All good things must come to an end

We hope you enjoyed the blog and that you found interesting and valuable insights. As Horizons 2008 edition is now over it is time to say goodbye. Thanks for visiting the blog.

Five trends to watch in online travel space

by Siew Hoon, Horizons´ master of ceremonies Couple of key learning points I picked up at the Amadeus Horizons 2008 conference held in Bangkok late last month on travel distribution. 1. It’s about servicing, not selling online John Lonergan, general manager-direct channels of Qantas, said that online had become more about servicing than selling for […]

Continuous innovation key to future growth

by Chris Clarke, event blogger For me, there was a marked contrast between Horizons 2008 in Bangkok and Horizons 2006 in Dubai.  The last two years have fostered increased confidence across the sector.  The relentless focus on cost cutting (not just as good business practice but for business survival) was replaced by a renewed optimism […]

A view from the top: Air France/KLM

by Chris Clarke, event blogger I managed to catch up with Leo van Wijk, Vice-Chairman of Air France/KLM and Chairman of the SkyTeam, who provided an interesting perspective on where the market is heading and how global alliances will evolve in the next few years. In this interview he looks at the drivers behind the […]

An update to ‘Balancing the potential of web 2.0′

by Chris Clarke, event blogger The theme of the conference Airlines 2.0 was given a futuristic twist by Philippe der Arslanian, Global Director of Airline Direct Channel at Amadeus, with interactive demonstrations of future mobile travel applications and insights into how tomorrows’ travellers will demand more from airlines (see post below).  In this interview, he is joined […]

A view from the top : Cathay Pacific Airways

Chris Clarke, event blogger The perspectives shared by some of the world’s leading airlines at Horizons provided valuable insights for delegates.  In this interview, Edward Nicol, CIO, Cathay Pacific Airways, talks about the differences between the Asian traveller and those from other regions and the role that technology can play in meetings the different needs of […]

Interview update to ‘A new way forward in GDS distribution’

by Chris Clarke, event blogger Last week at Horizons, David Doctor presented the Amadeus Airline Retailing Platform (A new way forward in GDS distribution). In the interview attached he talks about what the platform means for airlines and how it is transforming indirect distribution.  He also looks at how Amadeus is working with low-cost carriers […]

Interview update to ‘A brave new world’?

by Chris Clarke, event blogger Following the introduction of Airlines 2.0 as the theme of the conference (A brave new world?) , we have an interview with Frédéric Spagnou, Vice President Airline Business Group, Amadeus. In it, he talks about how new technologies such as Web 2.0 are empowering customers and how airlines can respond […]

Focus on the future but don’t forget the present

by Chris Clarke, event blogger The Horizons 2008 global forum for airlines in Bangkok is over.  Everyone is making their way back home, whether home is Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East or Africa.   It is a good time to reflect on the last couple of days.  I hope you all enjoyed […]

Balancing the potential of web 2.0 with current priorities

by Chris Clarke, event blogger Philippe Der Arslanian offered a glimpse of the future.  Through a series of demonstrations he painted a picture of what is, and what will be, possible with web 2.0 in the not too distant future.  (If you want to learn about web 2.0 in under five minutes, Professor Mike Wesch’s […]