Mumbai: Galileo India, the leading global distribution system (GDS) company in India, has announced that the company has entered into an ‘interactive sell’ agreement, which is considered to be the highest level of agreement, with Thai Airways.

This will enable Galileo’s 4,000 travel agents across India to secure seats directly from the airline’s inventory and offer instant confirmations to passengers. Travel agents will also get a confirmation number from the airline for every ticket sold to serve as an assurance against overbooking.

The agreement will also help lower the cost of sale for the airline. It will also maximise the chances of every last seat on each flight sold. Currently Thai Airways flies from New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata to a host of cities around the world including Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, London and Paris.

Says Galileo India general manager Seema Luthra: “Galileo’s efforts have always focused on adding value to our customers. We are proud that this agreement is going to boost the efficiency and delivery power of our agencies, giving the Indian traveller extra bounces of convenience at the same time.”

Galileo India has already the highest number of airlines in India with interactive sell agreements. The list includes Gulf Air, Lufthansa, Kuwait Airways, Indian Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Qantas, Sahara and Singapore Airlines. Worldwide Galileo maintains relationships with over 500 airlines, and has direct access to their internal scheduling and fare databases. With Thai Airways, Galileo now has interactivity sell agreements with 200 airlines worldwide.

Galileo India today has nearly 4,000 agency locations across India with 16 service centres and seven training centres. It has now, in its embrace, over 503 airlines, 34 car-rental companies and 51,000 hotel properties worldwide. It has also achieved the status of having the maximum number of Airlines in India at the highest level of agreement.

Galileo India is the national distribution company of Galileo International, the leading global travel and technology distribution company. Galileo India commenced operations in 1994 and within a span of nine years, the company has extended its network to over 119 cities with 18 dedicated offices, enjoying a market share of 43 per cent currently.