This open platform concept is attracting some of the best and brightest developers from around the world to build exciting new products on Travelport’s travel commerce platform.
Travelport, a leading travel commerce platform has announced new collaborations with four innovative travel companies, which are utilising Travelport’s Universal Application Programming Interface (Universal API), to power new services that give their customers a greater level of information, choice and flexibility when it comes to booking travel.
Travelport has deliberately adopted an open approach to connectivity that allows its customers fully-flexible access to its platform, enabling travel agencies and intermediaries the ability to design their own customised user interfaces. Travelport’s state of the art Universal API allows OTAs, corporate booking tool providers or other travel consultants, to pull together content delivered from multiple sources into a cohesive display for the travel buyer. This allows for more effective search, comparison, reservations and payments. It also means that they can understand an airline’s full value proposition, for example, including its branded fares and ancillaries, in the same way as a travel agent connected to Travelport’s point of sale solution, Travelport Smartpoint, would.
This open platform concept is attracting some of the best and brightest developers from around the world to build exciting new products on Travelport’s travel commerce platform. The approach is a key part of Travelport’ strategy to change its relationship with travel providers from cost-focused to value-focused. In 2015, a broad network of approximately 1,100 developers utilised our Travelport Universal API, to create their own applications.
The customers that Travelport have collaborated with on these new services include:
- Travel with Lia, a fast growing South African-based corporate travel booking tool which is using Travelport’s Universal API to enable its customers’ travellers to make changes to their travel on the move, easily and efficiently, while keeping within their corporate policy. Lia is the first Travelport customer to implement this new ‘automated exchanges’ solution. The process not only saves time, effort and aggravation for the traveller, but also frees up the corporation’s travel management company to focus on adding extra value to their travellers’ overall experiences.
- Skylord Travel Plc a UK-based Online Travel Agency has become the first OTA in Europe to offer its customers direct access to the branded fares and ancillaries on offer from the airlines on Travelport’s travel commerce platform enabling them to better understand all of the services that are included in different fare types. Skylord was able to complete the development and make available this rich content from over 150 airlines in a matter of a few days, as a result of the service being normalised across airlines and easy to implement using the Travelport Universal API workflow.
- OneTwoTrip, the leading international OTA in the Russian market, is the first Travelport customer in Russia to display airline’s branded fares and ancillaries on its website, so its customers can better understand full airline offerings prior to making their bookings. With the introduction of Branded Fares through Travelport’s Universal API, OneTwoTrip can offer customers a more comprehensive service, increase ease of booking, and help ensure customer loyalty.
- Travel Loop is a Spanish company that specialises in the development and distribution of travel management technology solutions. Its ‘Pursuit’ self-booking tool is now utilising Travelport’s Universal API to integrate Travelport’s shopping functionality, offering its users the ability to access ancillary products.
Ujjwal Sehgal, Director, Skylord Travel Plc. commented: “We have been in the travel business for 33 years and our focus has been serving travel agents and retail clients across the UK with fares and ticketing services. With the introduction of branded fares and ancillary content from Travelport, we can really improve our service. We want to be innovative and offer our agents and consumers the same information for the relevant travel alternatives that they previously would only receive by going to the airline’s website. Branded fares and ancillary content gives us the ability to service our customers, by enabling them to be more efficient and informed. It’s a win, win, win solution for Skylord, our customers and the airlines.”
Arno Van Rensburg, Senior Developer at Touchlab which develops on behalf of Travel with Lia said: “Enabling a self-service itinerary exchange solution for our travellers will bring major benefits for Travel with Lia. Our corporate travellers frequently have to change their travel plans and instead of the traditional and cumbersome process of having to connect with an agent, our customers can now perform a full ticket exchange on their mobile or desktop Travel with Lia application.”
JP Ephithite, Travelport’s Senior Product Manager, Open Platform commented: “Innovation is the common thread that ties the likes of Lia, Skylord Travel, Onetwotrip.com and Travel Loop together. And with Travelport, innovative travel companies can realise their ambitions by developing travel solutions on our open platform. Our ability to help increase their revenues reinforces the value proposition of our travel commerce platform when compared to alternative distribution channels.”
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
