Amadeus launches Airline Service Fees, a new solution to support airline ancillary revenues

Madrid, Spain, 15 July 2008: Amadeus, a global leader in technology for the travel and tourism industry, today announced the launch of the first module of Amadeus Airline Service Fees, the industry’s first solution to automatically price and collect ticketing fees through multiple channels in compliance with ATPCo and IATA regulations defined for OB Fees.

Amadeus Airline Service Fees comprises two modules: the first one, which is now available, enables airlines to automatically collect ticketing, credit card, and miscellaneous fees in their direct sales channels (airport & city ticket offices, call centre, website). The second module that is due to be rolled as part of the Amadeus Retailing Platform , will allow airlines to collect credit card fees through their indirect sales channel, the travel agencies.

Amadeus Airline Service Fees is designed to fulfil three goals:

• Increase airlines’ revenues: Amadeus Airline Service Fees enables airlines to secure their fee collection and eliminate human error by end-to-end automation of the entire process. With the indirect channel module of the solution, carriers will also maximise the reach of their fee policies and access new revenue streams by collecting credit card fees through the travel agency channel.

• Secure transparency in airlines’ fees collection: “The European Union recently highlighted the need for transparency in airline fee calculations,” points out Frederic Spagnou, Vice President, Airline Business Group, Amadeus. “The Amadeus Airline Service Fees solution was developed precisely to solve the issue, quoting a total price including all fees and displaying a complete breakdown of those fees to the final customer/traveller”. The integration of fees in the reporting process has the additional benefit of allowing more transparency within airlines’ revenue accounting.

• Improve airlines’ fee management: Automated and flexible, Amadeus Airline Service Fees is the airlines’ solution to customise their fee policies and accurately manage their fee revenues. Airlines can, as a result, roll-out new fee policies across all sales outlets in real-time. A cost-saving solution as well, Airline Service Fees is fully integrated within the agent workflow so that staff productivity is ensured.

A Show Me the Value study commissioned by Amadeus demonstrated that the automation of service fees processing can provide up to 28 per cent increase in fee revenue and 67 per cent increase in productivity. Maximising this revenue stream is even more important for airlines seeking ways to increase their ancillary revenues to compensate the surge in their operating costs due to the fuel price hike.

The first module of Amadeus Airline Service Fees solution is now available to all airlines that have adopted the Amadeus Altéa Reservation platform.

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Notes to the editors:

About Amadeus
A world-leading technology and distribution solutions provider, Amadeus delivers unparalleled expertise to the travel and tourism industry, including leading-edge solutions that cover airlines’ unique business needs, independent of their size, business model or market reach.

Amadeus' recently launched Airline Retailing Platform offers end to end technology and enables airlines to take a retail approach to travel agency distribution. The portfolios are designed to tackle the entire process of travel agency distribution – from product display and sales facilitation to sales optimisation and post-sales business analysis.

Amadeus’ new-generation Customer Management Solution (CMS) portfolio, Amadeus Altéa CMS, serves network and regional carriers. The Altéa portfolio, based on a pioneering community platform concept, enables improved operational efficiency and increases revenue. The portfolio consists of the Altéa Reservation, Altéa Inventory and Altéa Departure Control solutions.

Low Cost Carriers have an alternative Customer Management Solution – Amadeus Pioneer CMS - based on adaptive technology that provides robust options that easily adjust to their evolving operational requirements.

Further complementing these integrated IT solutions is the Amadeus e-Travel Airline Suite that includes the Amadeus e-Retail engine, which powers more than 250 websites of over 75 airlines in more than 80 markets.

Other standalone IT solutions include: revenue integrity and automatic ticket reissue tools, in addition to full e-ticket interlining and ground-handling management technology services.

More information about Amadeus’ solutions for airlines is available at:
www.amadeus.com/airlines.

Press Contacts:

Amadeus Media Relations
Corporate & Marketing Communication
tel: +34 91 582 7809
fax: +34 91 582 0188
e-mail: mediarelations@amadeus.com