If your head is spinning from all this talk about XML open standards, you're not alone. Valyn Perini, CEO of the Open Travel Alliance, one of two XML open standards, explained it in layman's language to Travel Weekly's Kate Rice.
Q: Why do we want open standards?
A: Historically, GDSs and the suppliers they work with have used a message language called Edifact [Electronic Data Interchange For Administration, Commerce and Transport]. It is an old legacy technology, but it's very stable, robust enough to handle the transaction volume of hundreds of thousands of travel agents using it every day to book flights and rooms.
Q: So why change?
A: Edifact requires a lot of servers, a lot of communication pipes and a lot of bandwidth. That makes it expensive. It has its own specific language, so hiring developers who can do that code is expensive. And because it's hard to work with, adding a new product or a new supplier takes a lot of time. That means it can take a while to bring a new airline or service online. XML is a much lighter-weight language than Edifact, and there are more people who can work with XML. And, it's easier for two trade partners to understand what is in the code and agree how to implement that code.
Q: Why not just switch?
A: XML is not quite as robust as Edifact. There are hundreds of millions of transactions, and GDSs are mostly responsible for that. XML has not been proven to be able to stand up to that kind of transaction volume. No one believes that XML will wholly replace Edifact, and certainly not in the midterm.
Q: So where does XML fit in then?
A: XML is really great for ... all the ancillary services around airline seats. You don't sell a lounge pass for every airline seat you sell. You're selling those ancillaries once every 100 seats or so. Ancillary products are not as high volume as airline seats. It makes sense to use XML for those ancillaries because XML is easier to change. So, say that JetBlue wants to offer you a lounge pass. It's much easier for the airline and the technology provider to do that with XML. It is quick and inexpensive to change.
Q: Can GDSs and XML coexist on the agent's desktop?
A: XML and Edifact can exist side by side and be presented side by side. The day lounge pass message is being shipped back to the GDS by an XML message, while the seat is coming to the desktop by Edifact. All this is being done by whoever is providing that desktop to the agent, whether it's a GDS or a third-party provider.
Q: IATA has chosen Open-Axis as the standard for its New Distribution Capability. What does that mean for Open Travel?
A: IATA has said the standard is optional and it will make its requirements freely available to spur innovation. That means that airlines that currently use our schema, and there are many worldwide, would not be required to change. They would expect upgrades from us to meet their needs for things such as authenticated shopping. We are multi-segment; we have schema for hotels, car rentals, hostels, tee times, Broadway shows and many others. Airlines that want to sell inventory from other segments can use our schema. United Airlines uses our schema to pull inventory from its car rental partners onto its site, instead of sending its customers to the car rental company's site. What IATA is trying to do is a good thing. It's got airlines engaged in a conversation about how to distribute ancillary products in a standard way. And that should be good for travel agents and anyone trying to sell these types of products indirectly.
Follow Kate Rice on Twitter @krtravelweekly.