AI enjoys exclusivity on Travelport

Indian flag carrier Air India has not only registered 22 per cent growth in operational profit this year, it has even saved ₹300 crore by being exclusive on Travelport.

TT Bureau

Air India has started its latest international connection: Mumbai-Nairobi. Meenakshi Malik, Executive Director (Commercial), Air India, says that the new flight will cater to the Ahmedabad market as well. “For the Mumbai-Nairobi connection the main market is from Ahmedabad, while passengers would also come from Delhi and Chennai,” she says. On the recent Delhi-Seoul flight, they will stick to the 4-times a week schedule. For the travel trade, Air India has Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB), informs Malik, saying, “We are giving commissions and PLBs, apart from special group fares for agents. For M!CE groups, agents get a special fare.” Last year, Travelport bagged the contract for Air India’s ticket distribution, replacing Amadeus. Speaking on the feasibility of the move, Malik says, “Exclusivity with one GDS system is absolutely feasible. We have seen a growth of 22 per cent and we have cut down the cost by around ₹300 crore this year. We have projected a saving of ₹3200 crore in five years. It’s already been a year and we are doing fine.”