Distribución y Revenue Management

🔥 Mount Etna erupted, causing ash clouds reaching 8km high, leading to the suspension of most operations at Catania's Fontanarosa Airport, Sicily, with no forecast for flight normalization. This is the second disruption in recent weeks; previously, ash fall rendered the runway unusable. Travelers advised to check flight status as all morning flights were canceled, with some redirected. Catania frequently faces such events, being situated at the base of Europe's most active volcano.

💸 Exoticca, a long-distance travel platform, has raised €60 million in a funding round led by Quadrille Capital to further its expansion and improve technology. The company's technology enables a 30% cost reduction and booking time to minutes, connecting local providers with agencies and OTAs. Quadrille Capital led the Series D round with All Iron, ICF, and existing investors 14W, Mangrove, Bonsai, Sabadell, and Aldea. Exoticca has doubled sales annually since 2015, offers trips to over 70 destinations, and aims to build a global brand and open new markets.

🏢 Brady Hotels & Apartments, a hotel group in Melbourne, Australia, was founded in 2014 and has expanded to four central locations. Sales Director Alexandra Rolton credits SiteMinder's platform with enhancing operations and revenue strategies. The chain uses SiteMinder's channel manager, Insights, and the Global Distribution System (GDS) to improve booking management, implement dynamic pricing, and extend market reach. The integrated dashboard, automation, and real-time data analysis tools increase productivity and guest experience. Brady Hotels also values the personalized support from the SiteMinder team.

🏠 In July 2024, a new chain of tourist apartments will open in Costa Brava. Visitors can access content for free by accepting cookies, or opt for a cookie-free experience by becoming a Premium member, which also offers content privacy and cookie preference settings after login.

💰 A Travelport study on travel retailing for 2024 reveals that 58% of travelers feel overwhelmed by the plethora of options, with 71% experiencing anxiety post-booking, questioning the value they received. Around 56% find airline offers harder to understand, 61% believe flight change penalties have risen, and 66% cite too many hidden fees. Despite direct connection efforts from providers, 80% of travelers say comparing fares is time-consuming, with 69% noting limited information on airline websites. Over half (60%) spend 1-4 hours on planning and comparison, while over a third dedicate over five hours. The study also highlights that 88% of travelers would prefer to see all flight options and fares on one screen, explaining why 54% use comparison sites before purchase. Furthermore, 63% of travelers feel airlines do not prioritize customer service. Internationally, booking experiences vary: 49% of U.S. travelers find flight search more time-consuming than hotels, car rentals, or restaurants, whereas in Germany, South Africa, and the U.K., hotel searches are considered the most time-consuming. Technology and travel agencies are deemed crucial for improving booking processes, suggesting a personalized, efficient customer experience is key to industry evolution.

🚧 María Jose Aguilló, FEHM's executive vice president, reports protests in Mallorca under the slogan "Cambiemos el rumbo, pongamos límites al turismo" against tourism-related issues such as overcrowding, salary drops, quality of life decline, traffic jams, noise, and housing prices. FEHM disapproves of related vandalism. Hoteliers cite problems like 92,000 tourist rental places in the last 8 years and a 40% population increase over 20 years without adequate public transport and infrastructure. Hoteliers urge constructive actions for Mallorca's economy and quality of life.

✈ Air Europa secured 60% of its estimated fuel consumption for the current year, a significant increase from last year's 20%, and had no coverage in 2022. Competitors like Ryanair, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Easyjet, and Wizz Air have 70%, 85%, 67%, 55%, and 59% of their 2025 fuel needs covered, respectively. The company awaits the European Commission's final verdict on its integration into IAG, expected in over a month, with IAG traditionally covering 60% of its fuel 12 months in advance.

✈ Ryanair reported a 46% profit drop in Q1 2024 to €360 million, compared to €663 million in the same period last year. Revenue fell by 6% to €2.33 billion despite a 10% increase in traffic to 55.5 million passengers and a 10% rise in ancillary sales to €1.3 billion. Lower fares, 15% on average, due to missing the first half of Easter, higher operational costs by 11% reaching €3.26 billion, and ongoing Boeing delays affected results. However, with a BBB+ credit rating from S&P and Fitch and €4.49 billion in gross cash, Ryanair maintains a strong balance sheet.

🛫 4,000 flights worldwide were canceled due to a Windows (Microsoft) server glitch, with even more delays reported. In the U.S., 1,600 flights were canceled, with Delta experiencing the most at 760. Ryanair in Europe suspended only a few flights but faced significant delays. The failure affected global economic activities, notably air transport, internet, and media, but no air traffic control centers were compromised. Check-in processes were heavily disrupted, although non-Windows systems remained accessible.

🛫 Due to operational changes, Iberia is transferring Madrid-Santo Domingo flights between July 24-31 to Wamos Air, operating with an Airbus A330 in business and tourist classes, without wifi. Similar agreements cover Madrid-New York and Madrid-Lima routes, the latter from September 1 to October 26. Affected customers are informed via email for service expectations.