Tag Archives: Amadeus

Amadeus has acquired TravelClick from Thoma Bravo, an equity investment firm, for US $1.52bn. TravelClick provides innovative cloud-based solutions, including an independent and mid-size hotel Central Reservation System (CRS) and Guest Management Solution (GMS), as well as business intelligence and media solutions. This portfolio gives hotels distribution reach across all channels, both digital and traditional. It also allows them to improve digital interaction with guests, increase revenues and performance, reduce cost and create a strong brand. The addition of TravelClick’s solutions to the Amadeus portfolio will create a hospitality leader providing a broad range of innovative technology to hotels and chains of all sizes across the globe. As part of the acquisition, approximately 1,100 TravelClick employees are expected to join Amadeus. “TravelClick has a great team, great technology and a broad customer base, and we are looking forward to welcoming such a successful business into Amadeus,” said Luis Maroto, President and CEO of Amadeus. “Our ambition is to provide the hospitality industry with the tools they need to grow their businesses and deliver a great experience to their guests. The combination of our two portfolios will allow us to provide that to hotels of all shapes and sizes across the world.” “This deal marks the next stage in TravelClick’s incredible journey of success in delivering groundbreaking solutions for hoteliers,” said Larry Kutscher, CEO of TravelClick. “I couldn’t be more proud of our team or more excited about the impact our combined companies will have on the hospitality industry as we begin to deliver the next generation of innovation for hoteliers.”

As corporate travel behaviour continues to evolve in the Middle East, Amadeus has launched a new corporate self-booking tool to support business travellers in the Middle East and North Africa in managing busy schedules while reducing travel costs. The engine was designed taking into account feedback from travel management companies and business travel trends in the region, recognising that today’s business travellers require the latest technologies to keep them connected, productive and on the move. Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller uses automated processes to integrate all phases of travel management, thereby uniting the business traveller, travel management companies, travel managers, and financial officers with one ultimate shared destination – business success. It is being launched in partnership with BirdRes, a leading B2B application developer including automation tools, which is also a reseller of Amadeus products in India. Antoine Medawar, Vice President, Amadeus MENA, said, “Corporate travellers in the region require quick and convenient tools that meet their business needs—and often demanding schedules. The Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller fulfils these requirements by connecting the traveller with every person involved in the booking process, from the finance team through to the travel management company. This will deliver a seamless experience to the end user while enabling all involved to benefit from more streamlined processes.” Ankur Bhatia, Director, BirdRes, said, “One-stop solutions are in demand in the MENA region as travel management companies seek the most convenient way of meeting the varied needs of their customers. The Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller is suited to the region’s latest travel policies, demonstrating a deep understanding of consumer preferences and needs.”

Al Masaood Travel has signed a three-year technology partnership with Amadeus Gulf to retain its competitive edge in the Gulf’s travel industry by enhancing the agency’s operational efficiencies and productivity. The agency’s renewed agreement with Amadeus includes a number of digital solutions to create even higher value for its customers. The strategic partnership includes the implementation of Amadeus Ticket Changer, a robust suite of products to apply reissue and refund policies, Amadeus Fare Optimizer for detecting the best available travel fares at any given time, and Amadeus Web Services, allowing the agency to integrate travel-related functionalities into any digital application from a single point of access. Akram Sharaf, General Manager of Al Masaood Travel, said, “Identifying and maximizing opportunities for our customers is our priority. The extension of our partnership with Amadeus reflects this commitment, and will support us as we focus on unsurpassed customer care while expanding into new market segments.” Graham Nichols, Managing Director of Amadeus Gulf, said, “Both travel agencies and their customers want access to simple, easy to use platforms in a digital age. We are pleased to support Al Masaood Travel in delivering on these expectations and creating even more personalized and fulfilling travel experiences in the years ahead.” The agreement comes at a time when Abu Dhabi continues to advance as a regional travel and tourism hub. According to Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, the UAE’s capital has generated over AED 5 billion of revenue generated from hosting 4.8 million visitors in 2017 .

Amadeus has said that it is the first to receive level-3 certification on the latest version (18.1) of  New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard. Since 2016, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has had a certification process in place for the NDC standard, for the different industry stakeholders to show their capability to support NDC messaging. Amadeus has now renewed its level 3 certification for Altéa NDC, which was released in March this year. The version 18.1 is generated based on the new aviation industry data model, which IATA has been working on with Amadeus and other industry partners. This new data model aims to provide a consistent industry repository and methodology to help define the use and structure of new and existing standards. “We’ve been working hand in hand with IATA and other industry partners to test and improve this latest version of the standard, which will help to drive industrialization and adoption. Version 18.1 and the new data model means that NDC messages between airlines and third parties – whether aggregators, travel sellers or corporations – now have a more defined structure. We’re pleased to be the first company to be certified on the 18.1 version, as proof of our ongoing partnership with IATA and our commitment to making NDC work for the industry,” said Gianni Pisanello, VP, NDC-X programme, Amadeus. This certification as an IT provider follows on from Amadeus’ previous level 3 certification as an IT provider and level 1 certification as an aggregator in 2016 and 2017. Amadeus is also on track to achieve level 3 certification as an aggregator later this year.

A recent report on ‘Middle East Consumer Travel Report 2018’ co-sponsored by Amadeus, explored an overview of the travel industry in Saudi Arabia and the latest highlights entailing consumer activities and mobile trends in the Middle East. Travellers from Riyadh showed an increase in mobile bookings in the Kingdom with 32%, followed by Jeddah with 31%. More than 40% of travellers in the region organise their trips online, 33% travellers today “actively search” for discounts online during the shopping process and 57% of travellers in the region book their flight fares only a week prior to their travel dates. The report acknowledges that the Middle East travel market is incredibly diverse when it comes to travel patterns. While value is a key driver in travel decisions, more people admit to being more influenced by friends, family and colleagues (53%) than by search engines and review sites (47%) or actual travel agents (31%). Eng. Nashat Bukhari, General Manager, Amadeus Saudi Arabia said, “We are pleased with the significant rise in the consumer’s online travel trend in the region and as the industry continues to evolve, we will continue the deliver the latest cutting-edge technology dedicate to alter the shape of the travel industry in the region.”  

Amadeus has announced the renewal of its partnership with Khimji’s House of Travel, a leading travel agency in Oman. The agency will be able to leverage Amadeus’ flagship products to deliver a superior level of service experience to their customers, making their journeys seamless during the whole trip process. Amadeus will provide Khimji’s House of Travel with solutions such as Amadeus Fare Optimiser, enabling travel agents to discover the best flight fares; Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller to manage corporate travellers, reduce business travel costs, increase policy compliance, and streamline the travel management processes; Amadeus e-Power to drive its online aspirations and provide rich contents 24*7 to customers; and Amadeus Travel Alerts Notifier, which keeps travellers informed about their booking up to their arrival back home, and more. Cashio Vettom, General Manager, Khimji’s House of Travel, said, “With this partnership, we are expanding our core capabilities to provide the best experience to our customers by using automated systems and programmes that increase our own efficiencies. We’re looking forward to sharing the benefits of this partnership with consumers across the Sultanate.” According a recent report revealed by the Colliers International, Oman’s tourism industry is expected to grow by 13 per cent between 2018 and 2021.

 Unveiled at the Arabian Travel Market, the ‘Middle East Consumer Travel Report 2018’ by Amadeus explores searching and planning habits of the region’s travellers in a digital era. The study suggests that the search for value plays a decisive role in how today’s travellers research, compare and book their journeys in this part of the world. The report acknowledges that the Middle East travel market is incredibly diverse when it comes to travel patterns. Cost is cited most often by travellers (50%) as the first consideration when selecting their accommodation — more important than hotel location, classification, or rating. Similarly, almost half of travellers (46%) cite budget as a main factor when choosing flights, more so than airline reputation and even the itinerary. As a result, one in three (33%) travellers today “actively search” for discounts online during the shopping process. While value is a key driver in travel decisions, consumers in the Middle East are open to being influenced when searching for their destination. However, the expectations from traditional travel advisors are changing, most travellers now visit a travel site or agency when they are ready to book, not when they are still planning their trip.

Amadeus has announced the creation of a dedicated programme to drive the industrialisation of New Distribution Capability (NDC) and ensure its success for all travel players. Created by IATA, NDC is an XML-based data transmission standard that holds huge promise for the travel industry, and will enable travel companies – from airlines to travel agencies – to evolve travel distribution and merchandising. The NDC-X programme will bring together experts from across Amadeus’ business to focus on practical use cases of the standard; adopting a test and learn approach to deliver improved capabilities for the industry. Gianni Pisanello, who has held a variety of leadership roles within Amadeus’ airlines business, will lead the new NDC-X programme. The aim is to create better journeys for travellers through the best use of technology, and this transversal program will work with the travel seller and airlines to deliver just that. In terms of commercial possibilities, a recent study by Phocuswright revealed that total gross bookings in the Middle East for air, hotel, car and tour services totaled $74 billion last year, with an estimated annual growth rate of eight per cent between now and 2020.

A total of 15 airlines from the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) have entered into a 10-year framework agreement with Amadeus for distribution services, negotiated and led by the Arab Air Carriers Association (AACO). The airlines participating in the framework agreement to date carried 110 million passengers in 2016, meaning that these airlines will serve over 1 billion passengers during the 10-year duration of the agreement. For the participating AACO airlines, the partnership will drive economies of scale, technological efficiencies and support the airlines’ vision for distribution in the future. Abdul Wahab Teffaha, Secretary General, AACO commented, “This long-term agreement represents a landmark for a number of AACO members with a technology partner dedicated to supporting new business strategies.” Julia Sattel, Senior Vice President, Airlines, Amadeus, said, “We are proud to further deepen our partnership with AACO and its member airlines. Amadeus’ focus on innovation and technology, combined with a partnership approach were in close alignment with the requirements identified by the members of AACO’s taskforce for future distribution strategies.”

Over 100 experts gathered at the recent Amadeus Fly by Digital Summit in Dubai to improve the travel experience in what is one of the world’s fastest growing tourism and passenger hubs. The conference focused on supporting industry players to better attract, showcase, sell and service travellers in the region as more and more commerce moves into the digital realm. Keynote speakers included executives from Google, PayFort, Musafir, Souqalmal.com and Amadeus, amongst others. “By connecting the industry, harnessing bold technologies and finding new ways to make travel more rewarding, the Middle East’s online travel industry can sustain its recent momentum. It will also be prepared for the future Arab traveller, born in the Internet era, who demands different approaches across devices,” says Antoine Medawar, Vice President for Middle East and North Africa at Amadeus. Amadeus also previewed findings from the third edition of the Middle East Online Travel Overview study—a special project conducted by Phocuswright and co-sponsored by Amadeus—which provides an overall assessment on the health of the Middle East digital travel market.