Unisys Offers Scorecards for Airline Hot Topics

The Unisys R2A Scorecard gives readers the latest assessment of the airline industry in a concise format. Their consultants are former airline executives themselves. So, they have first-hand knowledge of your needs. Unisys aspires to be your single point of contact from vision to implementation. Consultant, Ron Kuhlmann, takes a look at the evolving US aviation market in a recent posting.

QPX by ITA Software

QPX by ITA Software is the world’s leading airfare pricing and shopping system. It is another way to reduce airline distribution costs. ITA Software has recently announced a next-gen reservation system in conjunction with Air Canada. Has ITA "de-emphasized" the distribution side of reservations technology in favor of the airline internal reservations side?

Scott Hamilton

Scott Hamilton is an airline consultant and founder of Leeham Co. LLC, an Issaquah, Wash., Aviation consulting firm. He founded the firm in 1999 after many years of similar work in advising the aviation industry. Scott often offers bold predictions about airlines and commercial aviation. His comments are carried in metropolitan and International news.

Hamilton was recently quoted on the topic of fare wars in the Hawaii market.

Timothy O'Neil-Dunne

Timothy O'Neil-Dunne, Principal Consultant, Managing Partner ( T2 Impact Ltd):
Timothy is a native of the UK now based in the USA where he consults on the topic of airline distribution. He has over 25 years of experience, notably with Worldspan, Microsoft and Expedia. Timothy is often asked to address the audiences of travel conferences on the future of on-line distribution.

A friend to the concept of direct distribution by airlines, he has called the people sitting in the major GDS companies' headquarters "an endangered species."

Airone, Italian domestic airline, moves to Airlogica

Air One has announced their decision to acquire software and support services from Airlogica. Controlling distribution expense is their primary driver. They join a long and impressive list of major airlines that are customers of Airlogica's products.
These automated business solutions, like Flash and Zeus, have never been more popular or necessary.

Cathay Pacific signs contract with Unisys

Unisys said that the contract is for three years, with an option to extend for another two. Unisys will move Cathay's reservations, departure control, and cargo platforms to the Unisys data center in Rhodes, just west of Sydney.

The contract encompasses Unisys hosting of the airline's passenger reservations, departure control and cargo management systems. Unisys has been providing these services as a sub-contractor for nine years and the new contract includes new services.

Vela McClam-Mitchell

Vela McClam-Mitchell is Co-Founder and President/CEO of Market Designs LLC in Atlanta, Georgia, where she consults for airlines. Vela’s marketing career includes a role as Director of Industry Sales Programs at Northwest Airlines. Prior to forming Market Designs, Vela was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Worldspan’s Worldwide Travel Supplier Solutions Group, including marketing and sales to airlines.

She has an MBA from Pepperdine University, an MS from Howard University, and a BS from Claflin University. Vela is a co-producer of Res-Expo.

ITA Software to take on traditional GDSs

ITA Software will charge airlines 40 cents per segment booked through its new "alternative" GDS, chief executive officer Jeremy Wertheimer said.

That's about 10% of what the traditional GDSs charge.

Stanley L. Pace

Stan Pace, of Bain & Company's Dallas office, is an airline consultant and partner in this prestigious firm. For over the 20 years, he has advised senior managers in many industries including airlines. He is currently the firm leader of the airline and corporate transformation practice areas.

Stan obtained an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. from Brigham Young University. Mr. Pace is perhaps best remembered for briefly leaving Bain & Co to become CEO of ATA where he achieved remarkable success in just one year.

Italian Domestic Airline, Air One, Joins Airlogica

Air One is recently added to Airlogica Corporation’s rapidly expanding list of Flash users. Air One is the latest airline to implement Flash for an advanced flight firming application.

Aaron S. Taylor

Aaron Taylor is a consultant specializing in strategic business planning for airlines, airports and other aviation clients. Taylor is a founding member and Vice President of Eclat Consulting. He directs statistical analyses for several widely-read industry publications: Aviation Daily, Airports, World Aviation Directory and Aviation & Aerospace Almanac. Taylor has previously worked with Avitas and GKMG.

He recently praised the Internet for the transformation of the airline industry.

Julius Maldutis, Ph. D.

Julius Maldutis is a veteran airline consultant, and currently, president and chief airline analyst at Aviation Dynamics, Inc. Dr. Maldutis is an economist with a distinguished career in aviation and surface transportation. He has degrees in economics from Brooklyn College (B. A. ), Columbia University (M. A. ) and Columbia University (Ph. D).

Beginning as a Corporate Economist with Trans World Airlines in 1963 and Director of Domestic Passenger Planning, Dr. Maldutis also served as a consultant with Booz, Allen and Hamilton; the U. S. Department of Transportation; and Salomon Bros. as an airline and aerospace financial analyst.