Travelport is making it easier for agents and travellers to choose carbon-conscious trip options with the launch of transparent and enhanced flight emission estimates.
This new feature is calculated using the publicly accessible Travel Impact Model (TIM), which has been developed by Google in partnership with the Travalyst coalition.
Travel retailers using Travelport can easily compare CO2 estimates generated by the TIM per flight, per passenger, across carriers, at the point of sale based on factors such as the type of aircraft, seat configuration, distance of the flight, load factors and more. These enhanced TIM carbon emission estimates for air segments can be accessed via Smartpoint, Trip Quote and the Travelport API Suite in the Flight Service Information Display and In-Flight Search Response views.
Tom Kershaw, chief product and technology officer at Travelport, said: “Agents and travellers are seeing different carbon emissions scores and rankings for the exact same flight options when searching them in different channels. As an industry, adopting a free, publicly accessible data framework will allow us all to be more transparent and consistent in the way travel options are displayed and scored based on factors like carbon emissions, environmental certifications, or waste initiatives.
“By adopting the Travel Impact Model and using this data methodology for flight emission estimates displayed on agents’ screens, we’re able to align with all of the major global travel platforms to provide more transparency and eliminate confusion with inconsistent rankings across platforms.”
His most recent role was as general manager at Grand Millennium Beijing Hotel.
Villena’s extensive background in hotel sales, marketing and event management included her stint as group DOSM of The Bellevue Hotels and Resorts, director of sales at The Bellevue Resort Bohol, and pre-opening DOSM at City Garden Grand Hotel.
Chang joins from the Singapore Tourism Board, where he had an illustrious 26-year career. He was integral to the growth and development of Singapore’s tourism sector, and was last assistant chief executive (marketing) at the organisation.
