Distribución y Revenue Management

💰 Amadeus closed 2024 with a 19.6% increase in profit, reaching €1,258.6 million. Revenues surged by 12.9% to €6,141.7 million, while Ebitda grew by 13.2% to €2,335.1 million. Operating income rose 18.2% to €1,634.9 million. Air distribution revenues jumped 10.9% to €2,945.7 million, and technology solutions for the airline industry by 15.8% to €2,204.7 million. Hotels and other solutions advanced 12.3% to €991.3 million. A new share buyback program of up to €1,300 million was announced, set to be executed over the next 12 months.

📊 Ávoris' 2024 business volume hit €4.381 billion, up 15.8% from €3.784 billion in 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic figures (€4.318 billion in 2019). Ebitda reached €45.6 million in 2024, a significant increase from €1.1 million in 2023 but still below 2019's €55 million. For 2025, Ávoris targets an Ebitda of €82.5 million, nearly double that of 2024, and aims for a turnover of €4.810 billion, growing 11.4% year-on-year. Distribution division's projected Ebitda for 2025 is €37.9 million, and the product area, including Iberojet, aims for €44.6 million.

📌 The European Parliament's draft report on the Combined Travel Directive poses a threat to the liquidity of travel agencies and tour operators, disregarding the sector's concerns. ECTAA and ACAVE express astonishment at the potential limitation of advance payments to 25% for combined trips, which could financially weaken operators, especially in the first half of the year. They argue against the proposed 72-hour rule to define a tourist package on the same website, calling for a balanced reform, noting that combined trips account for less than 15% of travel services sold in the EU.

🏨 Madrid welcomed a strategic partnership on February 27, 2025, between the Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero (ITH) and Maarlab, a tech developer and tourism operator aimed at creating smarter, sustainable destinations. Maarlab's innovative tech solutions, like Oceanflights, bolster direct sales for accommodations, tapping new market niches and reducing cancellations with a single-click booking system. Raúl Domínguez, CEO of Maarlab, and Álvaro Carrillo de Albornoz, director of ITH, emphasize the synergy and mutual benefits of the alliance, focusing on competitive, digitalized, and sustainable tourism.

💸 Mirai integrates with the Mews hotel management platform, enabling real-time synchronization of rates, availability, and bookings to minimize manual workload and prevent overbooking. Key features include automated data transfer, dynamic rate updates, real-time accuracy, a seamless user experience, and scalability for managing multiple properties and channels. No initial or monthly fees are charged by Mirai for the Mews integration. Mews is user-friendly, capable of unlocking new revenue streams, offers integrated payment processing, speeds up check-in by 80%, and has over 1000 free integrations. Interested hoteliers can contact their account manager or Mews directly for integration setup and support.

💰 In the upcoming season, hotels, travel agencies, and companies eyeing the management of Imserso's senior tourism program face uncertainty due to a potential funding freeze at €72 million for the third year. With no budget increase, hotels earn €25-26 per night versus the actual cost of €34, and agencies receive €14.50 per sold spot. Adjudicating companies struggle with hotel agreements, as the number of participating accommodations declines, impacting quality. The next tender for the program management is expected within one to two months.

📌 Spanish travelers rely on travel agencies for expert advice and time savings, often for services beyond hotel and flight bookings, like activities, insurance, and car rentals. A study with Wakefield Research emphasized good customer service and communication as key. For more complex trips such as international (50%) and specific destinations (41%), and 34% for themed vacations, agencies are preferred. Many find agencies online (49%) and consult multiple agencies (28%).

🛫 Omio ranked the best-connected airports based on transfer time, cost, and frequency. Nice, Sofia, and Warsaw have the fastest and cheapest public transport links, under 2 euros. Bilbao's airport is the best in Spain, 10th overall, with an 18-minute bus ride to the city at 3 euros. Valencia (25th) offers a 34-minute trip at 4.80 euros. Málaga (21st) provides a 32-minute ride at 1.80 euros, while Barcelona-El Prat (12th) and Madrid-Barajas (14th) have public transport costs of 4.90 euros and 2.60 euros, respectively. The average single trip on public transport costs 5.58 euros. Reykjavik's airport ranked worst, with a 70-minute taxi ride costing 135 euros.

✈ Level, an airline from IAG group, now offers additional tourism services such as hotel bookings and car rentals via Booking on its website. After separating from Iberia in December, services are available in cities like Barcelona, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, and destinations in connection with Vueling and Iberia. Ancillary Manager Jacobo Gómez-Ballesteros aims to enhance customer experience. From March 30, San Francisco will join Level's summer destination network.

🛫 Aena's president, Maurici Lucena, criticized Ryanair for disrespectful behavior towards Spanish Minister Pablo Bustinduy, calling for reflection on their conduct. Despite acknowledging Ryanair's sector contributions, he noted institutional discord and expressed readiness to mend ties if Ryanair adjusts its stance. Aena reported a profit of €1.934 billion and revenue of €5.828 billion, improving from the previous year's €1.630 billion profit and €5.540 billion revenue. Ramón Tremosa is set to join Aena as an independent advisor.