| PARSIPPANY, NJ, June 10, 1999 � WizCom International, Ltd. (�WizCom�)
and TEN Online announced today a letter of intent to develop an interface
between the TEN Online Level 2000 Internet Distribution System (IDS) and
the WizCom Wizdom® Global Distribution System (GDS) Switch to facilitate
reservations processing for WizCom hotel customers. The WizCom-TEN
Online interface will allow hotels using the Wizdom® GDS Switch to
enhance their online booking capability and broaden their distribution
reach.
�TEN Online is known for the exceptional turnkey web-based solutions
it provides to some of the world�s leading travel, tourism and entertainment
companies,� said Flo Lugli, President of WizCom. �WizCom�s interface with
TEN Online highlights our own commitment to offering our customers more
control and choice in building distribution strategies that best meet their
needs�
The first hotels expected to take advantage of this new connectivity
are the 1,348 WizCom customer hotels that represent nearly twenty-five
percent of the 5,398 hotels worldwide participating in the Woodside Travel
Trust Preferred Rate Hotel Program, powered by TEN Online. Woodside
Travel Trust is the world�s largest travel management company with operations
in 76 countries. Initial Woodside Travel Trust partner agencies participating
include Forbes Travel of Pittsburgh and National Travel of Charleston.
�TEN Online is excited to work with WizCom as the industry-leader in
switch technology,� said Dennis Coffey, Chief Executive Officer, TEN Online.
�Inventory accessible through the WizCom switch and reservation service
will now be bookable online via the TEN Online Level 2000 IDS.�
 TEN
Online provides Internet and Intranet web development and e-commerce services
for the organizations and associations that comprise the travel and tourism
industries, including travel agencies, airlines, hotels, cruise lines,
car rental, motorcoach, tour operators, and convention and visitor bureaus.
TEN Online hosts numerous travel industry Web sites, including those for
CLIA, ICTA, and Woodside Travel Trust, to name a few.
WizCom International, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cendant Corporation
(NYSE: CD), was founded in 1987 and has provided its proven GDS and Internet
connectivity and transactions processing to the hotel and auto rental industries
for over ten years. WizCom processes GDS reservation services for
more than 90 hotel companies and over 25 car rental firms.
What is a Global Distribution System
(GDS)
-
A Global Distribution System is a broader term for Central
Reservation System (CRS)
-
Both these terms equate to the Airline Distribution Systems
There are 4 main systems:-
-
Amadeus - owners include Lufthansa, Air France, Iberia
-
SABRE - owned by American Airlines
-
Galileo - owners include United Airlines, BA, KLM, USAir,
Swissair
-
WORLDSPAN - owners include TWA, NorthWest and Delta
airlines
These systems dominate the world of airline bookings. When
these systems expanded to accept hotel and car rental bookings worldwide,
they became global. Now, travel agents can book air tickets, hotel rooms
and rental cars all at the same time from the one terminal. |
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