Flying high

AVIATION: Indian signs up with two global distribution systems for better access and availability.

The state-owned Indian Airlines (now called Indian) is all set to take on competition. The carrier has signed an agreement with two large global distribution systems (GDS) "" Amadeus and Galileo "" to host its domestic flight inventory.

Till now, Indian's inventory was available only on Abacus and on its own system, which meant a limited availability.

"It used to take almost a day for a regular travel agent to get an Indian ticket. A smaller agent had to either go to an agent who had an Abacus or approach the airline's system," says Rajji Rai, vice president, Travel Agents Association of India.

Bookings on Indian will now be much faster, thanks to the state-of-the-art systems provided by the GDSs. This would give Indian a chance to try and garner more of the business travel segment for which quick bookings is a must.

Rai explains that with the IC inventory now being available on Amadeus and Galileo as well, the airline's reach should go up by at least 20-25 per cent. Their market share should also rise by 5-7 per cent.

Amadeus claims that its market share is 52 per cent while Galileo pegs theirs at "just about under 40 per cent". This combined market share would be a big leap for Indian, from Abacus' 10-15 per cent market share.

Ankur Bhatia, MD, Amadeus Indian subcontinent, says that this step should help increase Indian's seat load factor by 4-8 per cent. Travel agents will now be able to issue e-tickets as well, for Indian flights.

"Bookings on Indian will be more efficient now. Agents will no longer need an additional GDS screen that was earlier required for Indian," says Bruce Hanna, CEO, Galileo India. Hanna feels Indian is doing it right and this should help the airline retain its number two position in the market.

Sources at Indian also felt that these new agreements will help them penetrate the market better. This could also be seen as a step towards the merger of two giants "" Indian and Air India "" planned for next year.

Air India is available on all GDS' and with these agreements, Indian is moving towards it. This will make Indian's technology interface more compatible with Air India's and eventually help in the integration of the two.