2007: End-to-End Platforms for Travel & Expense Emerge

As usual, there’s a lot going on in travel in 2007. Travelport
announced its acquisition of Galileo in December 2006 but spend the first half
of the following year defending the merger against European regulators. Delta
emerged from bankruptcy early in the year, after fending off a hostile takeover
bid from US Airways (The former would merge with Northwest in 2008).

Airlines, even with rising financial fortunes, were looking for ways to increase revenue. I don’t know whose Big Idea it was first, but Spirit in March 2007 said the magic word that would change airline tickets forever: unbundling. Air Canada, Ryan Air and Spirit Airlines were all on the unbundling wagon as early as 2007. It looks like Southwest may have considered…