RAILWAYS GROUND TRANSPORT


CWT and Lyft partner in US


Government plans rail network shake-up


CARLSON WAGONLIT TRAVEL (CWT) HAS formed a partnership with ride-sharing app Lyft to supply on-demand ground transportation to its US clients. Lyft claims to be the fastest-growing ride-share company in the US and its services are widely available across the country. Research released in October 2017 revealed that Lyft was overtaking its rival Uber in business travel bookings in the US.


GDS FEES


Travelport secures deal with BA on surcharges


TRAVELPORT HAS SECURED A DEAL with British Airways and sister carrier Iberia to avoid the airlines’ £8 charge on GDS bookings. BA and Iberia implemented the £8 surcharge in November, but all three GDSs have reached a deal with the airlines that enables TMCs to negotiate directly for access to content without fees. “Travelport has reached an agreement with British Airways and Iberia for distribution on Travelport’s platform to partners who have secured a private channel agreement,” said the technology firm in a statement. Travelport is also developing NDC connections with airlines, which is another way of avoiding the surcharges.


18 BBT January/February 2018


Jim Hartnett, vice-president of global supplier management at CWT, said: “We are excited about our new Lyft partnership and are focused on delivering best-in-class services for our travellers to reach their destinations.” Amit Patel, director of business development at Lyft Business, said: “We’re thrilled to partner with CWT, making it easier for their clients to launch and manage seamless travel solutions with Lyft.”


DISTRIBUTION


Ryanair ends


Amadeus partnership


RYANAIR HAS ENDED ITS GDS PARTNERSHIP WITH AMADEUS effective on15 December 2017 after both parties were unable to reach a renewed commercial agreement. The carrier says it will continue to service travel agents through Travelport and Sabre, where its commercial agreements “remain unchanged”. Ryanair and Amadeus signed a partnership agreement in 2014, but the airline’s Kenny Jacobs said the two entities had failed to agree a new deal.


THE GOVERNMENT COULD REOPEN rail lines closed as a result of the Beeching Report in the 1960s as part of a new strategy for the UK’s railway network over the next decade. Transport secretary Chris Grayling is also proposing a shake- up of the current franchising system for the UK network, including the introduction of smaller train companies and splitting up the current Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise from 2021. Grayling said: “The last few years have seen massive growth on Britain’s railways. This industry has reversed decades of decline under British Rail, delivered new investment and new trains, and doubled the number of passengers. “But now we need to build on that success by building a new model for the 2020s and beyond; one more able to deal with the huge rise in passenger numbers and the challenges of an increasingly congested network.”


The new rail strategy is to look at restoring some of the capacity lost during the Beeching cuts to the rail network in the 1960s and 1970s. The government is already


planning to reopen the rail line between Oxford and Cambridge, and will look at restoring other former lines that can “unlock new housing or economic growth and offer good value for money”. There will also be a consultation into the future of the Great Western franchise, including a proposal to create a West of England franchise providing long-distance services between London, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Meanwhile, the current operator of the Great Western franchise, First Group, is being asked to draw up a proposal to extend the existing franchise to 2022 to “provide a period of stability” before any major changes are made.


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