Here’s our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.

Sabre partnerships

Sabre has announced a partnership with Sensible Weather Technologies, a leader in
weather guarantee services. 

This collaboration
will allow guests booking through Sabre Hospitality’s SynXis Booking Engine to
benefit from weather protection for their stays. In addition, for hotels that
opt-in, guests will automatically be reimbursed for specific weather-related
events while they are on site, enabling them to book alternative experiences.

In addition, Sabre has entered a multi-year distribution
agreement with PLAY airlines, an Icelandic low-cost carrier. Through this partnership,
Sabre-connected travel agencies will have access to PLAY’s network
of flights across North America and Europe.

“By bringing PLAY airlines’ content into Sabre’s GDS, we are
enabling our agency partners to offer more value and choices to their clients,”
said Alessandro Ciancimino, vice president of airline distribution at Sabre. “This agreement
is part of our broader strategy to expand low-cost carrier content in the Sabre
travel marketplace in 2024 and beyond, helping agencies seamlessly access the
diverse travel options their customers demand.”

Aer Lingus announces new partnerships

Aer Lingus has announced a New Distribution Capability (NDC) partnership with Expedia Group.

The partnership simplifies the booking process, allowing Expedia Group customers to build tailor-made holidays and make changes to their flight itinerary. In addition, they will receive essential flight status updates and check-in via the Aer Lingus app.

Customers who are members of Aer Lingus’ loyalty program, AerClub, will be able to collect travel rewards in addition to earning rewards on Expedia. On top of that, Expedia Group customers flying across the Atlantic with Aer Lingus can use United States pre-clearance at both Dublin Airport and Shannon Airports, enabling customers to pre-clear all U.S. immigration and customs before they fly, avoiding queues on arrival in the U.S.

Aer Lingus has also partnered with Datalex plc, a market leader in digital retail technology.

Aer Lingus fare products are now available with a direct connection through Datalex NDC technology which will simplify the booking process, allowing Aer Lingus to build tailor-made holidays and make changes to their flight itinerary as required.

“We are pleased to announce the integration of our latest NDC solution has gone live,” said Jonathan Rockett, CEO of Datalex. “This technical integration marks a significant step forward in our NDC capabilities opening up new revenue opportunities for our airline partners. Additionally, we are thrilled to have extended this capability to Aer Lingus through our Digital Retailing partnership. This development highlights Aer Lingus and Datalex’s shared vision and commitment to drive innovation and efficiency in the passenger booking experience.”

CitizenPlane launches operating system

CitizenPlane, a distribution software company for airlines and tour operators, has announced the launch of the CitizenPlane Operating System (OS) for mid-tier carriers and fast-growing airlines. 

The system enables airlines to control offer creation, revenue optimization, distribution and delivery. In addition, the offering leverages CitizenPlanes’ recent acquisition of prominent Passenger Service System (PSS) provider Travel Technology Interactive’s (TTI) Zenith software. 

The new CitizenPlane OS also enables users to define and control their retailing strategy from creation of flight content, ancillaries and bundled offers to distribution through any point of sale, in line with industry standards including IATA NDC. 

TravelPerk, SilverRail

TravelPerk, a global business travel management platform, has partnered with SilverRail, a rail commerce platform company.

SilverRail will provide TravelPerk with a rail booking, ticketing and after-sales platform. The tool will reduce the complexity, operational cost and technical effort in offering global rail content.

“We are thrilled to partner with TravelPerk, a next-generation travel management company,” said Brett Ring, vice president of commercial at SilverRail. “We’re seeing a significant modal shift from planes to trains given corporate net zero targets and SilverRail’s platform makes it easy for any travel retailer to offer global rail content via one API.”

Rome2Rio announces new CEO

Rome2Rio, a global trip planner, has announced Wendy Olson Killion as its new CEO.

Killion brings 25 years of experience in travel, tech and business leadership to the role. Prior to Rome2Rio, she led Expedia Group Media Solutions.

“Rome2Rio is an exciting global brand with a powerful platform that has revolutionized the way travelers discover and plan their journeys worldwide,” said Killion.” My focus will be on expanding and monetizing the search capacity of Rome2Rio, while further increasing its relevance with travelers and advertising partners worldwide.”

Killion takes over from Yesh Munnangi, who had been CEO for the past five years.  

Serko appoints new global head of design

Serko, a leader in online business travel, has announced the
appointment of Melissa Helyer-Akhara as the company’s global head of design.

With more than 25 years of experience in leading design and
customer experience, Helyer-Akhara’s career has spanned the UK, Europe, US, the
Middle East and China, where she has driven the digital evolution of brands
such as Samsung, Alibaba, Virgin and Marks & Spencer.

“Melissa’s
leadership will be instrumental in transforming how businesses and travelers
engage with travel technology,” said Serko CEO Darrin Grafton. “Her vision
will drive design strategies that enhance user experiences and push the
boundaries of what’s possible in a rapidly evolving industry. By delivering
intuitive, scalable design solutions, she will help us create seamless products
that empower businesses and inspire travelers.”

Travel Ledger launches TL Pay Instant

Travel Ledger, a provider of B2B billing and settlement
solutions for the travel industry, has launched TL Pay Instant, an alternative
to credit cards for settling transactions.

With the new tool, a supplier can collect from trade
partners in real time, bypassing the use of virtual cards and access funds
instantly while keeping the same level of security and data rich capabilities.

“TL Pay Instant reduces the cost for regular business
partners to settle with each other, while improving cash flow and reducing
risk, all while maintaining maximum transparency throughout the entire
transaction process,” said Roberto Da Re, CEO of Travel Ledger. “Our focus on
listening closely to our customers has enabled us to create a solution that
eliminates the traditional barriers of cost and time, helping businesses across
the UK and Europe optimize their operations.”

BigCommerce, Ubique Digital

BigCommerce, an ecommerce platform,
has partnered with Ubique Digital, a digital transformation specialist,
to launch BigTravel, a solution designed to simplify travel industry operations
and enhance customer experiences.

The new solution is said to create opportunities for online
travel specialists and multi-channel travel and hospitality firms to leap frog
the competition, grow sales and lower technology operating costs.

“Going on
holiday is supposed to be a fun experience, but shopping for flights, hotels,
rental cars and all the other services needed for a trip requires visits to
dozens of different websites for all those various providers,” said Mark Adams,
senior vice president and general manager of EMEA at BigCommerce. “BigTravel
will make it easier and significantly faster for travel agencies to deliver a
unified customer experience that takes the pain out of planning a trip.” 

Hotel Rewards unveils subscription service

Hotel Rewards, an app for discovering exclusive hotel deals
and earnings rewards on stays, is launching a subscription service.

For a monthly fee of
$9.99, subscribers will have access to discounts on hotel rates and additional
benefits to make travel more affordable. The service includes members-only
discounts of up to 78% on hotel stays and a monthly $20 credit toward future
hotel bookings.

“Travelers are looking
for more value and convenience in their bookings, and Hotel Rewards is
addressing that need,” according to a Hotel Rewards spokesperson. “Our
goal is to provide a service that not only offers significant savings but also
enhances the overall travel experience. For hoteliers, this means greater
exposure to a hard-to-reach loyal, engaged audience, increased occupancy rates,
and more consistent revenue through high-volume bookings.”

CellPoint Digital activates APM Hub

CellPoint Digital, a provider of payment solutions to the
airline industry and global pioneer of payment orchestration, is launching its
new APM Hub, a comprehensive suite of 168 global alternative payment methods
(APMs).

The APM Hub streamlines and accelerates access to important
payment options, offering a faster time to market and simplified integration.
In addition, the new launch is designed to help merchant sin aviation and other
travel sectors close gaps by expanding the range of payment options they can
offer travelers.

“The launch of the APM Hub underscores the growing
importance of APMs in what merchants need to offer,” Tom Randklev, global head
of product at CellPoint Digital, said. “We’re committed to investing in these
solutions today to help drive future business growth—for our partners and
ourselves.”