NEWS ROUND-UP NEWS IN BRIEF
Cook offers counselling to staff after machete attack
Thomas Cook is offering counselling to staff left “shaken” after robbers armed with a machete targeted Stockport’s Co-operative Travel. Three masked men threatened staff and members of the public on May 27 and took a “large amount” of cash. No one was injured.
Clia increases projection for 2016 to 24.2m cruisers
Global cruise passenger numbers increased by more than forecast last year, according to cruise association Clia. Ocean cruise lines carried 23.2 million passengers in 2015, 4% up on 2014 and in excess of the forecast figure of 23 million. Clia has since revised its forecast for 2016, predicting carryings of 24.2 million people.
Thomson Cruises expands fleet to six after acquisition
Thomson Cruises is expanding its fleet to six ships after buying one of Royal Caribbean International’s oldest vessels. The 1,832-passenger Legend of the Seas will be renamed Tui Discovery 2 and will launch in May 2017. Thomson Cruises previously acquired Splendour of the Seas, now Tui Discovery, which launches this week. › Cruise: Destinations, pages 42-64
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COVER STAR: “ It was a dream come true and it’s definitely up there in my top trips. We were treated like royalty” Joe Field, page 34
Iata: Travel agents need to support NDC for it to work
Ian Taylor
ian.taylor@travelweekly.co.uk
Iata hailed its New Distribution Capability (NDC) as “now mainstream” last week, but conceded: “This isn’t going to work without agents’ buy-in.”
The airline association unveiled
a registry of carriers that have implemented NDC, including British Airways, American Airlines, Aer Lingus, Flybe, Emirates and Qatar Airways. Iata sees NDC as enabling
airlines to sell through agents as they do through their own websites. But by bringing in new technology providers, it will also take bookings outside global distribution systems (GDSs). The registry comprises 18 of the
20 airlines Iata says have deployed NDC and 17 IT providers, including GDS Amadeus. Iata said another 12 airlines would deploy NDC “soon”, including Iberia, Vueling, Lufthansa and Swiss, and 86 “plan to adopt the NDC standard”. GDSs Sabre and Travelport are
on a list of 30-plus technology companies Iata describes as “engaged in NDC either directly or
Royal offers half-price cruises to passengers on first Harmony trip
Passengers who travelled on the first sailing on the world’s largest cruise ship Harmony of the Seas are being offered half-price cruises. Royal Caribbean International made the gesture following complaints from some passengers on the May 22 departure from Southampton that building work was still going on around the ship.
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travelweekly.co.uk 9 June 2016
HARMONY: Work marred first trip A statement issued by the line
said: “On a ship of such scale and complexity we were hopeful that all work would be completed in
HOYLES: ‘NDC will provide features that agents can’t access today’
“Without travel agents’ and corporate travel buyers’ buy-in this isn’t going to work”
at the periphery”. However, neither Sabre nor Travelport appear on the registry, nor do any agencies or travel management companies. Iata NDC programme director
Yanik Hoyles acknowledged: “Without travel agents’ and corporate travel buyers’ buy-in this isn’t going to work.” Hoyles said: “GDSs are working
towards making it possible for airlines to merchandise their
products via agents in a manner consistent with airlines’ websites. However, each GDS is working on its own solution.” He insisted: “NDC is bringing
a legacy system into the internet age. It will provide features and content that the agent channel cannot access, or is difficult to access, today. NDC should facilitate new entry [to distribution] that should increase competition and drive down costs [for airlines].” Asked how bookings through multiple channels would be aggregated for agents, Hoyles said: “The best place to aggregate
is in the GDS.” › Iata AGM in Dublin, page 78
time for our first voyage. However, we recognise that there were still simply too many projects being completed during this sailing. “We offer our sincere apologies
to all of our valued customers affected by this. We are eager to welcome our guests back and to deliver the experience expected of a Royal Caribbean holiday.” Guests who travelled on the
May 26 departure are understood to have been given 25% off a
future cruise. › Talk Back, page 15
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