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 his airline. He [...]
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 about the [...]
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 [...]
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 to [...]
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 to [...]
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 the conference. With [...]
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 [...]
by Chris Clarke, event blogger
David Doctor, Director of Airline Distribution and Low Cost Carriers at Amadeus, has just launched the Amadeus Airline Retailing Platform.
Developed in conjunction with airlines, the platform represents a new way forward in GDS distribution. The conference heard how a complete redesign of the Amadeus distribution proposition means airlines will be able [...]
by Chris Clarke, event blogger
After a full first day, over 600 of us headed to the river to catch two boats for the evening dinner cruise taking in the sights of the city. Being the hottest month of the year in Thailand, the river breeze was welcome. I’ve attached some photographs of the evening which [...]
by Chris Clarke, event blogger
At the sessions today, questions were coming thick and fast by delegates using the conference SMS service. Here is a selection of some of them:
Many people are now talking about web 3.0, what is this? (All contributions on answering this questions very welcome!)
What is the development time anticipated to deliver true Airline 2.0 functionality?
Is [...]
Horizons 2008
Welcome cocktail I