MAKING THE CONNECTION

Travelport and Porter Airlines have penned a new, multi-year full content deal that provides all Travelport-connected travel agents with access to the carrier’s full published fares and inventory — including access to Porter’s lowest web fares. As a result of the new agreement, all of Porter’s published fares and inventory will be available to all users of the Travelport GDS platforms, including Apollo, Galileo-connected and Worldspan-connected travel agencies, corporate customers and Travelport online agencies. Porter Airlines is also available through Travelport Agencia, the travel agency desktop tool that allows agents to shop, book and modify Porter Airlines’ full content along with the global airline content of approximately 400 airlines. The deal also includes an upgrade to Direct Sell for all Apollo and Worldspan connected agents and Electronic Ticketing for those agents in Canada and U.S. This enables real-time access to airline inventory at the precise time of sale and allows agents to offer a higher level of service to their travellers. Dan Westbrook, Travelport’s vice-president, airline services for the Americas, said of the new agreement that: “Our customers have expressed a strong desire to leverage the efficiency of the GDS when booking Porter Airlines, which is a key carrier for our Eastern North America-based agencies. Our agreement secures direct sell connectivity levels, as well as full content from one of the key airlines in Canada.” Michael Deluce, executive vice-president and chief commercial officer of Porter Airlines, said that: “This agreement allows Porter to achieve our key business objectives to grow revenue and effectively manage distribution costs. As Porter continues growing, it’s increasingly important to make our flights available to the widest audience in the most efficient manner.”