Last week’s announcement that “Ctrip.com has partnered with Amadeus to power its global expansion” has largely gone unnoticed, despite some very clear indications that this could be a significant moment in the evolution of online travel.
Ctrip’s has not responded to requests for interviews nor written responses to emailed questions. Amadeus was more forthcoming, in its carefully worded way.
The clues are all there in the release issued by Amadeus’ Singapore office. Ctrip itself appears to have said nothing officially other than a quote in the release and a bylined blog post on Amadeus’ corporate site from Xiong Xing, CEO of Ctrip’s Air Ticketing Business Unit, Ctrip.
