AirAsia Signs Distribution Agreement with Travelport

AirAsia has signed a deal that will see all of its fares and ancillary services distributed through the Travelport GDS (global distribution channel) for the first time.

As part of the agreement, AirAsia has also signed up for Travelport’s industry-leading merchandising technology including its unique aggregated shopping functionality which will enable travel agents to shop, compare and book AirAsia and AirAsia X flights alongside those offered by traditional carriers in exactly the same booking workflow.

AirAsia services an extensive network covering 87 destinations. During its 12 years of operations, AirAsia has carried over 220 million guests and grown its fleet from just two aircraft to over 150. It has been named the World’s Best and Asia’s Best Low Cost Airline for five consecutive years at the World Airline Awards.

The agreement means that Travelport-connected agents worldwide will be able to search and book competitive fares and popular ancillaries such as checked-in bags, advanced seat selection and in-flight meals offered by all airlines under the AirAsia group.

Commenting on the partnership, Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group CEO, said, “The Travelport Merchandising Platform offers us the flexibility to connect to the GDS channel and enables us to distribute our low fares to even more travelers as we continue to expand our offering.”

Derek Sharp, Managing Director of Global Distribution Sales and Services at Travelport, added, “I am delighted that one of the world’s highest profile, low cost airlines has selected Travelport as its partner and is fully embracing what we can uniquely offer through our industry-leading merchandising technology. We look forward to helping AirAsia extend their distribution channel whilst providing more in-demand, low cost air content to our 67,000 travel agency subscribers worldwide.”