Microsoft and Travelport teaming together..

Microsoft and Travelport are teaming together to develop an integrated set of services targeted for the travel industry to address challenges faced by travellers, suppliers, and travel agents.

Through the collaboration, Microsoft and Travelport will explore the development of services designed to improve the traveller experience and to provide airlines, travel suppliers, and travel agencies, including travel management companies (TMCs) and online travel agents (OTAs), with new revenue and cost reduction opportunities, broader distribution reach, and improved customer satisfaction and loyalty. The services are slated for Q1 2009.

“In bringing together Microsoft’s rich, interactive technologies with Travelport’s deep marketplace of travel content and informed choice, we are creating a completely innovative solution for the travel industry. This will improve the traveler experience with a new level of personalization and change how suppliers, TMCs, and OTAs reach travellers,” said Geoff Cairns, worldwide managing director, Hospitality, Microsoft.

In the travel industry, Microsoft is focused on helping airlines and service providers deliver a highly personalized travel experience across all channels and from all devices. This includes helping service providers to better identify travellers, understand their individual preferences and needs, and build a strong emotional connection through all stages of travel.

Travelport is the leader in Web-based travel e-commerce and provides the most relevant, cost-efficient technologies and services available to participants throughout the global travel distribution chain. The company processes 1.1 billion travel transactions per day. More than 63,000 travel agencies, the world’s leading travel suppliers and corporations globally rely on Travelport to drive productivity, lower operating costs and serve millions of travellers throughout the world.

This engagement builds on a history of Microsoft and Travelport working together on innovative technology solutions in the travel space. Previously, the two companies have collaborated to create ground-breaking solutions, such as Travelport’s e-Pricing shopping technology, which was originally developed for Expedia and now benefits all Travelport customers, and Travelport Cache Control, which was developed with Microsoft. Travelport also provides the Microsoft corporate travel booking solution.

“We are delighted to partner with technology leader Microsoft to develop innovative travel solutions across multiple channels,” said Keith Woodcock, senior vice president, Travelport GDS. “Like other ground-breaking solutions we have developed with Microsoft, the technology investment and development is a result of listening to our customers’ needs and will ultimately benefit the traveler, travel agencies, airlines, and other travel suppliers.”