Gordon - King of the GDS

Congrats to Gordon Wilson. No surprises that he was named CEO of the combined Galileo/Worldspan GDS businesses. Plenty of talk for years about the death of the GDS but there is not a technology around that makes interline bookings and complicate combinations easier than a GDS. Sure point to point is easy without the GDS but then there are back office systems, agencies, PNR combinations and more. GDS' makes that possible. Plenty of reasons to criticise a model that that has airlines paying x dollars to a GDS for a GDS to pay more and more of those dollars to an agent. Clearly an inefficient flow of money. But I see the value in the business and know that Gordon is smart enough to reinvent the business. With the combined volumes, technology and e-commerce spread of Worldspan and Galileo, it is clear that Dallas (Sabre) and Nice (Amadeus) are going to be looking over their shoulder.

UPDATE - As an Amadeus reader quite rightly pointed out in an email to me the true HQ for Amadeus is Madrid with the main development centre being in Nice (also have a data-centre just outside Munich)