US Airways to provide integrated access to full content to Amadeus users in the U.S.
Agreement includes access to America West content
MIAMI, July 11, 2006 : Amadeus announced today that it has reached a long-term agreement with US Airways which will provide its travel agency customers with integrated access to the carrier's full range of fares for flights sold in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Amadeus users will continue to have integrated access to fares and inventory that US Airways makes available to the public through its internal reservation system and its consumer Web sites, as well as through third-party Web sites. Under the terms of the five-year agreement, Amadeus subscribers will also enjoy access to full content from America West.
“This agreement with Amadeus helps us achieve our distribution objectives and benefits our passengers in very positive ways," said Scott Kirby, executive vice president, sales and marketing, US Airways. "With this agreement our customers can continue to seamlessly book US Airways inventory through their booking channel of choice."
US Airways is the largest full-service, low cost airline in the U.S. and the fifth largest domestic airline.
“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with a significant and exciting carrier such as US Airways," said Peter von Moltke, Senior Vice President of the Airline Business Group for Amadeus North America. "Our focus has always been to deliver the widest range of relevant content to our agency customers, while also reaching viable and sustainable agreements that make sense for our airline partners and our agency customers as well as our business."
Von Moltke said the agreement provides Amadeus travel agents with the same level of access, services and benefits as those provided to the airline's other distribution channels.
He said Amadeus is currently engaged in ongoing negotiations and discussions with all of the major North American carriers regarding full content distribution.
Von Moltke added that although details of its customer agreements are proprietary and confidential, in reaching content agreements with its airline partners, Amadeus is focused on finding the right solution that takes into account all points in the distribution chain.
"We are optimistic that our discussions, although complex and challenging, will result in successful and sustainable outcomes for the distribution chain and, ultimately, the travel industry," said von Moltke.
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Notes to the editors
About Amadeus
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 travelers). Solutions are grouped in four solution categories -- Distribution & Content, Sales & e-Commerce, Business Management and Services & Consulting.
Amadeus has central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters & marketing), Nice (development) and Erding (Operations -- data processing center) and regional offices in Miami, Buenos Aires and Bangkok. At market level, Amadeus maintains customer operations in 75 countries covering more than 215 markets. The company has nearly 6,700 employees worldwide, representing 95 nationalities. Amadeus’ revenue for the year ended 31 December was €2,418.7m. More information about Amadeus is available at: www.amadeus.com.
About US Airways
US Airways and America West’s recent merger creates the fifth largest domestic airline employing nearly 35,000 aviation professionals. US Airways, US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express operate approximately 3,800 flights per day and serve more than 230 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. US Airways is a member of Star Alliance, which provides connections for our customers to 842 destinations in 152 countries worldwide. Additional information on US Airways can be found at www.usairways.com.
