Amadeus selected to provide

Development

Amadeus selected to provide Qantas Airways with IT solutions

Amadeus announced that it has been selected by Qantas Airways, Australia’s leading airline, as its preferred IT partner to provide the airline with Distribution and Customer Service systems.

Qantas carried over 19 million passengers in 1999 and the agreement will bring Amadeus valuable new business, adding to the recently announced IT relationship with British Airways.

Qantas and British Airways have recently completed an extensive joint evaluation of potential IT partners. As a result, detailed contract negotiations with Amadeus will begin shortly and, if successful, are expected to conclude later this year.

Under the terms of the Qantas proposal, the development and maintenance of QUBE (Qantas’s proprietary reservation, inventory and departure control systems (DCS)) will be transferred to Amadeus. Additionally, Qantas has charged Amadeus with developing and operating a new generation inventory system and DCS.

The Qantas and British Airways agreements will enable Amadeus to

offer airlines around the world inventory and airport customer service systems, as well as the traditional global

distribution system (CDS) products

and services.

In selecting Amadeus as its IT partner, Qantas was attracted by the

company’s technological leadership and

its unique System User concept, which provides airlines with state of the art sales and distribution solutions.

Today, over I 10 airlines are System Users and this technology has enabled Amadeus to develop and implement a powerful platform for airlines operating in partnerships and alliances.

Upon becoming a System User, Qantas will benefit from sharing a common reservations and sales platform with other Amadeus System Users, including British Airways.

David Burden, Executive General Manager Corporate Services for Qantas, said: “Qantas looks forward to working with Amadeus on projects that will ensure its reservations and airport systems remain leading edge and continue to offer excellence of service to its customers.

“We are confident that in Amadeus, Qantas has the partner it needs to

carry forward the evolution of reservations, inventory and departure

control systems.”

As part of the agreement, Amadeus will set up a Centre of Excellence for development and support in Australia.

A combination of Qantas and Amadeus staff will be assigned to work at the Centre, and with responsibility for supporting existing systems and developing the new generation of IT travel related applications.

The addition of the Sydney-based Centre of Excellence will eventually bring the number of Amadeus development centres around the world to four.

A new development centre will also be set up near London’s Heathrow Airport, UK, to support IT applications and development for British Airways.

Amadeus already has two development sites in operation - in Nice (France) and Miami (USA).

Commented Jose Antonio Tazon, President and CEO of Amadeus: “We are delighted to enter this strategic relationship and look forward to delivering the new generation systems that will cater to Qantas’s evolving business needs.” ■