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Development of the new Amadeus GDS continues with extensive testing as it nears its scheduled launch next year, and both AmadeusPro and a new Air product line are launched.
Air links 45,000 terminals in airline ticket offices and travel agencies around the world. This constitutes Europe’s largest electronic travel distribution system, while also serving markets in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia.
Amadeus has now assumed responsibility for the project management of the new GDS from IBM and pre-production testing is being performed for the complete system ahead of its scheduled launch next year. This includes checking that the data communication network is ready for full operation.
Although SAS is no longer an Amadeus shareholder, as a partner airline it commits to connect Scandinavian travel agencies and its own ticket offices to the Amadeus system.
New NMCs are opened in Serbia and Yugoslavia.
AmadeusPro is a PC-based travel agency management system, which integrates local office applications and provides a single interface to the Amadeus system and the systems of other travel providers. information in a local database and point of sale.
It is Europe's largest non-military data processing centre. Equipment is symmetrically distributed over six separate fire cells, so that the system can continue operating within normal parameters in the event that any one of the computer rooms has to be shut down.
The data centre operates 24/7. It meets the highest operational and security standards. With 99.8% availability, it has an average response time of just two seconds and is expected to handle some 150 million transactions in the first year.
