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Ahead of the game right from the start
Amadeus has always been a trailblazer. Even at the outset in 1987, when Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia, and SAS founded Amadeus as a Global Distribution System (GDS) company, the people at Amadeus set about advancing the travel industry in other ways:
- Setting up the Amadeus International Travel Agency Advisory Board
- Creating its first local commercial organisation in Finland, to better serve the travel distribution needs of that country's travel agencies
- Being the first GDS to offer neutral (unbiased) flight availability data
Growth and diversification
Throughout the 1990's, Amadeus continued to set the standard for the travel industry by developing innovative and user-friendly products, establishing a presence around the world via the opening of ACOs and regional offices, and creating an online presence for itself as well. All its products and services were specially designed to facilitate the making of travel arrangements for both leisure and corporate travel:
- Booking solutions specific to car, hotel, and flight bookings
- Solutions for business travel management for corporations
- A travel booking website complete with all kinds of destination information for the traveller
By 2000, Amadeus received quality certification (ISO 9001:2000) from the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) – the first GDS company to do so.
Key acquisitions & partnerships
The turn of the century saw the cementing of partnerships with leading national airlines as well as important acquisitions of specialist companies. British Airways and Finnair contracted Amadeus' Airline IT Services as did Qantas Airways who demonstrated its confidence in Amadeus by signing a ten-year agreement. In addition, major corporations and travel suppliers were queuing for Amadeus' sophisticated technology solutions for:
- Sales, reservations, and e-ticketing systems
- Corporate self-booking tools
- Customer Management solutions for airlines
Meanwhile Amadeus kept on strengthening its portfolio with acquisitions such as:
- SMART AB, the leading travel distribution company in Northern Europe
- Vacation.com, the largest US marketing network for leisure travel
- e-Travel, Inc., a leading supplier of hosted technology products for corporate travel
Amadeus: a trusted technology partner
Amadeus' new owners (as of 2005), recognise what the company's history reveals: Amadeus' greatest strength is its knack for forming successful partnerships. By working effectively with those immersed in the business of travel and tourism, the company has been able to design winning solutions for travel booking and travel management. Amadeus' open, communicative style will continue to attract the top players in the industry who are serious about choosing a trustworthy and experienced travel companion. |
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