.
In addition Ariana Afghan Airlines, Solomon Airlines and Palestinian Airlines resigned in 2007.
Those terminated in 2006 and 2007 were Aero Asia, Aero California, Air Marshall Islands, AVIATECA, Samara Airlines, Turkmenistan Airlines, Albanian Airways, Iraqi Airways and Lloyd Aero Boliviano.
Good for IATA for making this a matter of principal and finally putting teeth into their programs.
Cheers
Jetstar Asia's Ownership Sorted!
Finally after years of somewhat complicated ownership in Jetstar Asia and Valuair, the situation has been resolved.
The former partners of Orangestar have effectively been bought out. And now the ownership comprises just 2 ownership players: Qantas Group (with 49%) and Westbrook with 51%. Westbrook is wholly owned by Mr Choo Teck Wong (Mr Dennis Choo). Newstar is the name of the new ownership vehicle.
With this change Tamasek (Singapore Inc) will exit the ownership ending its involvement in the enterprise. This also resolves the conflict between Tiger and Jetstar. The alignment of the Tiger shareholders with SQ is clear and Jetstar with QF. We can now look to more fierce competition between the two LCCs.
The operations of the airline remain the same and the 280 employees are unaffected by the change. Ms Chong Phit-Lian will continue to lead the organisation as Chief Executive Officer. Qantas will continue to provide branding support and integration into the rest of the Jetstar group. The Valuair brand will likely now disappear with a single operating certificate a likely outcome.
Phew!
Cheers
The former partners of Orangestar have effectively been bought out. And now the ownership comprises just 2 ownership players: Qantas Group (with 49%) and Westbrook with 51%. Westbrook is wholly owned by Mr Choo Teck Wong (Mr Dennis Choo). Newstar is the name of the new ownership vehicle.
With this change Tamasek (Singapore Inc) will exit the ownership ending its involvement in the enterprise. This also resolves the conflict between Tiger and Jetstar. The alignment of the Tiger shareholders with SQ is clear and Jetstar with QF. We can now look to more fierce competition between the two LCCs.
The operations of the airline remain the same and the 280 employees are unaffected by the change. Ms Chong Phit-Lian will continue to lead the organisation as Chief Executive Officer. Qantas will continue to provide branding support and integration into the rest of the Jetstar group. The Valuair brand will likely now disappear with a single operating certificate a likely outcome.
Phew!
Cheers
01 April 2009
DL+NW Align GDS Abuse Policies
Delta and NW/KLM are aligning their US based GDS policies on abusive practices. As the Transatlantic Alliance between Air France Group and Delta Group slowly comes to fruition we are seeing some aligning of their policies with regard to GDSs, Travel Agencies and ARC/BSP.
http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/30194
What we have yet to see is the alignment for the next generation of activity with the imposition of selective GDS pullouts or penalties as we have seen in Germany with Lufthansa Group against Amadeus and France+Benelux for pure AF Group against Galileo.
Thus it is conceivable for an agent in Amsterdam to book a flight on KLM metal but the booking made on Northwest without incurring the GDS surcharge imposed by KLM there. With Travelport picking up the tab for the near term - we will likely see as in Germany no change in Agent booking behavior. However I do know that many agents are re-thinking their GDS strategies as a result of this new behavior by the airlines.
It sure makes for an interesting marketplace.
Cheers
http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/30194
What we have yet to see is the alignment for the next generation of activity with the imposition of selective GDS pullouts or penalties as we have seen in Germany with Lufthansa Group against Amadeus and France+Benelux for pure AF Group against Galileo.
Thus it is conceivable for an agent in Amsterdam to book a flight on KLM metal but the booking made on Northwest without incurring the GDS surcharge imposed by KLM there. With Travelport picking up the tab for the near term - we will likely see as in Germany no change in Agent booking behavior. However I do know that many agents are re-thinking their GDS strategies as a result of this new behavior by the airlines.
It sure makes for an interesting marketplace.
Cheers
Did Open Skies Lower Air Fares?
Some regulators seem to be congratulating themselves for the reduction in Air Fares across the Atlantic after the implementation of Open Skies last year.
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/delta/stories/2009/03/29/open_skies_delta.html
However I would caution anyone who thinks that the benefits were immediate.
Yes air fares have been reduced across the Atlantic. But so has capacity - that normally should not happen. Capacity was supposed to increase so was choice.
In fact the reverse happened. Delta has reduced traffic and competition on at least 2 key routes - LAX-LHR (AF-DL) and SEA-LHR (NW) came and went bye-bye pretty quickly.
What we have seen is a significant reduction of Transatlantic service from London Gatwick. AA has pulled all of its services from LGW with significant reductions from DL, NW, and CO to mention just a few. Capacity across the Atlantic has been reduced by most airlines and BA is in a world of hurt with its traffic falling quite precipitously in the key premium markets.
Long term - I remain optimistic - but as negotiations for the next round of Open Skies between the EU open up - don't expect big expansive true Open Skies agreements to occur any time soon. And Air fares - well they are down all round. That means there are some significant bargains around. Too bad about the taxes though!
Cheers
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/delta/stories/2009/03/29/open_skies_delta.html
However I would caution anyone who thinks that the benefits were immediate.
Yes air fares have been reduced across the Atlantic. But so has capacity - that normally should not happen. Capacity was supposed to increase so was choice.
In fact the reverse happened. Delta has reduced traffic and competition on at least 2 key routes - LAX-LHR (AF-DL) and SEA-LHR (NW) came and went bye-bye pretty quickly.
What we have seen is a significant reduction of Transatlantic service from London Gatwick. AA has pulled all of its services from LGW with significant reductions from DL, NW, and CO to mention just a few. Capacity across the Atlantic has been reduced by most airlines and BA is in a world of hurt with its traffic falling quite precipitously in the key premium markets.
Long term - I remain optimistic - but as negotiations for the next round of Open Skies between the EU open up - don't expect big expansive true Open Skies agreements to occur any time soon. And Air fares - well they are down all round. That means there are some significant bargains around. Too bad about the taxes though!
Cheers
UK Agents Turn to Technology for Revenue
Everyone is feeling the pinch. So when the going gets tough the tough get creative.
So according to Genesys Consulting's Paul Richer's latest report - some UK agencies are turning to bringing in revenue by selling in house developed technology on the open market.
If we look back in history many of the best add on applications have been developed by users. TRAMS now owned by Sabre is a good example for back office.
However for every successful application there are literally hundreds of failed attempts.
I would caution anyone who thinks this is easy money to consider the requirements of support and becoming a solution provider to someone else whose business model doesn't necessarily match yours and vice versa.
Sometimes if its too good to be true - it probably is
Cheers
So according to Genesys Consulting's Paul Richer's latest report - some UK agencies are turning to bringing in revenue by selling in house developed technology on the open market.
If we look back in history many of the best add on applications have been developed by users. TRAMS now owned by Sabre is a good example for back office.
However for every successful application there are literally hundreds of failed attempts.
I would caution anyone who thinks this is easy money to consider the requirements of support and becoming a solution provider to someone else whose business model doesn't necessarily match yours and vice versa.
Sometimes if its too good to be true - it probably is
Cheers
British Newspaper Converts to All Twitter Format
In a stunning reversal of fortunes one of the most respected newspapers in Britain the Grauniad today announced the end of its Print Publication services and a move to all Twitter.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/apr/01/guardian-twitter-media-technology
It also revealed that the publication has in fact been Tweeting for many years. Opening up its archives for some critical moments in history - it showed the following messages from its archive:
Highlights from the Guardian's Twitterised news archive
1927
OMG first successful transatlantic air flight wow, pretty cool! Boring day
otherwise *sigh*
1940
W Churchill giving speech NOW - "we shall fight on the beaches ... we shall never surrender" check YouTube later for the rest
1961
Listening 2 new band "The Beatles"
1989
Berlin Wall falls! Majority view of Twitterers = it's a historic moment! What do you think??? Have your say
1997
RT@mohammedalfayed: FYI NeilHamilton, Harrods boss offering £££ 4 questions in House of Commons! Check it out
Travelport Announces Merged GMS Platform
After steadfastly denying that the former GDS platforms would be merged, Galportspan CEO, Jeff Clarke and GMS Division CEO, Gordon Wilson jointly announced the immediate merger of the new platform which will also share the new identity.
"The merged operations under Galportspan reflect the truly global nature of our business which needed to have a common identity and branding" commented Clarke.
"Worldspan, Apollo and Galileo were all fine legacy systems, but we are about the future." "No commedy here" Wilson added.
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