SYSTEMS supplier Travelink has signed a five-year deal with Mediterranean specialist Classic Collection Holidays in a move that will streamline the operator’s booking procedure.
The contract will also give Classic Collection access to global distribution system content following a recent deal in which Amadeus product was built into Travelink’s system.
The operator’s managing director Nick Munday said: “We need a tour operating system and we need GDS connectivity. This gives us both.”
Reservation administration manager Stella Stedman added that the deal will enable staff to do a “quick and dynamic price checks.” “It will give us the facility to give up-to-the-minute availability and pricing,” she said.
Previously, reservation staff had to search manually through a number of separate systems. The Travelink deal will also provide Classic Collection with access to low-cost airlines in addition to charter and scheduled flights. It follows the announcement last year that no frills carriers would become bookable through Travelink.
Availability and prices from all sources are displayed on a single screen and all bookings made entirely within the Travelink system. Technology observers said the deal is a further indication that GDSs are beginning to increase their presence in the leisure market.
