Amadeus unveils Airline Retailing Platform - a new way forward in GDS distribution

The new platform will transform the company's global distribution system (GDS) from a purely distribution channel to a retailing platform through which airlines can also access and leverage functionality to clearly differentiate their brand.

"The Airline Retailing Platform is a major milestone in the evolution of indirect distribution as it will allow airlines to act like true retailers in one of their most vital channels", says Ghulam Saleh Al Bloushi, General Manager for Amadeus Gulf.

Developed in collaboration with major carriers across the globe, the Amadeus Airline Retailing Platform is designed to offer the best of the GDS world and the best of the online channel.

That is, all the traditional strengths of GDS - global reach and higher value sales - combined with all the efficiency, target marketing and brand differentiation opportunities offered by the airlines' online sales channels.

The new platform, which will be rolled out in phases over the next two years, brings significant enhancements in three key areas:

- a range of airline merchandising features to the travel agent's desktop - including fares packaging, up-sell, displaying of product characteristics and advertising capabilities. This enables airlines to maximise their selling opportunities beyond simple price and route differentiation
- new functionality to ensure airline products are sold in compliance with their distinct commercial policies and to guarantee revenue integrity.
- a management graphical user interface, through which airlines can manage their distribution set-up through all the Amadeus points of sale. This enables real-time, standardised business rule deployment, increasing the speed of implementation of new functionality and business policies in the channel.

Peter Kelly, General Manager Distribution, Qantas, adds: "We are designing, packaging and branding our offer in new ways through our direct online channel, providing passengers with more choice and transparency. We expect our technology providers to give us the means to leverage these initiatives across all our sales channels and so capitalise on our marketing efforts and investments. In addition, our customers see our product packaged in the same way as it is online".

The Airline Retailing Platform will also deliver significant benefits for travel agencies worldwide.

Amadeus, the world's largest distribution system with over 360,500 points of sales in over 217 markets, generated 537.9m million bookings in 2007 which equates to €51.91bn of revenue for airlines through the travel agency channel.