WORDS MOLLY DYSON
BBT HOTLIST 2020
ONE ORDER 2020 IS BELIEVED TO BE THE “breakthrough” year for NDC. Frankly, at BBT we would like to move the conversation on. IATA’s One Order programme intends to replace the multiple booking, ticketing, delivery and accounting methods with a single customer order record powered by the data communications advancements made possible by NDC. Sounds complicated, but it means multiple reservation records will gradually be phased out in favour of a standardised reference that will become the single access point for customer orders by third parties – interline partners, distribution channels, ground handling agents and airport staff, among others – and other providers, such as hotels, will be able to attach bookings to the same order. IATA says that, in turn, travel policy stakeholders will only have to deal with one source of data when calculating spend, while travellers will see a more streamlined experience. A win-win situation?
BOEING 2019 WAS A DISASTROUS YEAR for Boeing following the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents involving the 737 Max aircraft in which 346 people were killed. While the tragic loss of life was at the forefront of everyone’s minds, many in the travel industry were looking ahead to the aircraft’s return to service. The media attention has brought to light some alleged shortcomings on Boeing’s manufacturing line, particularly when it came to the Max’s Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), on which investigators have placed partial blame for the crashes. Boeing’s corporate line was to suggest it was working hard to fix the problem, but it has just announced a temporary suspension of production. The manufacturer said it was hoping the aircraft would be recertified and a grounding order lifted, but the US Federal Aviation Administration has refused to put a timeline on getting the planes back in the sky.
VIRGIN CONNECT IT’S NOW 2020, and that means Flybe is sadly no more. The regional carrier was acquired by Connect Airways, a consortium owned by Virgin Atlantic, Stobart Group and Cyrus Capital. As of January, it has been rebranded as Virgin Connect. Aside from a change of livery from the traditional purple to Virgin’s signature red, the refreshed airline has a huge opportunity in the UK. Regional connectivity has been largely set on the back burner by other carriers, some of which cite the high rate of Air Passenger Duty and low demand as barriers to establishing new routes. If Virgin Connect can “do what it says on the tin”, passengers from around the country stand to benefit from access to its mother airline’s international network, particularly in the US. This is a development that could become vital for UK businesses in a post-Brexit economy, assuming there will be trade deals and greater ties with the US.
HS2 THE UK’S PLANNED HIGH-SPEED railway has become a political hot potato. Phase 1 is due to connect London to the West Midlands, with the first services scheduled for between 2028 and 2031. Then phase 2a and 2b will link the West Midlands to Leeds and Manchester, scheduled for full completion by 2040 at the latest. Or will it? Parliament approved plans for the first section way back in 2017, but in August last year, new
transport secretary Grant Shapps decided to launch a review into its progress. Why? Because the project could end up being £30 billion over budget, its chairman said, with a total cost of between £70 billion and £85 billion. Will it ever be built? Who can say? We do know that post-Brexit, faster transport connections
between major cities will be needed to help businesses and better connect communities. We also know the debate will rumble on. For that reason it’s a concrete Hotlist “one to watch” entry.
buyingbusinesstravel.com 2020 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 85
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