Interview with Daniel Friedli, Travel in Motion – The APAC distribution landscape is “progressing but conservative”
In anticipation of the upcoming Aviation Festival Asia, Daniel Friedli answered some questions relating to distribution, new distribution capability (NDC), ONE Order, and the transition to modern retailing in the region.
Daniel is a Managing Director and Partner at Travel in Motion, a company which, with their partner Oystin Advisory, has years of experience bridging the gap between GDS business, the vendor, and the airline.
In this twenty-five-minute interview Daniel gave his perspective on the huge topic that is distribution in the Asia-Pacific region. Tackling this extensive subject, the Travel in Motion Partner identified areas of variation across the region providing a useful overview of the transformation, uptake, and challenges. Additionally, Daniel highlighted catalysts and barriers to change in the region, shedding light on the current landscape and cautiously drawing comparisons against other areas of the globe.
An important takeaway from the discussion was that many of these changes are costly and have repercussions that must be considered before integrating new systems. With all the future facing conversations concerning implementing updated systems, the complexities and costs around successfully installing new technology and systems cannot be understated.
The full list of questions asked is:
- Could you give an overview of the distribution landscape in Asia?
- Would you say the distribution is an area in which airlines are slightly hamstrung by legacy systems?
- How have we seen COVID-19 impact the APAC region and how is this different to the rest of the world?
- Can you explain the transformative impact NDC has had on distribution in the industry.
- In what ways does NDC uptake vary from region to region?
- ONE Order is still in its early stages, how do you see this developing in Asia?
- Have there been problems transitioning to modern retailing with offer and order technology?
- Why is it such an important time for the Asian aviation market to meet and discuss challenges in the industry?
- What are you looking forward to at Aviation Festival Asia
Articles written by Travel in Motion include Tickets – Can We Live Without Them? The (Bleak?) Future of Departure Control Systems, Hey Airline Exec – Put your bum in my seat!
