Innovative Amadeus Extreme Search developments will serve the needs of the next generation traveller

Amadeus Extreme Search investments continue to evolve the travel shopping experience through online and leisure travel agencies

• In an industry first, Amadeus presents Affinity Shopper, reinventing the travel shopping experience on airline websites

Bangkok, Thailand (Asia Pacific), November 19, 2009 - Amadeus, a global leader in technology for the travel and tourism market continues to push back the boundaries of online shopping technology for the travel sector.

The Amadeus Extreme Search concept (live for Traveltainment[1] customers across Europe) allows consumers of packaged travel to ask, in real-time, open questions such as “where can I go, what can I do, for what I want to spend?” They instantly receive clear, precise alternatives to make their selection on the same search page, without the need to insert a destination city or a date of travel, unless they already know where they want to go.

In an industry first, Amadeus Affinity Shopper now brings this new concept to airline websites. Amadeus Affinity Shopper enables travellers to shop on airline websites by their desired travel experience. The new solution was presented yesterday at the Phocuswright Conference in Orlando, USA.

In the first quarter of 2010, Amadeus will continue to roll out enhanced Extreme Search solutions for online and leisure travel agents, leading the industry and revolutionising the online travel shopper’s experience.

Amadeus Vice President Sales & e-Commerce Platforms, Denis Lacroix, said:  “With our Extreme Search concept, which also drives Amadeus Affinity Shopper, consumers can search by budget, type of activity or geography – all on a single page - and receive relevant responses instantly. This completely overthrows established practice on airline websites, which requires that research is done based on known destinations and specific travel dates. In addition, with Amadeus Extreme

Search, the shopping process is then seamlessly integrated into the booking flow, allowing the traveller to purchase the chosen trip on the same website.

The innovative approach improves significantly the shopping experience for travellers by giving them the power to conduct highly intuitive and personalised travel search, quickly find their ideal travel options and reduce the time to plan and book trips.  For travel sellers, this means they are able to capture the traveller’s attention early in the search process and engage them into a booking, thereby growing their share of the leisure market.

Marcus Casey, Head of e-Commerce & Mobile of Lufthansa Passenger Airlines, who have piloted the solution, said: “Amadeus Affinity Shopper gives our customers further options to use our website as a traveller playground where users can explore and determine their trip based on what they would like to do during their travel. Our customers are able to conduct a search for a “beach holiday in Europe based on a budget range”, or even a completely open search for “a holiday for less than, for example, $700 per person. The ability to inspire the traveller to search easily and fast, through quality data, gives us a considerable competitive edge.”  

“Current searching is not in line with the way people think,” Lacroix pointed out.  “Travellers often do not know what they really want, and even if they do, they will still want to compare options and offers. Research conducted for our leisure travel technology business revealed that 70 percent of holiday makers do not have a firm idea of where they want to go when they start looking[2]. This new search technology will map onto the way consumers want to purchase travel.”

A new report by Amadeus, The Amateur-Expert Traveller, emphasises further the need for technological innovation to engage and effectively serve the needs of the new generation of travellers. According to the report, the average consumer has more knowledge and decisive power than ever before, through the internet. In parallel, niche travel and services represent a significant opportunity for the travel industry. A third finding points to an explosion of innovation that will deliver a journey that is more responsive to the needs of this current consumer. Amadeus´ Affinity Shopper is a tangible example of such innovation.

 “By helping travellers navigate the overwhelming amount of information on the internet we can help the industry to increase customer satisfaction and retention rates. We can help travel sellers such as airlines or travel agencies, promote destinations and upsell ancillary products,” said Lacroix. 

The underlying concept of Amadeus Extreme Search

Innovation, inspiration, interaction, transparency, data quality and unique speed are the hallmarks of Amadeus´ new concept of Extreme Search. The underlying technology is capable of processing billions of offers in about 30 milliseconds.  Search functions are available on a single page such as calendar display, price and destination, but also travel themes (beach, adventure, cultural) and map displays.

Amadeus Extreme Search will continue to evolve, leveraging the Amadeus Massive Computational Platform the company has recently developed.

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