Standard for agency web bookings agreed

Travel Technology Initiative (TTI) has today announced the publication of its standard allowing agents to book tour operators and other suppliers across web technology – an initiative that’s got the backing of some of the industry’s top names.

The initial phase of the project will for the first time allow the distribution of package holidays over the internet using XML technology, bypassing viewdata and GDSs. Some of TTI’s most prominent members were behind the breakthrough, including Thomas Cook, Telewest, Cosmos, Amadeus, Anite, Brittany Ferries, Holidaybreak, Worldspan, Sema Group, Astralogic, Pharos Datacom and Multicom Products.

According to TTI, the breakthrough will have seismic implications for the entire industry. Commenting on the new standard, TTI general manager Mick Mott said: “This new standard developed by TTI and its partners could result in a new generation bookings mechanism and a vastly improved alternative to viewdata. XML standards will enable all players in the travel supply chain to communicate using a common language. I’m confident this will revolutionise the travel industry.”

If operators and technology companies unite behind the common standard, TTI believes the industry will begin to sell inventory over web-based booking systems. These will allow agents to boost productivity by searching multiple tour operators simultaneously, resulting in faster and more productive searches than are possible with viewdata.

The project, in association with America’s Open Travel Alliance (OTA), was set up with the aim of simplifying the way that passengers are serviced by suppliers. New EDI (electronic data interchange) standards, written in XML (eXtensible Markup Language), form the technical framework that allows all players in the travel supply chain to buy and sell travel components across mutually compatible systems.

The Open Travel Alliance has complemented the TTI’s specifications with those for air, hotel and car rental sectors to complete the entire booking chain.

Chief among the benefits of TTI’s new universal bookings standard will be the streamlining of amendments to travel itineraries, which is often a complicated and error-prone procedure.

Mr Mott said: “At the moment, one tiny change to travel itinerary can require five phone calls. When the whole industry is talking the same language, modifications will be automatic – if one part of a journey has to be changed our standard rectify the rest of the itinerary as well.”

The published XML message sets in the first phase include Package Enquiry, Package Availability and Package Booking specifications and partner technology companies will announce details of their successful work later in the year. Future phases, currently in development, include XML specifications for Product Search and Selection and for handling Content.