Expedia Begins Partnership with Amadeus

Madrid, 11 May, 2006 : Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, today announced that Expedia Inc. has made its first bookings on the Amadeus system. The two companies have a long-term agreement to provide Expedia with the distribution technology and travel content it needs to offer more flights, better prices and more destinations.

Selected Expedia points of sale in Europe are now booking flight segments through Amadeus, and points of sale in the Asia-Pacific region will follow in the third quarter of 2006.

“The connection with Amadeus is a major milestone because it will offer greater options and redundancy regarding Expedia’s connectivity to airlines, as well as provide our customers a richer shopping experience,” said Paul Brown, president of Expedia’s Partner Services Group. “This agreement gives Expedia greater access to the best fares and inventory availability, and further differentiates our value proposition to both travellers and airline partners.”

“We are excited to strengthen our relationship with an industry leader such as Expedia,” said Gillian Gibson, Vice President, Amadeus Multinational Customer Group. “Our low-fare search technology and full content agreements with leading airlines have made us a partner of choice for online travel agencies in Europe and help us to help Expedia better meet the needs of its customers worldwide.”

About Amadeus
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 75 countries covering more than 215 markets. The company has nearly 6,700 employees worldwide, representing 95 nationalities. Amadeus’ revenue for the year ended 31 December 2005 was EUR2,418.3m.

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