Amadeus, wereldwijd leider op het gebied van distributietechnologie in de reisindustrie, heeft een strategische alliantie gesloten met IBM om luchtvaartmaatschappijen te helpen bij kostenreductie en efficiencyverbetering. De alliantie is een bevestiging van de recente veranderingen in de luchtvaartindustrie waarbij spelers hun krachten bundelen om te kunnen overleven. Een recent voorbeeld is de overname van KLM door Air France.
De alliantie combineert IBM's kracht op het gebied van outsourcing en business process transformation voor luchtvaartmaatschappijen met Amadeus'
luchtvaartindustrie-applicaties. IBM en Amadeus gaan on-demand-IT-oplossingen bieden aan luchtvaartmaatschappijen en luchtvrachtbedrijven die hun onderneming willen transformeren en concurrerend willen blijven in deze moeilijke situatie waarin de industrie zich bevindt.
Hieronder vindt u het originele Engelstalige persbericht.
Voor meer informatie kunt u contact opnemen met:
Tineke Mertens
IBM Business Consulting Services
Mob: +31 6 200 150 92
tineke.mertens@nl.ibm.com
AMADEUS & IBM IN STRATEGIC AGREEMENT FOR AIRLINE IT SOLUTIONS
Madrid, 1 October, 2003 - Amadeus and IBM have formed a strategic relationship to address the needs of airline and transportation companies looking to upgrade their IT infrastructure and adapt their business processes.
"The ongoing evolution in how travel is purchased, managed and delivered, as well as the airlines' current economic landscape calls for significant change and business transformation. To remain competitive, airlines will need to redefine and simplify their business models and associated IT infrastructure," says Hans Jorgensen, Amadeus Vice President, Airline Business Group.
Through this strategic agreement, Amadeus and IBM will offer airlines a comprehensive package combining Amadeus's Sales & Distribution and Passenger Service System (PSS) solutions and services with IBM's outsourcing capabilities and global IT services. For future PSS clients, Amadeus will continue to develop and deliver PSS solutions and services, while IBM will undertake system integration and project management. The two companies will also cross-sell their offering increasing their competitiveness in the industry.
"In the last four years Amadeus has made a significant investment in evolving its Global Distribution System and core airline applications into a new generation of systems, built on open architecture," said Jorgensen.
"However, beyond PSS airlines have other IT infrastructure needs that are best answered by a traditional outsourcing leader as IBM. With IBM, we will have a virtually unlimited capacity to adapt to the size and scope of new global projects and enhance our ability to respond to potential airline clients."
For the traveller, this agreement will mean improved passenger service and recognition by airlines, who will be able to customise service to passenger needs, right from initial reservation through to the end of the journey.
"From an IT perspective, to remain competitive, the travel industry must migrate from an era of complexity to an architecture that is increasingly standardised, open and integrated," says Gerhard Buettcher, Business Consulting Services Leader, IBM Global Travel & Transportation Industry.
"Through this agreement, IBM and Amadeus will help airlines meet their respective IT requirements in a manner that allows them to be versatile and flexible, while remaining focused on their core businesses."
"Amadeus' expertise in PSS is the ideal complement to IBM's experience in process transformation for the operational aspects of an airline - an area which is important for the future efficiency and effectiveness of airlines.
Together, IBM and Amadeus' combined experience means that we can offer a very complete service to airline customers," adds Buettcher.
Additional Notes to the Editor
Close integration of IBM technology and Amadeus solutions is already benefiting travel. Airlines and airports are enhancing the traveller experience through their provision of industry-leading self-booking kiosks & airport systems; Amadeus provides live data to support IBM's airport consulting services; and, IBM hardware and software is helping to integrate and manage some of Amadeus computing platforms, further strengthening its GDS and IT development capacity.
About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology company with more than 300,000 employees worldwide. With consultants and professional staff in more than 160 countries globally, IBM Business Consulting Services is the world's largest consulting services organization, providing clients with business process and industry expertise, and the ability to translate that expertise into integrated, adaptive, on demand business solutions and services that deliver bottom-line business value.
IBM Global Services is the world's largest information technology services and consulting provider, generating over $36 billion in 2002. IBM Global Services delivers integrated, flexible and resilient processes -- across companies and through business partners -- that enable customers to maximize the opportunities of an on-demand business environment.
IBM also provides a broad range of products, services, consulting and integrated solutions to all segments of the worldwide travel and transportation industries. For additional information on its offering for these industries, visit www.ibm.com/industries/travel.
Amadeus Global Travel Distribution (MAD: AMS) Amadeus is the leading global distribution system (GDS) and technology provider, serving the marketing, sales and distribution needs of the world's travel and tourism industries. Its comprehensive GDS data processing centre serves 65,250 travel agency locations and more than 12,600 airline sales offices, which together total more than 290,700 points of sale located in over 200 markets worldwide.
Through the Amadeus GDS, travel agencies and airline offices are able to make bookings with 469 airlines, representing more than 95 per cent of the world's scheduled airline seats. The system also provides access to 63,540 hotels, 48 car rental companies serving some 24,900 locations, and other provider groups including: ferry; rail; cruise; insurance and tour operators.
Amadeus is a leading application service provider (ASP) to the airline industry.
140 airlines use the Amadeus Sales System in their offices to provide passengers with superior and seamless service at optimal cost. Amadeus' new generation of Passenger Service Systems, which include all IT systems associated with inventory management and departure control, will be implemented by British Airways, Qantas and Finnair.
e-Travel, Amadeus' e-commerce business unit, is global leader in online travel technology and corporate travel management solutions. It powers the Web pages of 887 travel agencies, 255 corporate sites, 18 hotel sites and
139 web sites serving 50 airlines.
Amadeus is headquartered in Madrid, Spain and quoted on the Madrid, Paris and Frankfurt stock exchanges. For the year ended 31 December 2002, the company reported revenues of EUR 1856m and net income of EUR 148.6m. The Amadeus data centre is in Erding (near Munich), Germany and its principal development offices are located in Sophia Antipolis (near Nice), France.
The company has some 5,100 employees worldwide.
For further information please contact:
Tineke Mertens
IBM Business Consulting Services
Mob: +31 6 200 150 92
tineke.mertens@nl.ibm.com