Galileo gets on track
Galileo plans to release a new rail product in May following a tie-up with TheTrainline late last year.
The Galileo Rail technology will not only enable agents to book tickets but also allow for ticket-on-departure and back-office integration for accounting purposes.
Agents get paid 9% commission for booking tickets via the system.
UK and Ireland country manager Patrick Lukan said travel management companies had been asking the global distribution system for this kind of technology for two years.
“We have got to be in this space. Corporates are asking for a greener travel option as well.”
Galileo will also enable agents to make Eurostar bookings from April this year following the development of technology by rival GDS Amadeus showing Eurostar alongside air options on a GDS screen.
The GDS also plans to focus on hotel distribution this year and the company is close to signing an agreement with a leading hotel booking agency, which will add additional hotel content to the Galileo system and provide commission tracking and payment solutions.
Lukan said: “We are going to do less this year and we’re not going to try and be all things to everybody. We are concentrating on initiatives for rail and hotel and making sure we continue to have content for customers.”
He added that partnerships with companies such as the booking agency and the Trainline were part of the strategy.
“It goes back to doing a few things and doing them well. If I can find someone who can do it better and faster than we can then we should partner with them.”
by Linda Fox
Phil Davies
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