Open AXIS Group just issued a whitepaper focused on direct connect aimed at the travel agency community. This is the latest salvo in the direct connect wars between airlines and GDS / travel agency community. The whitepaper attempts to demystify the current travel distribution landscape and to add weight to the airlines’ goal for direct connect standardization sans GDSs. For airlines this is a noble cause: it puts airlines back in control of their product, it reduces distribution cost, it brings airlines closer to their customers. Worthy goals. However, the picture is not as clear or as simple as Open AXIS promotes.
We’ll deconstruct the direct connect wars and taker a closer look at the Open AXIS objectives and standard in more detail next.
In the meantime, the white paper, Distribution 2.0, Direct Connect and Travel Selling: A Reference for Travel Agencies, can be downloaded from the Open AXIS website here.
The mission of Open AXIS Group is to promote XML as the optimal electronic messaging structure for airline system connectivity. Full members of Open AXIS include American Airlines, Air Canada, United/Continental, Air France, KLM, US Airways and Delta.