Global distribution system (GDS) provider, Amadeus, has at last come to an agreement with British Airways (BA), following months of discussions between the two companies.
Amadeus is last of the four major GDS companies to finalise arrangements with the airline, with Galileo the first to sign a content agreement in mid-March and Sabre and Worldspan following close behind in early April.
Amadeus declined to elaborate on the reasons behind the delay, as a spokesperson told ABTN: ”We don”t want to get into details, the important thing is that we have now reached an agreement that both Amadeus and BA are happy with.”
However, Amadeus executive vice president, commercial, David Jones, suggested a financial background to negotiations: ”We are very pleased with this agreement, which we believe takes into account the commercial priorities of both parties.”
BA was equally tight lipped on the matter, saying: ”We wanted to get to a point where we all agreed that it was a good deal for us, for the traveller and for Amadeus. We”re just thrilled to have reached that point.”
BA”s fares and inventory will now be made available via the Amadeus GDS system, with an opt-in programme for customers in the UK and Ireland similar to those established with the other GDS providers.
Amadeus will receive either ”0.50 or ”1 ($1 or $2) per segment depending on the class of travel, with travel management companies having to decide whether to pass these additional costs on to clients or absorb themselves.