There will be a new sales system at PKP – it will meet agents’ expectations and global standards

Another approach to the new rail sales system. This time the National Reconstruction Program will help, the funds for the tender are to come from m.in. of this project. Will PKP Informatyka make it by 2023? The business travel agent industry waits longingly. Tour operators will also benefit.

PKP informatics announces tender for new sales system implementation 2023

Yesterday, industry media reported this important fact from the point of view of the entire Polish tourist industry. PKP Informatyka is taking the new sales system project seriously. To be financed largely by the national recovery plan. This is a big help for the railroad company, without it it could not bear the expenses counted in tens of millions of zlotys. PKP Informatyka is optimistic about the possible implementation of the project. Providing a tentative implementation date of 2023. The previously held competitive dialogue is supposed to encourage such optimism. It should certainly make the current bidding process easier.

PKP Intercity main user its needs will be taken into account, and agents?

PKP Informatyka stresses that the main user of the new system will be PKP Intercity. Poland’s main carrier from the point of view of business travel, was to be consulted very widely on the needs of the new system. PKP Informatyka also makes it clear that the new system is intended to enable communication with international tools. It is probably about global agency GDS systems and possible aggregators like Travel Fusion.

Whether business travel agents were consulted remains an open question? Has it been asked about the needs of Tour Operators? In recent years, the cooperation of agents with PKP Intercity has been very difficult, the lack of integration opportunities with the growing popularity of railroads (Pendolino) has caused agents considerable trouble. From information gathered in the market, it appears that extensive consultation with agents was not carried out. Neither in terms of their needs for off-line service nor integration of the new system with tools for self-booking of business trips. It also remains an open question whether the system will allow, for example. On digitizing a service product such as color cards? There have also been clear signals from the Tour Operator market recently about interest in cooperation with PKP Intercity. Nekera would be willing to add PKP to its own “Polish” offering. Today, however, systemically it is basically impossible, and there are no solutions similar to air tour operator fares. Not to mention efficient booking of group tickets, in a model similar to the airline one.

The new system will finally give opportunities for broad integration and prepare the company for competition?

Let’s hope, however, that the new system will be fully integrable with global tools, and will allow a wide range of partners to integrate/sell Intercity’s offer on their sites. It should also allow efficient handling of possible loyalty programs aimed at both the individual passenger and companies. Vide those of the airlines for the small and medium-sized business segment.

Without a modern system, Intercity will not be able to compete with the international competition expected as early as 2030. How aggressive it is can be seen in the example of Spain, which has just liberalized the rail market.

A similar scenario can be expected on the Polish market, especially with regard to the most heavily trafficked business routes Krakow / Katowice – Warsaw – Gdansk, but also lines to Wroclaw or Poznan and further to Berlin. Keep in mind that railroads will invariably be helped by the pressure to eliminate their carbon footprint, some of LOT’s domestic routes will surely disappear. The main candidates are, of course, Katowice and Poznan. The new system and here can help, finally you will be able to think of a FLY product&RAIL from the real thing. After all, it is necessary in connection with the Central Airport project.

A recent interview of a PKP Intercity representative for Puls Biznesu indicates that the desire to copy the airline model is there, the question is whether there are also sufficient competencies. After all, already after 2012, as part of the “revolution on the railways” an air price list was announced. At that time, however, from the tender for the price management module, Intercity withdrew. Maybe now with the help of state funds a new quality can be built. We keep our fingers crossed the business travel agent industry this change is much needed.