Amadeus delivers next generation travel agency technology

• Amadeus deploys award-winning browser-based point of sale technology to 200,000 of its 246,000 travel agency points of sale
• 99% of Amadeus travel agents now access Amadeus using an Internet Protocol connection
• Amadeus Selling Platform (Vista) named best Agency Desk Top Tool by TravelMole

Madrid, Spain, 1 March 2006: Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, today announced it is close to completing a project to upgrade travel agencies to browser-based, internet technology. 99% of travel agencies now connect to Amadeus’ reservation system over an internet connection and over 81% of Amadeus’ travel agency points of sale now operate the flagship, browser-based Amadeus Selling Platform (Vista). Amadeus’ integrated travel agency sales platform was also awarded best Agency Desk Top Tool at TravelMole’s inaugural Travel Technology Awards. TravelMole is a leading online travel trade publication based in the UK.

As a new generation of web-savvy professionals enters the industry, Amadeus has accelerated the upgrade of hundreds of thousands of travel agency points of sale to the advanced Selling Platform (Vista). Amadeus upgrades over 7,000 points of sale each month and recently launched the latest version - Selling Platform (Vista) 2.3 – with graphical interface for service fee calculation with Amadeus Service Fee Manager and enhanced central ticketing functionality.

Selling Platform is the first browser-based point of sale tool to allow travel professionals to focus on selling travel and developing customer relations. The platform allows travel agents to choose how they work fastest – with both cryptic and graphical modes – and is updated automatically over the internet to ensure the travel agencies using it stay ahead of the pack. It is a truly scalable solution that in its simplest form is suitable for the smallest start-up agency, yet is robust enough to be scaled up and customised to suit the most demanding multinational customers. The solution allows multinationals to seamlessly integrate their own packages to provide a truly customised solution.

The graphical user interface gives travel agents fast, integrated, single-screen access to all travel content. The rich information offered by, for example, Hotels Multimedia equips travel agents to confidently select the right hotel for each customer’s needs and drive bookings in this high-revenue sector. Built-in efficiency tools and integration with mid-office operations take the legwork out of selling travel, allowing agents to focus on giving great customer service. A series of studies conducted by independent management consultants on travel agency processes has consistently shown Amadeus Selling Platform to be the most efficient booking channel on the market Show Me The Value studies. For more information, visit: http://www.amadeus.com/smtv/x122411.html

“When working with our travel agency partners, we go beyond bookings to look holistically at their selling processes; from attracting customers, to finding a travel solution that suits their needs, to making sure they come back. We believe that a truly integrated approach brings the maximum business benefit to this process and our many happy and successful travel agency partners, as well as this award, are testament to that,” says Claude Giafferri, Vice President and Managing Director of Travel Office Products and Solutions, the Amadeus division which develops travel agency technology.

“By migrating our 75,000 travel agency locations to Internet Protocol-based connections our travel agency partners now have faster, more reliable access to our system. This allows agents to concentrate on what they do best – serving customers and selling travel.” says Eberhard Haag, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Data Processing.

Notes to editors

Amadeus is the chosen technology partner for providers, sellers, and buyers of travel. The company provides distribution, IT and point-of-sale solutions to help its customers adapt, grow and succeed in the fast changing travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (airlines, hotels, car rental companies, railway companies, ferry lines, cruise lines, insurance companies and tour operators), travel sellers (travel agencies) and travel buyers (corporations and travellers). Solutions are grouped in four solution categories – Distribution & Content, Sales & e-Commerce, Business Management and Services & Consulting.

Amadeus’ distribution system allows over 75,000 travel agency locations and 11,000 airline offices to make bookings on 500 airlines. It provides access to over 58,000 hotel properties and 42 car rental companies serving over 30,000 locations.

Amadeus Selling Platform (Vista) features:

• Combined graphic/cryptic interface to allow consultants to choose how they work
• Unique tools increase process efficiency:
  - Quick PNR speeds up the booking process
  - Speedmode lets experienced agents work even faster
  - Smart Keys reduce key strokes and speed up repetitive tasks
• Graphical customer profiling tools conveniently log all customers, their histories and preferences
• Hotel Multimedia: easy access to complete hotel information (including hotel maps and photos)
• Amadeus Smart Tabs: third-party content and applications seamlessly integrated from front- to back-office.

Amadeus has central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters & marketing), Nice (development) and Erding (Operations – data processing centre) and regional offices in Miami, Buenos Aires and Bangkok. Amadeus has offices in 75 countries covering more than 215 markets. The company has over 6,500 employees worldwide, representing 95 nationalities. For the six months ended 30 June 2005, Amadeus reported revenues of €1,226.1m and net income of €154.2m.

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