TM Insider 198

The TravelMole Insider – Issue 198
ISSN 1474-2292

This week’s features: The GDSs, sponsored by Galileo
Testing times, by New Frontiers

Latest Press Postings:
RWA Session Manager goes live on Telewest Travel Network
Sabre becomes leading GDS in Greece
Sabre signs deal with UK’s leading Uniglobe franchisee
April news from Switzerland
French operator Boomerang selects Sabre as technology provider
Read the latest releases

1. BA cuts 12 routes from UK regional operations
2. Time running out for BA as ABTA prepares to make OFT decision
3. bmi reports operating loss of GBP 12m
4. GBP 35m bill for timeshare conman
5. Expedia reports 64% rise in bookings
6. Preussag says UK has developed better than German market
7. BSkyB teams up with lastminute.com
8. TQ3 expands into Canada, South Africa, Turkey and Germany
9. P&O reports rise in passenger numbers
10. Go’s chief exec named ‘Businesswoman of the Year’
11. Bath re-elected as ABTA President
12. Caribbean set for high tourism growth, says WTTC
13. Tourism Concern publishes report on corporate responsibility
14. TravelMole Interview: John Davis, Pegasus Solutions
15. TravelMole Site of the Week: nycvisit.com

1. BA cuts 12 routes from UK regional operations
British Airways is cutting 500 jobs and eliminating 12 routes
from its UK regional operations as part of the airline’s ‘Future
Size and Shape’ review to restructure its business and restore
profitability.

2. Time running out for BA as ABTA prepares to make OFT decision
ABTA looks almost certain to press ahead with its decision to
take British Airways to the Office of Fair Trading over planned
changes to the Fresh Approach agency payment scheme.
Aviation board director Sandy MacPherson told TravelMole
that ABTA had been “canvassing information from virtually
every retail member” about how the changes would impact on
their businesses.

3. bmi reports operating loss of GBP 12m
bmi british midland suffered an operating loss of almost GBP
12m last year as a result of falling demand after September
11.

4. GBP 35m bill for timeshare conman
A timeshare conman with assets of GBP 47m has been
ordered to repay more than GBP 35m.

5. Expedia reports 64% rise in bookings
Online travel agency Expedia has revealed bookings for the
quarter ending March 31 were up 64% on the previous year,
and total revenue was up 103%.

6. Preussag says UK has developed better than German market
Preussag has revealed that the UK market has developed
considerably better than the German market, as the group
announced 2001 was the most successful financial year in the
company’s history.

7. BSkyB teams up with lastminute.com
lastminute.com has formed a partnership with British Sky
Broadcasting to sell its key products through the interactive
television service, Sky Active.

8. TQ3 expands into Canada, South Africa, Turkey and Germany
TQ3 Travel Solutions has announced its expansion into
Canada, South Africa, Turkey and Germany by acquiring the
business travel activities of Kühne and Nagel International AG.

9. P&O reports rise in passenger numbers
P&O has reported a 12% increase in tourist vehicle carryings
on cross-channel routes during the first three months of this
year.

10. Go’s chief exec named ‘Businesswoman of the Year’
No-frills carrier Go’s chief executive Barbara Cassani has been
named Veuve Clicquot ‘Businesswoman of the Year’.

11. Bath re-elected as ABTA President
ABTA has announced that Stephen Bath has been re-elected
as President for the year 2002/2003.

12. Caribbean set for high tourism growth, says WTTC
The Caribbean region is predicted to experience high grow
after a year of stabilisation and recovery in 2002, says the
World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

13. Tourism Concern publishes report on corporate responsibility
Tourism Concern has published a comprehensive explanation
of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) in the
tourism industry.

14. The TravelMole Interview: John Davis, Pegasus Solutions
The travel industry will see a number of major acquisitions in
the next 6 to 12 months, according to John Davis, chairman
and chief executive of US-based hotel technology firm
Pegasus Solutions.

15. Site of the Week: nycvisit.com
nycvisit.com is the official New York City tourism web site.
TravelMole’s reviewer Adrian Mann says: “There’s an
enormous amount of information and links to all the things
you might want to find out, and on the whole, it’s fairly easy
to navigate and get to what you want. There was some lack
of consistency, particularly in how links are displayed, and a
distinct lack of images – even the NYC images pages only
displayed 8 pictures and one webcam – but overall, it’s an
excellent resource.” Read his full review.

Travel deals for the travel trade
TravelMole, in association with idDeals, brings you the
opportunity to get exclusive travel trade and airline staff
discounts at a range of properties at home and abroad:

Seychelles, The Plantation Club: luxurious beach resort, 25% off.
Dubai, Five star Hilton resort: GBP 35 per double incl tax.
Australia Gold Coast, Sea World Nara Resort: from GBP 61.
London, Radisson Edwardian: GBP 142.50 per double room.

Please note these discounts are only available to serving
travel agents or airline staff and their travelling companions.
See the review full details of these offers.

CareerZone
This week on TravelMole there are 89 travel-related job
vacancies listed. If you want to be the first to
know about a new vacancy that matches your own interests,
just set up a Job Vacancy Alert and we’ll send you an email as
soon as the job is posted.