A David-and-Goliath tale in airline revenue integrity

David Harms, CEO of Airlogica, talks about taking on the GDS giants

David Harms is in a bit of a David-and Goliath situation. His relatively small company, Airlogica, competes with some of the largest and most successful companies in the travel industry — the GDS companies — in the field of billing information data tape audits, the mechanism by which airlines can identify problem areas in GDS bookings.

Yet, he said, “we are very successful at what we do,” serving about 60 airlines around the world.

He attributes that success in large part to Airlogica’s independence. “GDS companies are not incentivized to go to the airlines and say, ‘Oops, we made a mistake.’ It’s taking money out of their own pockets,” Harms said.

“A lot of segments booked in GDSs are not valid,” he said. “You’ll find dozens with wrong minimum connecting times, for example. Airlines are paying for those segments unless they take action.”