Amadeus continues diversification with acquisition of rail IT company

Technology partner to the travel industry now offers complete suite of rail technology solutions. Next generation technology backbone increasingly important as trains go head-to-head with airlines on routes under 3 hours

Madrid, Spain, 09, June, 2009 – Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, has developed a new platform enabling car providers to exchange 100% of their messages using Open Travel Alliance XML technology, making data exchange far easier than it ever was before. This innovation underlines Amadeus’ commitment to interact, share information and develop new services for customers, thereby facilitating the technology they will need for the future.

Amadeus Cars was already distributing content from its car rental partners to offline and online travel agencies using XML. Now, Amadeus can additionally exchange OTA XML messages with car rental companies, connecting them to their customers across the complete distribution chain using XML protocol.

This platform will bring the following additional benefits:

· 100% seamless content: car providers can exchange all business information using XML messaging, improving data quality, accuracy and timeliness.

· Speed to market: Amadeus enhancements can be adopted faster by car providers thanks to the same interoperability language between Amadeus and car companies.

· Cost savings: XML messaging is easier to program and maintain as well as having widespread use amongst suppliers and distributors.

Charles A. Coniglio, VP e-Commerce & Global Distribution, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group (DTAG), Inc. commented: “through Amadeus’s XML platform, we are now able to transmit ALL our content - rates and availability, plus location list and policy information – through one interface. In addition, as Amadeus rolls-out new functionalities, we can implement them quickly and easily thanks to the same XML messaging exchange between Amadeus and ourselves. XML is the language of the future and DTAG are delighted to be a part of it”.

“This new enhancement in our car booking platform is a major step forward in Amadeus’ commitment to make the travel industry more efficient” commented Jérome Vanazzi, Head of Amadeus Cars: “With the adoption of OTA XML Standards, both DTAG and Amadeus contribute to achieving a more streamlined distribution chain.”

Amadeus is an active promoter of the use of OpenTravel Alliance (OTA) XML standards.

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