Leading Computerized Reservation Systems Companies of the World »

Leading Computerized Reservation Systems Companies of the World: Computerized Reservation Systems often also called as Central Reservation System (CRS). The main function of a CRS is that it embeds in it all the information regarding inventory etc. and could be used for booking by air travels, insurance, car rentals, cruise liners, hospitality units, and miscellaneous services and even conducts monetary transactions on the principal’s behalf.

The aviation companies initially mooted it. From airlines it expanded to the travel agent business. CRS- computer reservation systems in their higher versions are known as GDS or Global Distribution Systems. GDS will help for seat booking and seat selling for multi airlines.

From airlines these GDS moved to hotels, then to car rental companies, travel insurance and as miscellaneous service as ferry booking. Even Eurails and am tracks can be booked through some of these latest GDS. This may also be used at the airports for controlling the departures of aircrafts and are renamed as DCS Departure Control Systems.

COMPUTERISED RESERVATION SYSTEMS AS A TOOL

Most of the computerized reservation systems are basically web based. They assist in providing a twenty four by seven and three sixty five days a year tool to the customers for their booking needs of flights, sightseeing, transfers, holiday packages etc. The business models can be multiple as in different business environments.

It can be a B2C where business is connected directly to the customer or it could be a B2B model where a bigger agent (consolidator) may supply to a smaller agent. Here also B2B2B model may develop where sub agents may be connected. A GDS or global distribution systems may have multiple computerized reservation systems working for it in its back.

Just to cite an example it may have for airlines needs Galileo, Amadeus, Worldspan, Sabre, Abacus in the backend, for hotels, it may have Fidelio, DOTW, Bonotel, Hotelspro, WCT, Hotel beds working in the backend. The availability and the costs are current as the system runs in real time. The agent or the person using it can search individually for single products like airlines, hotels, car rentals, travel insurance, not only search it but book, pay and generate the bills and vouchers for the clients.

LEADING AIRLINES RESERVATION SYSTEMS

There are as many airlines reservation systems as many as airlines themselves. The known names in the industry are Sahara profounded by SITA, Infini and Axess in the country of Japan, Tapas in the Korea region, Fantasia is popular in the South Pacific, Asia and Pacific also uses Abacus a lot. The most commonly used Airlines Computerized Reservation Systems are:

1. AMADEUS

Airlines like SAS, Lufthansa, Iberia, and Air France came together in 1987 to give birth to Amadeus. Amadeus was born to be a technology partner and conduct marketing, sales and even the distribution requirements the global travel and tourism businesses. It has a huge inventory with fifty seven thousand members on it rolls only in terms of travel agents, another ten thousand five hundred airlines sales office, and overall reach of more than two hundred plus markets.

Leading Computerized Reservation Systems Companies of the World

There are more than fifty eight thousand hospitality units attached, fifty plus car hire services and many ferry, rail, cruise and insurance providers benefitting from them. Initially each airline had an equal participation but at a later stager SAS stepped out. The takeover of e-travel Inc from oracle Corporation in 2010 was a big achievement. The e-Travel solution provided a winning edge where the different principals like car rentals, hospitality, rail services, and airlines booking could be done on a single platform.

2. GALILEO

Galileo was born due to the efforts of European and North American Airlines. The airlines included, Aero Lingus, Air Canada, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch, Swiss Air, Olympic Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, US Airways, and United Airlines. The business of Galileo is spread in Asia/ Pacific region, Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America.

It is a technology solution company where the main focus is on providence of global distribution services for the tourism industry via its computerized reservation systems. New solutions and spoiling the guest through choices. 1997 was a crucial year when the company featured on the New York and Chicago Stock Exchange. By the third quarter of 2001 Galileo was bought by the Cendant Corporation. It became bigger with more than hundred and sixteen countries and forty-five locations.

Also read Computerized Reservation System (CRS)

It has on board five hundred airlines, two hundred and twenty seven hotels, thirty three car rental companies and more than three hundred and sixty eight tour operators. Galileo enjoy an upper hand in its market because of a higher share of the market, wider outreach and regionally balanced outreach, having variety of service providers in its backend, and an ever growing product consortium. It is a web based travel companies and has now GUI or Graphic Use Interface approach to its application. It has even included low frill airlines like indigo in India. This could be its winning edge in the market.

3. SABRE

From the humble beginnings in the 1960’s sabre’s major concern have been creativity, innovations and providing winning edge in technology. In the 80’s it presented the advanced airline yield management systems to the travel websites today. Sabre has proved its forte in every aspect of travel technology. Sabre enjoys being a part of AMR which is the parent company of American Airlines.

Currently across globe and majorly in the Middle East Sabre serves as a technology partner through its creative products which assist travel business and increase the airlines operations. The head-office for sabre is in Southlake, Texas. From this point it serves to more than sixty thousand agents, through its amalgam of four hundred airlines, fifty five thousand hospitality units, more than fifty two car hires, more than dozen of cruise companies etc.

It has been influential in finding web based solutions to low fare finding solutions. One can create personalized website services which caters to the last minutest details of the itineraries for the customers. Not only about itineraries has it also provided ample information on the destination too.

Sabre’s one of the biggest achievements is the Travelocity.com which helps the traveler to find the most economical option for various products’ reservations. Get There is also owned by sabre. The positive attributes about Sabre is its position in the market, wide coverage, comprehensive product offering, multi revenue earning approach, and eagerness o come up with something new.

Also read Classification of Airline Tickets

4. WORLDSPAN

Worldspan was conceptualized in 1990. It was originally a Delta Airlines affiliate’s Northwest Airlines and American Airlines venture. It played an active role in the year 1995 in terms of travel technology. It provides products through its web based travel distribution of travel information.

At present it has twenty thousand approximately agencies under its control. The head office is situated in Atlanta, Georgia. On its roll it has four hundred plus airlines, two hundred plus hotels, forty car rental companies, and many other suppliers.

Worldspan has been active in providing web based technology service and has entered into joint ventures, agreement, developments for the enhancement of ebusiness. It has partnered with datalex, Digital Travel, Kinetics Inc., Open table.com, Viator, to provide state-of-the-art services.

Success could be gauged by the fact that Orbitz uses worldspan as its backend engine. The Worldspan ePricing SM has been a revolution which made industry talk about it. It provides an array of pricing option for the customers. The focus of worldspan has been its brand.