AirAsia signs up for Travelport GDS display tool

AirAsia has become the first Asian low-cost carrier to sign up for Travelport‘s Rich Content and Branding solution, which improves how airline products are displayed on the GDS screen. The airline started distributing its fares to the travel trade via Travelport’s GDS last year, and under the new arrangement it will be able to control how its products, including its important ancillary services, are visually showcased to travel agents. “On AirAsia.com, we are very proud of the wide variety of options and add-ons we offer to our customers, clearly presented with detailed descriptions and highly illustrative visuals. We are glad we are now able to present our products in the same manner to Travelport’s global network using its Rich Content and Branding solution,” said Spencer Lee, AirAsia’s head of commercial. Ancillary products, such as seat selection, insurance and in-flight meals, are an important source of revenue for low-cost carriers, but in the past these have been difficult to include in GDS bookings. AirAsia will hope its adoption of Travelport’s Rich Content and Branding will enable it to sell more of these additional products. AirAsia joins a collection of more than 100 airlines to have signed up for Rich Content and Branding, including LCCs like easyJet and Ryanair. sourced:traveldailymedia.com