Aeronautical Research Society: WestJet renews its distribution agreement with Expedia

1.
Online travel company Expedia Inc (Nasdaq: EXPE | PowerRating) said yesterday that it has entered into a renewed distribution agreement with Canadian airline WestJet (TSX: WJA | PowerRating).

Under the new multi-year agreement WestJet's full schedule of fares and inventory will continue to be made available to consumers booking travel on Expedia, Egencia and Hotwire sites in the United States and Canada.

Commenting on the deal, WestJet's vice president of sales, Duncan Bureau, said that partnering with Expedia enables the airline to market its complete inventory of flights to a targeted audience of travel shoppers through one easy-to-use, streamlined marketing channel.

2. Air Canada Signs with Amadeus

Amadeus and Air Canada announced a contract extension that will allow the airline to continue using Amadeus' technology to power its consumer and agency websites. Under the terms of the new contract extension, Air Canada's global call center and airport operations will be bolstered by Amadeus' technology.

Amadeus noted that Air Canada has a presence in 15 countries and a website that features flexible travel date searches, ‘à la carte’ ancillary services, third party ancillary products such as insurance, and services including re-booking and upgrades.

Air Canada’s website, www.aircanada.com, also offers a pricing system that allows customers to customize their travel experience by choosing only the options that they wish to pay for, Amadeus said. Amadeus' e-Retail booking engine and Flex Pricer faring could allow Air Canada to provide transparency to its travelers while increasing yield for the airline.

“We have worked in close partnership with Amadeus since 2004, and its flexible approach has allowed us to bring new technologies and techniques to market for the benefit of our customers," said Lise Fournel, the CIO of Air Canada, "By extending our relationship further, we plan to continue our leading role in e-Commerce, developing new techniques and applying the latest technology to meet our commercial objectives — while offering an intuitive online experience for our customers.”

"Air Canada has demonstrated its commitment to innovating online since the early days of the commercial internet. The pace of innovation is paramount for all airlines in order to bring airline brands to new markets, improve online sales and exceed the expectations of increasingly sophisticated online shoppers," said Dwayne Ingram, executive vice president of the Americas for Amadeus. "Amadeus has worked side by side with Air Canada during the implementation of online enhancements, including ancillary service sales and advanced merchandising techniques. We are fully committed to continuing this work and being flexible when supporting Air Canada’s future objectives."

3. Win a trip to Alberta, Canada and sing at a Ducks game

Southern California residents 13 or older are invited to submit a 30-second video (only one video per registered user) singing a song of their choice for a chance to perform the National Anthem at an Anaheim Ducks game.
The winner will sing at “Fan Appreciation” night April 8 at the Honda Center.

The winner also wins two airline tickets to Calgary, Canada and two tickets to see the Anaheim Ducks play against the Calgary Flames on March 30. Travel must be between March 28 and March 31, 2011. Travelers must have a valid passport.
Submissions and voting dates are Feb. 1 to 11:59 p.m. March 11.
Participants may increase their chances of winning by soliciting votes (up to 10 votes per minute) from family, friends, Facebook friends and anyone else willing to vote for it.
The top five vote-getters and five Register and Anaheim Duck’s judges picks will be invited to an audition to sing the National Anthem before a panel of judges at 4 p.m. at the Honda Center on March 17.

4.Two northwest airlines combine

Horizon Air, the main airline carrier between Bellingham and Seattle, is shedding its public brand and joining arms with its sister company, Alaska Airlines.

According to a press release Jan. 25 from Alaska Airlines, this rebranding has been a long time coming.
In August 2010, Alaska Airlines announced a new business model between Alaska and Horizon that allowed Alaska to control all of Horizon’s flight booking, marketing and sales. Horizon was left with the job of maintaining ground functions and customer satisfaction on flights.

Passengers of Horizon Air typically connect to Alaska Airlines flights.

Now, Horizon’s Bombardier Q400 fleet, consisting of 40 airplanes, will be redesigned to feature the prominent Alaska Airlines logo and Eskimo on the tail. According to the press release, the planes will continue to have the Horizon logo, which will appear in Alaska Airlines’ dark blue color and in a smaller size.

The rebranding of Horizon Airlines will have no direct effect on customers, said Horizon Air President Glenn Johnson in the press release.

Instead, Johnson said airport signs, advertisements and the planes themselves will begin to change in February. The financial burden of this process will be placed on Alaska Airlines. Horizon will continue business as usual.
Horizon Air has been a separate brand since 1986 when Alaska Airlines first acquired the group. It provides flights 350 times a day in seven states along with British Columbia and Alberta, Canada.

According to the press release, this brand change reflects a current trend in the airline industry of regional airlines adopting the brands of their major airline partner.

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