Ryanair has announced it plans to sell through a GDS system for the first time in more than a decade.
The no-frills carrier is partnering with Travelport to solely distribute its content, with fares and ancillary products made available in a “phased approach” from March 19.
Ryanair also confirmed it’s in discussions with other GDS providers and agreements with these “may come later in the year”.
Last month Ryanair told BBT it was in talks with a number of GDS’s, as it looked to strengthen its position in the corporate travel market.
Ryanair’s chief marketing officer, Kenny Jacobs, said the partnership is a “significant” development for Ryanair as it looks to “evolve its business offering”.
“As Europe’s largest airline, we’ll carry over 81.5 million customers this year on the largest route network, connecting 186 airports in 30 countries,” he said.
“More than 22 per cent of these customers already choose Ryanair for business travel and we expect that percentage to grow.”
At the start of the year Ryanair confirmed it was set to target business travellers as it launched services such as flexible tickets, reserved seating and fast-track through selected airports.
This change in direction coincides with the airline introducing a range of different services to try and become more “traveller friendly”. These include an improved website, mobile app, free second carry-on bag, and a cut in standard airport bag fees.
The airline also confirmed mobile boarding passes will be launched in May.
Ryanair.com