Travelport kicks off multi-GDS talks

 

The technology provider hopes to start introducing its "future desktop" in October this year.

 

The product should present travel agencies with all the GDS information they need in one place, freeing them from being tied to one GDS provider and meaning faster ways to search for deals and comparison shop.

 

Agents using Travelport's new desktop will be able to use traditional keyboard commands or a graphical user interface (GUI) environment to access the interior of all three of Travelport's GDSs, Apollo, Galileo and Worldspan, as well as Sabre and Amadeus if agreements can be reached.

 

Historically, GDSs have been unable to incorporate ancillary services such as priority security lanes but the universal desktop will incorporate this, albeit within the GUI interface only.

 

The future desktop is still in prototype stage still needs to go through alpha and beta testing. A spokesman for Travelport said: "When it is released, this is going to change the face of the way GDSs work."