Sep 5, 2024

Share Here's our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week. Kayak, Southwest Airlines Kayak , a metasearch engine for travel services, hasannounced its integration with Southwest Airlines , allowing its users to see Southwest fares in their searchresults. They will be able to compare fare attributes, travel credittransferability, same-day changes, checked bags and flexible seating. Inaddition, when ready to book, Kayak will transfer users directly to Southwest’swebsite to complete the transaction. Sabre Hospitality, Protect Group Sabre Hospitality , a software and technology provider, hasannounced a partnership with Protect Group , a provider of trip protection, to integratetrip guarantee services into Sabre's SynXis Booking Engine. This new integration allows hotels using SynXis BookingEngine to offer Protect Group’s protection guarantee at checkout and give customersconfidence when booking, knowing they can receive a refund for covered events. "This integration supports our strategic imperative to advanceretailing and travel-centric eCommerce capabilities in the travel industry," said Ethan Wiseman, head of distribution at Sabre Hospitality. "Byoffering trip protection guarantees, we are providing hotel partners and theirguests with the confidence and security they need." Get a dose of digital travel in your inbox each day Subscribe to our newsletter below Submit Intrepid Travel Intrepid Travel , a group adventure travel company, has announcedthe appointment of Payton Iheme to the new role of chief impact officer, whereshe plans to lead Intrepid’s global sustainability and impact initiatives aswell as its nonprofit, the Intrepid Foundation. Prior to Intrepid, Iheme served in senior staff positions at the United StatesSenate, held senior policy and advocacy roles at Facebook and most recently atBumble, where she was vice president and head of public policy. "I'm honored to join Intrepid at this crucial momentwhen we're seeing too many companies divesting from ESG, DEI and climate andconservation programming, as well as leaders shying away from advocating forthe critical issues impacting so many communities around the world," Iheme said. "As part ofIntrepid Travel's leadership team, I intend to bring my voice, my vision, andmy energy to advocate on these issues and more." Justfly.com Online travel agency justfly.com announced the launch ofits "Pay by Bank" feature, which is powered by Accrue , a fintech companythat enables partners to launch customized banking, loyalty and payment solutions. The new feature allows users to make payments directly fromtheir bank accounts, which eliminates the need for traditional payment methods.In addition, it provides key benefits for customers, which include exclusiverewards, faster settlement times and wallet integration. For the platform, it allowslower transaction costs, enhanced acquisition strategy and increased customer retention. TravelPerk, Emirates TravelPerk , a global business travel management platform, is expandingits inventory with new distribution capability (NDC) content and has launchedits 20th NDC integration with Emirates . Kristina Geier, vice president of supplier partnerships at TravelPerk, said,“Investing in NDCtechnology and optimized connectivity is a top priority for us. NDC fares nowrepresent 40% of our global airline bookings, and with more airlines in ourintegration pipeline, the proportion of bookings coming through this channelwill continue to grow.” H.I.S, IBS Software H.I.S , a Japanese travel agency specializing in affordablepackage tours, has extended its partnership with IBS Software , a software as a service solutions provider to the global travel industry. The renewed partnership allows H.I.S to continue to create amodern customer experience using next-generation digital solutions as well as deliveran enhanced shopping experience for its customers. “Our combined expertise and shared vision for innovationwill enable us to provide more robust, scalable and cutting-edge solutions toH.I.S.’s end users,” said Moizzur Rahman, global head of consulting and digitaltransformation at IBS Software. US-Bangla Airlines US-Bangla Airlines has announced the appointment of MirTajmul Hossain as the new head of digital marketing. Tajmul previously served as thehead of digital marketing and communication at ShareTrip, where he led high-impactdigital marketing campaigns. Bringing 12 years of experience in the digital marketingsector, Tajmul plans to enhance brand visibility, customer engagement and onlinesales by leading the development of digital marketing strategies. He will focuson leveraging data-driven insights to optimize marketing campaigns and deliver exceptionalcustomer experiences.