Auto Europe signs worldwide distribution agreement with Amadeus

Madrid, Spain, 05 March 2007: Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, today announced that Auto Europe, a leading broker in European car rental services for over 50 years, has signed a worldwide agreement to distribute Auto Europe's 4,000 car rental locations and content through Amadeus with Complete Access Plus – the highest connectivity level within the Amadeus reservation system. Auto Europe will be the first to implement a seamless location search using OTA (Open Travel Alliance) XML (extended mark-up language) message technology, which allows travel agents to have real-time access to Auto Europe car locations worldwide. OTA is now a standard which was formed to improve the electronic exchange of business information across all sectors of the travel industry

"Auto Europe is delighted to work with Amadeus due to its international reach, experience and innovative technology, which has made the booking process much easier for our customers. In addition, we are now able to provide travel agents with up-to-date, real-time information on our inventory through Complete Access Plus, creating a better service for the end customer," says Imad Khalidi, CEO, Auto Europe.

Amadeus users booking Auto Europe will be transferred directly to Auto Europe's system to search their locations and determine which rates are available. This process ensures that real-time availability and total price information are displayed. Amadeus users will also benefit from PNR and back-office integration.

"As a technology partner for the travel and tourism industry, it is important for us to add value throughout the distribution chain straight through to the end traveller by building solutions to meet their needs. We do just that by ensuring the travel agent and traveller receives fast and accurate information. Currently there are 27 car rental companies in the Amadeus system which equates to 35,000 locations, of which 96% can be booked through Amadeus' highest level of connectivity," stated Albert Pozo, Managing Director, Travel & Leisure, Amadeus.

Furthermore, Auto Europe will be one of two launch partners in the upcoming release of Amadeus' new car leisure solution for travel agents at the end of Q1.




Notes to the editors

About Auto Europe
For over 50 years, Auto Europe has been a leader in worldwide car rental services. In recent years, Auto Europe has expanded its services to include over 4,000 car rental locations worldwide; scheduled air from the USA to Europe; over 20,000 three, four and five star European hotels; chauffeur and transfer services; prestige and sports car rentals; mobile phone and GPS rentals; and motorhome rentals.

Amadeus is the chosen technology partner for providers, sellers, and buyers of travel. The company provides distribution, IT and point-of-sale solutions to help its customers adapt, grow and succeed in the fast changing travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (airlines, hotels, car rental companies, railway companies, ferry lines, cruise lines, insurance companies and tour operators), travel sellers (travel agencies) and travel buyers (corporations and travellers). Solutions are grouped in four solution categories – Distribution & Content, Sales & e-Commerce, Business Management and Services & Consulting.

Amadeus has central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters & marketing), Nice (development) and Erding (Operations – data processing centre) and regional offices in Miami, Buenos Aires and Bangkok. At market level, Amadeus maintains customer operations in 76 countries covering more than 215 markets.

The company is owned by WAM Acquisition, whose shareholders are BC Partners, Cinven, Air France, Iberia and Lufthansa. Amadeus employs over 7,160 employees worldwide, representing 95 nationalities. Amadeus’ revenue for the six months year ended 30 June was EUR1,381.6m.


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