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GDSs follow footsteps; Worldspan, Delta strike seven-year content deal as Amadeus climbs on opt-in bandwagon.

Article Excerpt
Delta Air Lines and its dominant global distribution system Worldspan late last month announced a seven-year agreement through which the carrier will offer its full content to the global distribution system's subscribers, while Amadeus last week joined its GDS competitors in adopting an opt-in model, telling its United States-based subscribers it soon would launch a content access program. The movements further solidify the direction of corporate travel distribution--whereby airlines pay a smaller share of distribution costs, leaving agencies and corporations to make up the difference--as all the GDSs have initiated opt-in programs and all, barring Amadeus, have completed content deals with the legacy carriers.

In a memo to clients last week, Amadeus--the last GDS holdout to adopt the opt-in model--noted that the substantial shift in the distribution marketplace prompted the GDS to follow the lead of competitors.

In the Amadeus memo, North America president Kay Urban and senior vice president of sales and marketing Tom Cates said, "In response to airline surcharges, our GDS competitors were quick to announce opt-in programs that would immediately affect travel agencies. Amadeus has always believed that the marketplace would ultimately...

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