Amadeus is first to develop worldwide calendar display for online travel agents

Madrid, Spain 13 June, 2006 – Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, today announced the availability in August of an innovative solution for online travel agents, Amadeus Master Pricer Calendar. This pioneering solution allows consumers to easily view a range of international flight and price options from multiple airlines in a calendar format. By enhancing the shopping experience the solution will help online travel agents convert surfers into loyal customers: the all-important conversion rate.

Master Pricer Calendar is also expected to cut call centre costs by providing consumers with an easy way to view in one shot when the cheapest deal is available. Airlines who adopted similar technology saw calls to their call centres drop by up to 70% because consumers needed less guidance to find the best travel option. Similarly Master Pricer Calendar is expected to improve the look-to-book ratio as fewer transactions are needed to find the cheapest / most convenient travel dates and prices for a range of airlines.

“Master Pricer Calendar has the ability to display travel options in a user-friendly, calendar format, which enables online travel buyers to make an informed purchase decision by balancing their travel flexibility with their budget. Empowering customers with greater choice leads to increased conversion rates and loyalty, vital elements for growth in online travel agencies,” said Ian Wheeler, Vice President, Marketing for Amadeus, “Being the first IT provider to launch such a solution demonstrates Amadeus’ continued commitment to innovation for our online travel agency customers and in turn travel buyers across the world.”

Master Pricer Calendar is based on Master Pricer – the leading international low-fare search engine in the world – and Amadeus Availability Server, which uses advanced algorithms and intelligent technology to optimise availability data without impacting airlines’ inventory systems.