United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
New age GDS no threat, says Amadeus
GTMC Conference Special: New age global distribution systems will be no cheaper – and possibly more expensive – than established rivals as they don’t possess the purchasing muscle of the traditional GDS’s, the Guild of Travel Management Companies heard.
Speaking at the Guild’s annual conference in Oman, Amadeus vice president multinational customer group Gillian Gibson added they don’t have the functionality or capacity to compete on the same scale.
Gibson also questioned who would fund the new technology.
“New entrants are not cheaper, they are probably more expensive,” she told delegates.
“They have new technology but we are using the same and our purchasing power is much stronger.
We get better rates from IT suppliers.”
Insisting the likes of G2 SwitchWorks have far fewer functions than established players, Gibson said Amadeus could comfortably undercut the prices.
“We do 230 million transactions every day.
We could undercut them in a heartbeat.”
But to do that would mean stripping out agent incentives – something she claimed the new entrants will do but that Amadeus will not.
The debate comes shortly after G2 announced it has secured $10 million of funding.
It is currently booking reservations for American Airlines, Continental, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways.
Report by Steve Jones
Ginny McGrath
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel
Foreign Office issues travel advisory for winter sun destinations