Mastering the Travel Intermediaries: Origins and Future of Global Distribution Systems, Travel Management Companies, and Online Travel Agencies

This book chronicles the role of travel intermediaries: global distribution systems (GDS), travel management companies (TMC), and online travel agencies (OTA) in the distribution of travel products. The book covers the historical development of these intermediaries and explores their current state and future prospects. Almost six decades after the introduction of computerized reservations systems and four decades after the introduction of Global Distribution Systems that allowed travel agents to make automated airline bookings, the distribution of air products is amid a major transition. A fundamental change is pricing power, which shifts from the GDSs to the airlines for the indirect channel. These changes are driven by advancements in technology, market economics, and airline cost controls, leading to the emergence of new revenue models that will permanently alter the landscape of air distribution. As a result, travel intermediaries are experiencing the effects of these turbulenttimes and must adopt innovative approaches and initiatives to adapt and transform their business models rather than maintaining the status quo. In addition to the ongoing transformation, over the next decade, the advancements in emerging technologies like blockchain and decentralized digital identity will further revolutionize the distribution landscape across all sectors of the travel industry.

Ben Vinod is a co-founder of Charter and Go, a dynamic offer, order management, and dispatch solution for air charter operators. He served as vice president of pricing, yield management, and reservations inventory control at American Airlines Decision Technologies (1993-1999) and was senior vice president and chief scientist at Sabre (2008-2020), focused on innovation and thought leadership in pioneering advanced solutions across the travel value chain for travel suppliers and intermediaries. He has published over 50 articles in academic and trade journals, is a member of AGIFORS, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management. He is the author of two books; The Evolution of Yield Management in the Airline Industry: Origins to the Last Frontier (Springer, 2021) and Revenue Management in the Lodging Industry: Origins to the Last Frontier (Springer 2022), and served as editor for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in the Travel Industry: Simplifying Complex Decision Making (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2023).