Here’s our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.
This roundup was created with the assistance of ChatGPT.
Tata Consultancy Services, Flight Centre
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) partnered with Flight Centre Travel Group to support the travel company’s global digital transformation.
TCS will help future-proof Flight Centre’s cloud and network services, strengthen resilience and modernize services platforms across its operations. The companies said the work will streamline and consolidate core systems, improve performance across Flight Centre’s enterprise technology stack and help unlock value from existing technology investments. TCS will also support platform standardization and service level improvements through governance and reporting.
Sabre, WestJet
Sabre renewed its SabreSonic passenger service system agreement with WestJet in a multiyear deal.
WestJet will continue using SabreSonic for reservations, ticketing, check-in and ancillary services. The renewal will support WestJet’s continued expansion. WestJet also distributes content through SabreMosaic Travel Marketplace and can adopt additional capabilities via Sabre’s cloud-native, modular SabreMosaic airline retailing platform.
Airbnb’s GM
Airbnb appointed Lisa Marçais general manager for Northern Europe and the Middle East and Africa. She will oversee the U.K., Ireland, the Nordics, the Middle East and Africa and lead efforts to grow the business and support hosts and guests.
Airbnb said it is focused on dispersing U.K. tourism, noting half of its U.K. listings are outside hotspots. Marçais previously worked at eBay and ASOS in roles tied to scaling online businesses and leading teams.
InteleTravel’s booking and travel management platform
InteleTravel has launched BusinessTravel.com, a booking and travel management platform aimed at small and midsize businesses (SMBs). The company said the platform brings corporate travel tools typically used by large enterprises to SMBs and travel advisors.
BusinessTravel.com draws on InteleTravel brands including Hickory Global Partners, MGME, Tickitto and Major Travel. Features include an artificial intelligence (AI) booking assistant for flights, hotels and cars, expense tracking, reporting and duty-of-care tools.
The launch marks a strategic shift for InteleTravel, which has expanded through acquisitions in recent years. The company said it plans to roll out access to advisors across its network in the coming weeks.
Datalex, easyJet expand partnership
Datalex said it has activated Stellex Air Bundles for easyJet, enabling the airline to create and deploy more personalized bundled offers that combine flights and ancillaries. The companies said the functionality runs within Datalex’s Stellex Offer Management platform and is supported by tools including a digital configurator plus a product catalog and stock management components.
Datalex also said easyJet has launched Flexpass, a new ancillary in the booking flow that lets customers change flights without paying change fees. EasyJet said the rollout supports its broader retail transformation and faster product launches.
Dida, HBX Group
Dida Holdings and HBX Group have signed a seven-year preferred strategic partnership to deepen hotel distribution ties. The companies said HBX will become a preferred supply partner within Dida’s distribution setup, with a focus on serving demand from China and wider Asia Pacific markets.
They said the deal includes closer technology integration and aims to support more automated, AI-driven distribution. Dida said HBX will strengthen its global supply with harder-to-source inventory and richer property content. The partners also flagged future collaboration on payments and fintech tailored to China’s payment ecosystem.
SITA launches API
SITA has launched an API aimed at giving airlines and airports earlier warning of potential delays before disruption spreads across operations. The company said the tool uses updated departure information and expected flight duration to predict late arrivals, then pushes alerts and real-time updates to destination airports.
SITA said earlier visibility can help teams adjust gate allocation, ground handling, crew planning and passenger connections. The API is delivered via encrypted HTTP and offered as a subscription as part of SITA’s flight information API portfolio.
RMS, Sadie
RMS has integrated with Sadie, an AI voice assistant for hospitality, to help properties manage guest calls and reduce front desk workload. RMS said Sadie can answer multiple calls at once, handle reservations and respond to common questions using real-time data from the RMS platform.
The companies said the always-on voice agent is designed to reduce missed or abandoned calls, especially during peak periods and overnight. Sadie supports booking inquiries, availability checks, reservation changes and service requests, operating 24/7 and in multiple languages. RMS said the integration is part of its broader push to build a more connected technology ecosystem for hospitality operators.
Wizz Air’s self-transfer booking platform
Wizz Air has launched WIZZ Link, a self-transfer booking platform built with Dohop that lets travelers book multi-leg trips in a single transaction. The airline said the tool unlocks nearly 8,000 new origin and destination combinations across its network and allows passengers to add ancillaries across all segments.
WIZZ Link is powered by Dohop’s RetailConnect technology and includes an optional protection product, ConnectSure, for support in cases such as delays or missed connections.
Korean Air’s gen AI chatbot
Korean Air has launched a generative AI chatbot on its website and mobile app aimed at improving customer support. The airline said the tool is trained on airline regulations and operational policies and can interpret user intent to answer itinerary-specific questions such as baggage allowances.
Korean Air said the chatbot provides source citations and links to supporting pages and uses a verification database to reduce errors. It supports 13 languages and can hand off to a live agent when users type “connect to an agent,” though that feature is limited to Korean and English. Korean Air said future updates will add ticketing and reservation management.
