It started out life as OFS - Online Fulfillment Services. its first major customer was Expedia. On the first day of operation there were more managers than there were call center agents. Winning the Expedia (Microsoft) business for fulfillment was the launchpad.
It became TRX and had a pretty colourful life. Basically doing the messy part of the travel process for Expedia and the airlines.
It has now morphed into a much smaller organization. Not quite sure what its core mission is but it still is able to make a profit as its last quarter's results show. However how long it should remain public is a huge question. Parent BCD (who also owns the giant BCD Travel) needs to let the business continue in private hands rather than be distracted by the demands of the public scrutiny as a listed company.
As an Online pioneer - let them emerge without the baggage.
Best of luck to them
Cheers
Showing posts with label BCD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BCD. Show all posts
29 November 2009
16 January 2009
Big 4 to Consolidate?
OK - I got your attention.
The big 4 I am talking about are the Travel Management (aka Corp Travel) agencies. The driving force is the ownership by Emirates Airlines sister company DNATA Travel and BCD in HR Group. DNATA Travel based in Dubai recently disclosed that it raised to 20.15 percent from 19.99 percent its ownership of HR Group (the former Hogg Robinson) shares, following by the disclosure of a 3 percentage point increase in ownership by BCD Travel, the privately held Dutch owned TMC, to more than 19 percent.
Interesting I would say. Not a huge increase and still could be just a happenstance - but still fun to speculate on.
Cheers
The big 4 I am talking about are the Travel Management (aka Corp Travel) agencies. The driving force is the ownership by Emirates Airlines sister company DNATA Travel and BCD in HR Group. DNATA Travel based in Dubai recently disclosed that it raised to 20.15 percent from 19.99 percent its ownership of HR Group (the former Hogg Robinson) shares, following by the disclosure of a 3 percentage point increase in ownership by BCD Travel, the privately held Dutch owned TMC, to more than 19 percent.
Interesting I would say. Not a huge increase and still could be just a happenstance - but still fun to speculate on.
Cheers
10 April 2008
HRGs Milky Bar Kid rides off... maybe
Mike Platt is leaving Hoggs - excuse me the HRG Group. After a long and illustrious career in the UK Travel market - he will ride off in the sunset. Most people who have been round long enough will actually remember Mike as the original (I believe) Milky Bar Kid.
Perhaps Mike is getting out at a good time. Last month is was revealed that a sister company controlled by the same owning family as BCD Holdings had grabbed more than 10% of HRG. This could be interpreted as the canny Dutchman JFVV is looking to consolidate again. This may see the reconstruction of BTI. Do remember the last time he took a stake in a competitor it was in Navigant which some say precipitated the tectonic shift in TMCs a few years back.
Mike is coming to join the ranks of the Unemployed (er I mean Consultants) so expect him to start showing up at conferences and the like. Perhaps now he will take the gloves off ;-)
Congrats Mike! Are the Milky Bars still on you?
Cheers
Timothy
Perhaps Mike is getting out at a good time. Last month is was revealed that a sister company controlled by the same owning family as BCD Holdings had grabbed more than 10% of HRG. This could be interpreted as the canny Dutchman JFVV is looking to consolidate again. This may see the reconstruction of BTI. Do remember the last time he took a stake in a competitor it was in Navigant which some say precipitated the tectonic shift in TMCs a few years back.
Mike is coming to join the ranks of the Unemployed (er I mean Consultants) so expect him to start showing up at conferences and the like. Perhaps now he will take the gloves off ;-)
Congrats Mike! Are the Milky Bars still on you?
Cheers
Timothy
27 July 2007
BCD fights for rationality in Global Distribution
A well meaning paper written by the folks at BCD Travel is well worth the read. http://www.bcdtravel.com/aw/home/Corporate_Page/en-us/Content_5811652/Document_centre_5912426/~bmk/White_Papers/
The points it lays out are clearly expressed and mostly valid.
There are two points that we think should be added to the debate. So since we have the pulpit - we will exercise our rights:
1. Fragmentation of distribution actually benefits TMCs who can now show their value by being the real aggregator of content - rather than just the re-presenter of information.
2. The true cost of distribution has not fallen - either for the Airlines nor the users of travel.
We will continue to push these points in coming weeks and months as we believe that there is a sea change of distribution re-alignment occurring. One thing is for sure. Full Content deals were not the great seminal moment of change that the airlines thought it would be. Rather it has resulted in an increase in distribution costs as the GDSs unbundled their offerings while rejoicing in the the handcuffs they have placed on the airlines signing such deals.
The points it lays out are clearly expressed and mostly valid.
There are two points that we think should be added to the debate. So since we have the pulpit - we will exercise our rights:
1. Fragmentation of distribution actually benefits TMCs who can now show their value by being the real aggregator of content - rather than just the re-presenter of information.
2. The true cost of distribution has not fallen - either for the Airlines nor the users of travel.
We will continue to push these points in coming weeks and months as we believe that there is a sea change of distribution re-alignment occurring. One thing is for sure. Full Content deals were not the great seminal moment of change that the airlines thought it would be. Rather it has resulted in an increase in distribution costs as the GDSs unbundled their offerings while rejoicing in the the handcuffs they have placed on the airlines signing such deals.
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