At the recent UATP Airline Distribution conference in Barcelona, experts discussed limitations in airline retailing that emerging Offer, Order, Settle, Deliver protocols aim to address. Bert Craven, president of technology and deputy chief executive at T2RL, noted the industry’s history of retaining constraints during transitions, such as the shift from paper to electronic tickets limited to four coupon types. “We have a history of doing this, maybe not brilliantly, and we are about to make a much more significant change. The question is what are the limitations we are going to get away from,” Craven stated.
Alice Ferarri, chief executive of Kyte, highlighted time-to-market delays frustrating airlines, particularly in low-cost sectors where direct connections to distribution partners are essential. “Time to market is one of the most frustrating elements for any airline because commercially it’s holding them back,” she said.
Chris Phillips, chief commercial officer at ATPCO, pointed to settlement complexities linking fares to tickets and taxes, costing the industry hundreds of millions in misaligned revenue. “It’s infinitely complex. This new world of orders has the potential to eliminate all of that problem,” Phillips remarked.
Yuvraj Datta, Fareportal’s chief supply and revenue officer, emphasized upgrading customer experience beyond stone-age fare and ancillary selection, contrasting it with platforms like Amazon. Peet Winter, chief distribution officer at GO7, addressed codeshare limitations, advocating virtual interlining to reduce costs and complexity for non-allied airlines. “The industry codeshare limitations are quite big,” Winter said. The panel underscored how these changes could streamline operations and enhance retailing efficiency.