Trade Bytes

Cox & Kings tie-up with Indian for Direct Reservation Interface

To open offices in Taiwan and Singapore

Bhisham Mansukhani - Mumbai

Cox & Kings (C & K) has tied up with Indian (formerly Indian Airlines) for a direct online interface wherein the tour operator major's portal will have real time access to the airline's inventory. This, John Nair, national head, business development and sales, says will be a considerable value add for C&K's business travel clientele as well as help Indian shore up distribution costs. Additionally, Karan Anand, director contracting, C&K told ETW that C&K was to open offices in Taiwan and Singapore in light of the growing business on the inbound and outbound front. C&K's direct online interface with Indian will give C&K clientele direct real time access to latest, updated IC fares as opposed to the time lag it usually takes on the GDS. C&K is also talking to other domestic carriers about a similar, direct interface. "The direct interface will also help cut down manpower costs and make e-ticketing more commonplace, thereby making travel more efficient and sophisticated," Nair said. Indian accounts for 35 per cent of C&K's domestic airline business. While this is initially a business travel initiative, it will soon be focused on the leisure market as well. C&K will eventually position this strategy as an online distribution vehicle for India's growing number of low cost carriers.

None of the online portals so far have direct access to the IC booking engine. The interface will be operational across all of C&K's 13 offices in India and it will also enable customers to generate an e-ticket. It will kick off within a month. Anand revealed that C&K is opening offices in Taiwan and Singapore in order to service existing inbound and outbound business and also to develop Singapore as a hub in South East Asia.

"The strategy is to liason with our suppliers with regard to outbound from India. Our business into South East Asia is growing at a compounded rate of 30 per cent per annum and it is imperative that we have a set up in Singapore to liason with our suppliers across the region. The benefits of this is that we will be very close to our suppliers and this forges a more personal bond and makes inventory available to us at a faster rate," Anand said.