New age GDS no threat, says Amadeus
GTMC Conference Special: New age global distribution systems will be no cheaper – and possibly more expensive – than established rivals as they don’t possess the purchasing muscle of the traditional GDS’s, the Guild of Travel Management Companies heard.
Speaking at the Guild’s annual conference in Oman, Amadeus vice president multinational customer group Gillian Gibson added they don’t have the functionality or capacity to compete on the same scale.
Gibson also questioned who would fund the new technology.
“New entrants are not cheaper, they are probably more expensive,” she told delegates.
“They have new technology but we are using the same and our purchasing power is much stronger.
We get better rates from IT suppliers.”
Insisting the likes of G2 SwitchWorks have far fewer functions than established players, Gibson said Amadeus could comfortably undercut the prices.
“We do 230 million transactions every day.
We could undercut them in a heartbeat.”
But to do that would mean stripping out agent incentives – something she claimed the new entrants will do but that Amadeus will not.
The debate comes shortly after G2 announced it has secured $10 million of funding.
It is currently booking reservations for American Airlines, Continental, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways.
Report by Steve Jones
Ginny McGrath
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt