Etihad Airways signs up for Amadeus’ Altéa Customer Management Solution

Madrid, Spain, 11 July, 2006:  Amadeus, a global leader in technology for the travel and tourism industry, and Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, have signed an agreement by which the airline will implement the complete Amadeus Altéa Customer Management suite (CMS), to strengthen competitive differentiation and support its growth strategy.

As part of the deal, Etihad, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, will use all three components of the Amadeus Altéa CMS comprising Altéa Reservation - including e-ticketing, Altéa Inventory and Altéa Departure Control System. The full suite, based on a next generation “community” IT platform, aims to provide Etihad with complete control over its distribution channels, inventory and seat planning, and the airport check-in process. This will enable the airline to maximise yield on every seat as well as identify the value of its “guests” at all stages of the travelling process, ensuring that service is targeted accordingly.

Etihad’s growth strategy is aggressive. Since its inauguration in 2003, the airline has added 34 destinations to its network and aims to extend its current fleet from 16 to 50 by 2008. Securing competitive advantage is therefore a top priority, which is why Etihad has chosen Altéa CMS, a flexible platform that will address its evolving and increasingly complex business requirements.

Ian Ferguson-Brown, Head of Communications, Etihad Airways, said: “As a growing, new airline in a highly competitive market, differentiation is key and getting the right technology in place is an important part of this strategy. Altéa CMS’ customer-centric features are an excellent fit to our “Guest Recognition” Program. By using a technology platform that is based around the needs of our “guests”, we are able to deliver the targeted, seamless service that they expect. Further, Altéa underpins our strategy for timely deployment of e-ticketing, to align us with the global industry and offer what is today a key point of differentiation in the Middle East region.”

He continued: “The commercial benefits of joining a community platform for us are clear. We are able to take advantage of proven IT systems that are flexible and agile and we also benefit from ongoing product developments at lower than average costs.”

Amadeus’ Vice President Airline Business Group, Frédéric Spagnou, said: “Amadeus Altéa CMS gives Etihad the confidence that their customer management system is robust enough to support their ambitious commercial strategy. As a growing airline, the ability to scale rapidly and embrace new services as they develop is a critical factor of success. The Altéa community platform ensures Etihad remains compliant with evolving industry standards, thereby allowing the airline to focus on delivering new initiatives and developing partnerships with other airlines.”

Complete implementation of the Altéa suite is planned by the end of this year. Etihad went live with e-ticketing on its own flights in June 2006.

To date, 28 airlines have chosen the Altéa Customer Management suite, including major carriers in Europe, Asia Pacific, America, Middle East and Africa. Altéa Reservation, which provides a seamless reservation service across multiple channels, is currently used by over 150 airlines as their internal sales system.

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Notes to the editors:

About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is the world’s leading new airline and will now offer flights for Guests and cargo to 40 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.

Etihad Crystal Cargo – www.crystalcargo.ae– offers a comprehensive range of cargo services throughout Etihad’s network, and services its many all-cargo destinations and world-wide charters with a fleet of modern regional freighter aircraft.

Etihad Holidays - http://www.etihadholidays.com- offers a range of innovative holiday options to 69 destinations across 23 countries. Packages include skiing, fly-drives, cruises and tours.

Through these exciting divisions, Etihad Airways is changing the way people see the world.

For more information about this award-winning aviation group, please visit www.etihadairways.com.

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’ pioneering 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 alternative Customer Management Solutions – Amadeus Pioneer CMS and Results CMS by Amadeus - 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 120 websites of over 65 airlines.

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:

Etihad Airways
Ian Ferguson-Brown
Tel: + 971 (0) 2 505 8000
E-mail: ian@etihad.ae

Corporate and Marketing Communication
Amadeus
Tel.: +34 91 582 0160
Fax: +34 91 582 0188
E-Mail: externalcommunication@amadeus.com