Originally Posted by
TartinTon
Their real USP is the interline and codeshare functionality. In terms of other systems that are at the same level there's probably only Sabre which comes at a similar cost. Distributing codeshare is a pain in the backside but Amadeus have it cracked.
The real problem is that whenever a likely alternative starts to come onto the market one of the big 3 will buy it. Navitaire was bought by Amadeus and G2 switchworks was bought by Travelport. What carriers really want is the codeshare and interline capability of Altea with the customisation and flexibility of Navitaire. Amadeus have deliberately dragged their feet on this as the pricing is so different. A booking segment on Navitaire was less than $0.50....on Amadeus a codeshare segment can cost anything up to $8. They know that they have the airlines by the short and curlies hence the outcry when the biggest airlines develop workarounds via their own API solutions offering discounts. Agents are also incentivised to sell through the GDS by getting kickbacks that are funded by the airlines against their will!
Unless a dominant new disruptor like Google enter the space to threaten complacency and comfortable positions held by incumbent providers. I could see disruptors of massive scale making a splash, they'll be too massive to buy.