Philippine Newsletter2012 - No. 2

Leading international online industry publication Air Transport News (ATN) recently recognized Amadeus as a leading information technology company in the world.

In the awards ceremony held in Greece and attended by major players in the travel industry, ATN handed Amadeus Regional Director, Marketing and Operations, Middle East & North Africa, Ahmed Youssef, Best IT Company of the Year award.

The award was based on the votes by its readers and subscribers from more than 150 countries who analyzed the awardees contributions to the air transport sector and helped the industry grow despite the volatile business environment.

“This is a very happy moment for Amadeus. Our

Amadeus named 2012 Best IT Company

commitment to excellence and continuous innovation, globally and locally, brings its rewards and recognition. This Best IT Company award clearly confirms that the industry recognises that Amadeus is following the right strategy of offering the most innovative and effective

solutions through sustained investments in research and development,” Amadeus Philippines general manager Albert Villadolid commented.

Other category winners during this year’s awards ceremony were Embraer, Regional Aircraft Manufacturer of the Year; Airbus, Aircraft

Manufacturer of the Year; Rolls Royce, Engine Manufacturer of the Year; Swissport, Ground Handler of the Year; Lufthansa Technik, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Company of the Year; Star Alliance, Airline Alliance of the Year; Singapore’s Changi Airport, Airport of the Year; and Emirates, Airline of the Year.

Garuda Indonesia shifts to AmadeusGaruda Indonesia, the national

airline of Indonesia, announced it will be using the Amadeus Altea Customer Management Solution to manage its domestic and international reservations, inventory and departure control processes.

“Upgrading to Amadeus’ cutting-edge technology will enable us to further enhance our existing customer service offering, introduce more automation and flexibility for our customers and help us refine our customer-

facing business processes. Today, technology is a critical component of an airline’s infrastructure and the Amadeus Altea system will ensure we remain competitive with world-class airlines in the region,” Garuda Indonesia marketing and sales director M. Arif Wibowo said.

Garuda is currently on a modernization and expansion binge, acquiring new A330 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft. It relaunched its services to Europe and also announced its intention

to join the SkyTeam global alliance.For his part, Amadeus Asia

Pacific airline group vice president John Chapman said: “We are delighted to welcome Garuda to the growing number of airlines in Asia Pacific adopting Amadeus Altea. The Altéa solution will enable the airline to refine its check-in and airport handling processes, and benefit from the automation of currently manual tasks.”

“This is an exciting development as Garuda Indonesia becomes the

15th Asia-Pacific based carrier that decided to use the Amadeus platform for their customer management systems,” Amadeus Philippines general manager Albert Villadolid added.

Other Asia Pacific airlines that have signed up for Altea include Cathay Pacific, Dragon Air, Singapore Airlines, Silk Air, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Qantas, Royal Brunei Airlines, Thai Airways, All Nippon Airways, Vaustralia, Air Pacific, Jin Air, and Mongolian Airlines.

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The Philippine Mosaic

© 2012 Amadeus Marketing Philippines, Inc. | 3 6 / F L KG Towe r, 6 8 0 1 Aya l a Ave. , M a k at i C i t y 1 2 2 6 ( + 6 3 2 ) 8 5 7 . 7 1 0 0

Amadeus signs long term deal with leading Philippine travel agencyAmadeus recently extended its partnership

with one of the Philippines leading travel agencies.

In simple ceremonies, Amadeus signed a multi-year contract renewal agreement that will allow it to institute solutions designed

to integrate a unified system for all of Infinity Travel and Tours business processes.

Amadeus Philippines general manager Albert Villadolid said they are delighted to extend their partnership with Infinity Travel and Tours.

“Our customers today require us to step up as their partner in business and we take this role very seriously. We continue to invest in tailored solutions that will enable companies to harness the full potential of the Philippine and international travel market,” Villadolid said.

Southwest Airlines, the leading carrier in the United States of America in terms of domestic passengers boarded, will be using the Amadeus platform for its international destinations in 2014.

Southwest Airlines is now integrating the Amadeus Altea Suite integrated customer management solution into its system including the Altea Inventory, Altea Reservation and Altea Departure Control System.

Amadeus president and chief executive officer Luis Maroto said the agreement is a milestone for the company.

“Southwest is an industry leader in terms of its size. The airline is also the global standard for low-cost carriers celebrating 39 consecutive years of profits,” Maroto said.

Southwest Airlines chairman, president, and chief executive officer Gary Kelly said they are impressed with Amadeus

experience and knowledge of the industry.“They are a premier technology provider,

and we are confident in their ability to meet and exceed our needs as we prepare for the exciting opportunity to extend the Southwest brand into the international marketplace,” Kelly said.

AirTran Airways, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines, serves its international destinations.

Southwest Airlines to use the Amadeus platform

Sellers of travel services online need to do a better job in segmenting the market for their promotional offers and deals as shoppers are getting frustrated due to information overload.

This came out in the new travel industry research commissioned by Amadeus dubbed “Empowering Inspiration: The Future of Travel Search.”

David Brett, President, Amadeus Asia Pacific said that online travel is a key growth area in the Asia Pacific region.

“With increasing access to the internet and a growing middle-class, industry experts are predicting that Asia Pacific is on course to dominate the online travel market, with emerging markets like India leading the way. India’s online travel market alone is expected to see growth of $7 billion by the end of the year, the biggest in the region.

He added: “While the opportunities are plentiful, travel players looking for a piece of the growing pie will need to demonstrate a keen understanding of their local customers’ behavior

and adopt the right technology to engage them.”The study conducted by travel industry

research authority PhoCusWright Inc. surveyed close to 5,000 travelers worldwide plus 18 executive interviews with thought leaders to acquire a comprehensive industry perspective on travel search.

The result of the study identified trend-setting consumers behavior and motivations when shopping for travel online along with their experience during the destination selection, shopping and booking processes.

Amadeus identifies travelers behaviors, pushes newtechnology to address needs

Amadeus Philippines general manager Albert Villadolid (third from left)shakes hands with Blue Cross Insurance Inc. president and chief executive officer John Casey (second from left) after sealing an agreement that will allow Amadeus to automate Blue Cross Insurance Inc.’s booking process for local travel agencies.

For her part, Infinity Travel and Tours president Nerriza Reyes said: “We have close to two decades of collaboration with Amadeus. They have helped us adapt to the advances in technologies in the highly competitive business of travel service.”

Starting its operations in 1994, Infinity Travel and Tours is now considered as one of the country’s most enterprising full service travel specialist. It currently serves the leisure, manpower, and corporate travelers in the country.