News Roundup: Taking a look at what’s happening in the travel and hotel sector – a new code for non-binary gender air travellers, dynamic hotel pricing for wholesale distribution, Melbourne Airport preparing for growth
Air Travel: Travelport offers new booking code for non-binary gender travellers
(Image credit: anyaberkut/Getty Images)
As part of its commitment to diversity Travelport has implemented a new booking code for non-binary gender airline passengers.
The new code, which went live on June 1, offers the option to choose ‘X’ instead of ‘M’ or ‘F’ when a passenger is required to provide such advance information when travelling to or transiting in certain countries. These include Algeria, Canada, China (except Hong Kong), Iran, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, South Africa, Spain, Syria, Thailand, the US and the United Arab Emirates.
According to Travelport, the option to choose ‘X’ will need to be matched with the passenger’s passport or identity document. Argentina, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, India, Ireland, Malta, New Zealand, Nepal, the Netherlands and Pakistan already offer an option other than ‘M’ or ‘F’ on passports – in most cases ‘X’.
X passports are approved by the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation), the UN agency that regulates international air travel.
The commerce travel platform has pledged to make the code available to the 480 airlines on its platform that choose to adopt it.
Air Italy is now offering a non-binary gender option for passengers booking flights, the first airline in Europe to do so. US carriers United, American Airlines and Delta have confirmed they are preparing to bring in the new code option, with other airlines expected to follow.
“As a company committed to diversity and promoting travel for all, we are delighted that the new code for non-binary gender passengers has now been introduced,” commented Gordon Wilson, president and CEO of Travelport.
“We hope more airlines will provide this option to ensure their customers are fully respected and welcomed. For us ‘X’ marks a vote for diversity, dignity and respect.”
Hotels: BHMA introduces dynamic rates for wholesale distribution
(Image credit: BHMA Hotels and Resorts)
BHMA Hotels and Resorts has signed an agreement with Travel Prologue, a B2B travel portal solution provider, to deliver live room rates and inventory to offline travel agencies, wholesalers and corporate travel intermediaries.
The Thailand-based hotel group said the deal with Travel Prologue’s flagship product, Trip Affiliates Network (TA Network) hotel platform solutions, would help increase direct bookings from agents, wholesalers and corporates.
“The partnership also increases efficiency and productivity through real-time connectivity and automation of inventory management processes,” it added.
Paul Wilson, BHMA’s executive vice president commercial, said the collaboration “will improve our partnership with our traditionally offline contractors by allowing them to book directly with real-time room availability of our hotels’ dynamic and static rates.”
Ho Siang Twang, executive director of Travel Prologue, added that the TA Network would bring “multiple advantages” to BHMA including reduction in distribution costs, increased direct bookings and more efficient inventory management.
BHMA, acquired by the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) of Australia in 2017, is expanding its footprint across Asia. The brands currently under the group’s portfolio include X2 (Cross To), five-star hotels and resorts; X2 Vibe, mid-scale lifestyle hotels and resorts targeting millennials; and Away Resorts and Villas, an ‘aspirational’’brand of luxury resorts and retreats.
Airports: Melbourne Airport turns to technology to handle expected robust passenger growth
(Image credit: Melbourne Airport)
Melbourne Airport is set to welcome about 70 million passengers annually by 2038 through the implementation of flexible, passenger-friendly technology to boost capacity.
To ready the airport for the forecast passenger growth, the management has extended its contract with SITA.
The aviation specialist said in a statement the technology would “help the airport ensure a high-quality traveller experience as passenger numbers rise, supporting increasingly busy operations for its airline customers.”
SITA is already working Melbourne Airport in supplying a variety of flexible services for passenger check-in and bag drop in the International Terminal. They will be rolled out across other terminals, and expected to culminate in more than 400 passenger touchpoints including mobile and standard check-in desks, gate boarding, self-service check-in kiosks, hybrid and standard self-bag drops.
These technologies are based on SITA’s common-use platform AirportConnect Open, which is used at hundreds of airports worldwide.
Luke Halliday, CIO of Melbourne Airport, said technology plays an increasingly important role in an airport’s operation by streamlining the passenger journey through the airports and making the processing experience as unobtrusive as possible.
“The flexible hybrid solution designed and being delivered by SITA will boost capacity while maintaining a customer-centric approach and contributing to our overall success,” he added.
• Featured image credit: anyaberkut/Getty Images
