AMADEUS, the leading transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, showcased two innovative solutions for airlines and travellers at the recent Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO) IT Forum in Dubai, UAE.
The event looked at how rapid advances in IT are changing the way airports and carriers operate. In the opening speech to delegates, Anthony Lagna, regional director, airline IT sales, shared his view on the challenges and opportunities that are set to shape the industry in the coming years and explained how IT can help airlines to look beyond short-term revenues to long-term profitability.
In its first presentation, Amadeus explained how airports and carriers can best introduce fees for special services to maximise efficiency and profitability. The Amadeus ancillary services presentation looked at how, through unique solutions, carriers can ‘unbundle’ services such as baggage handling, ticketing lounge access, special cargo and even spa treatments while leveraging branding, increasing profits and maintaining excellent customer service.
“Successful airlines need an IT partner that can respond rapidly and effectively to an ever-changing business environment,” said Antoine Medawar, vice-president, Mena for Amadeus. “Amadeus has provided IT services to airlines for more than two decades. Its consultancy arm draws on this experience to give advice to airlines of any size, in any market, operating different business models. With a product offering based around the Altéa Suite and standalone solutions, Amadeus assists airlines to increase business efficiency, reduce costs and gain competitive advantage.”
In its second key presentation, Amadeus highlighted ways in which it can help airlines inspire and acquire customers.
Through its award-winning Affinity Shopper, a revolutionary flight search solution that opens up a whole new world of potential destinations, Amadeus is targeting a new breed of traveller. The Affinity Shopper radically reinterprets traditional search parameters, jettisoning the ‘destination’ field altogether and relying instead on a ‘budget’ slider and a broad range of possible dates to provide users with a whole range of possible destinations.
Searching for a holiday online can be a time-consuming and cumbersome process, especially for undecided travellers. Amadeus Affinity Shopper returns options within milliseconds using caching technology which is refreshed every couple of seconds and provides travellers with viable alternatives that meet their interest and desires, whilst addressing their price and date constraints.