For years, Amadeus has faced the risk of disintermediation — meaning the risk of airlines trying to kick it out of the distribution chain. But the world’s largest middleman for airline tickets said on Friday that it expects to fend off the threat of direct distribution for at least the foreseeable future.
During an earnings call, analysts quizzed executives at Madrid-based Amadeus about the risks posed by an airline push to connect directly to online travel agencies such as eDreams and Priceline and travel management companies such as American Express Global Business Travel.
Luis Maroto, president and CEO, waved away the concerns. He said he didn’t expect the new distribution push to hurt the company overall.
“We expect it to be a neutral or positive to our P&L [profit and loss] with different models and different negotiations with airlines,” Maroto said.
Maroto acknowledged “that there may be specific points of direct connecting in different…