AMADEUS MALAYSIA BULLETIN VOL. 4 NO.7 - APRIL 2013 Amadeus Malaysia Suite 15.01, Menara Dion, 27, Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur. www.my.amadeus.com Tel: +603-2302 2100 Fax: +603-2381 7755
Malaysia Airlines and Amadeus sign long-term global New contract gives global travel agency network access to same fares and content of Malaysia Airlines as all other distribution channels. Amadeus, a leading transaction processor and provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel and tourism industry, has signed a new content agreement with Malaysia Airlines, the national flag carrier of Malaysia, which allows all worldwide Amadeus travel agents access to the carrier s fares, inventory and schedules. The new contract also contemplates the deployment of Amadeus sophisticated Distribution functionality to facilitate Malaysia Airlines yield management processes throughout the Amadeus network. It additionally ensures that content from Malaysia Airlines is available in the Amadeus system. This arrangement takes effect for a period of five years. Duncan Bureau, Senior Vice President, Global Sales, Malaysia Airlines said, We are extremely proud to partner Amadeus, the world s leading travel technology company, which provides us with true global distribution and makes our seat inventory available to an extensive network of travel consultants worldwide. David Brett, President of Amadeus Asia Pacific added that more airlines in the region are opting for Amadeus to ensure they reach as many customer touchpoints as possible. This announcement with Malaysia Airlines reinforces Amadeus position as the leading provider of travel distribution solutions for airlines in the Asia Pacific region, and highlights our commitment to delivering accurate and up-to-date content into the hands of our travel agency customers, said Brett. Malaysia Airlines flies around 37,000 passengers daily to some 80 destinations worldwide. The airline holds a lengthy record of service and best practices excellence, having received more than 100 awards in the last 10 years.
Christmas & Birthday Celebration via CSR Program During the final month of an eventful year of 2012, Amadeus Malaysia organized a meaningful Christmas celebration with Sinthamani Divine Life Ashram orphanage. The volunteers gave out Santa hat and party pack to the orphans to fill in the Christmas mood before they begin engaging in fun and exciting games. During the games, much joy and laughter was heard as the children watched themselves act as reindeer, dancing and drawing while walking away with prizes. After the games, the orphans were treated with sandwiches and curry puffs for lunch. Before the event comes to an end, the volunteers made lots of balloon animals for the children and celebrated three children s birthday that falls on that month. Game Sessions! December Babies!! Hi Santa!!! Dressing their team member with reindeer hat, garland and cute socks. The volunteers bought two birthday cakes for the orphans who were born on that month. Ball pens and colour pencils were given out to the orphans after the games. Special thanks to Amadeus Malaysia s staffs for their generous fund donated during Amadeus 25th Anniversary celebration to purchase handkerchiefs for the orphans. Not only the contributions of the staffs that made the visit a success, it was also the unity and teamwork that made the whole event possible.
Amadeus TOP AGENT Appreciation Cruise 4D3N SuperStar Gemini Cruise (Phuket-Krabi) Welcoming 2013, our top travel agencies were invited to a 4D3N cruise onboard the Star Cruise Superstar Gemini in recognition and appreciation for their commitment & contribution in 2012. 11 travel agencies from Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kuching boarded the cruise from Swettenham Pier, Penang. As the cruise starts sailing, all our agents were gathered at the KTV Lounge where Marilyn Teoh, General Manager gave a thank you speech to all the agents. In further appreciation, the agents were awarded with the Top Agent Appreciation Award. On the second day, the ship was safely docked at Phuket whereby all the participants are free to roam the island until midnight before the ship departs to Krabi. On the last night of the cruise, all the participants dress up fabulously and attended the Gala Dinner at Bella Vista. The guests were treated to enjoy the wine and savour a three-course western dinner prepared fresh on board by the chefs under the moonlight. Throughout the evening, participants were entertained with various performances on board. It was truly a memorable trip for the travel agents and Amadeus staffs who also took part in the event.
Amadeus Travel Office Manager Mobile the first ever mid-office system mobile application for travel agencies Amadeus Travel Office Manager Mobile improves efficiency for travel consultants, enabling on-the-go access to booking data, pricing and management reports. Its now available in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore and Thailand Amadeus, a leading technology partner for the global travel industry, today announces the launch of Amadeus Travel Office Manager Mobile, an extension of the Amadeus Travel Office Manager mid-office system that provides travel consultants with access to selected functionalities on ios platforms. Amadeus Travel Office Manager is a web-based office management solution for travel agencies to improve operational efficiency and provide better service to their customers, with the automation of documents for both customers and suppliers, and comprehensive reports for management. Bruno des Fontaines, Vice President, Customer Solutions Group at Amadeus Asia Pacific, said: Amadeus Travel Office Manager Mobile enables efficiency and continuity of services wherever the travel consultants are. People are now used to working anytime, anywhere and on any device, and travel agencies need to ensure that their consultants can access information securely from systems such as Amadeus Travel Office Manager. We are proud to be the first travel technology company to release an application for mid-office systems and will be adding more functionality in time to come. Amadeus Travel Office Manager Mobile is now available to Amadeus Travel Office Manager customers as a free download. Log on to www.atom.amadeus.com and click on the ATOM on Mobile link. The app will also be available in the Apple App Store for both iphones and ipads. In order to adapt to the changing needs of the travel industry, Amadeus Travel Office Manager Mobile was developed by Amadeus to enable travel consultants to work anytime, anywhere. Travel consultants will have more flexibility in their working schedules, and they will be able to check task queues created in Amadeus Travel Office Manager and take action on due or overdue tasks, or assign them to colleagues. Therefore, supplier and customer contact details, and email, message can be easily access. Wherever you go you still can get an overview on the daily booking sales and payment reports to stay connected with activities in the office. Amadeus Travel Office Manager Mobile will also allow travel consultants to react quickly to urgent tasks or crisis situations in the travel industry. By being connected through their mobile devices, travel agents will be able to ensure that their customers and suppliers needs can be met in time.
Air France-KLM & Amadeus renew their content agreement and launch the New Economy Offer in the travel agency channel Amadeus travel agencies worldwide will continue to benefit from guaranteed access to the full range of fares from both airlines and all regional airlines in the group. They are now also able to book the New Economy Offer which gives the customer the choice between a simplified product with options and an all-inclusive offer. Amadeus signs long-term content agreement with China Airlines Group New deal offers Amadeus travel agents access to a comprehensive range of fares, schedules and availability from China Airlines, Taiwan s largest airline, and Mandarin Airlines, its regional and domestic subsidiary. Air France-KLM, one of the leading airline groups in Europe and Amadeus, a leading technology partner for the global travel industry, have renewed their content agreement. Thanks to this agreement travel agencies worldwide will continue to have guaranteed access to the full range of fares and inventory relating to more than 74.8 million seats and 90,000 flights operated annually by Air France and KLM through the Amadeus system. The agreement also includes the content of regional airlines in the group. Travel agents will continue to offer optional services to their customers such as Economy Comfort for KLM or Seat + for Air France using the Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services solution (AAAS), a fully integrated end-to-end solution which enables airlines to merchandise their ancillary services. Furthermore, Air France has launched the New Economy Offer available to 58 destinations on the short and medium-haul network, allowing travel agents to give the customer an option that will allow choosing between the all-inclusive fare and a MiNi fare. Jean Wieviorka, SVP Global Sales and Distribution, Air France-KLM, said: We are very pleased to reach this agreement, which fits in the Transform plan of the Group. This is a great move forward in our long term relationship with Amadeus. The extension of the content agreement supports Air France-KLM strategy to give Amadeus travel agents worldwide an efficient access to our wide range of services, fares and options. We are delighted with the extension of the content agreement, which reinforces our relationship with Air France-KLM. This is an important step within the overall Amadeus strategy to secure long term content agreements with leading airlines worldwide, said Holger Taubmann Senior Vice President, Distribution, Amadeus. Given the important role which travel agency distribution plays, long-term content agreements like this provide stability to both airlines and travel agencies alike." Today 80% of Amadeus bookings worldwide are made on airlines with which Amadeus has a content agreement. Amadeus, a leading technology partner for the global travel industry, has signed an extensive long-term content agreement with China Airlines Group. Within Asia, the new agreement offers Amadeus subscribers access to the same level of fares, availability and functionality as any other travel agent content channel. Outside of Asia, China Airlines and Mandarin Airlines have increased their content guarantee to Amadeus to the same fares, availability and functionality as both airlines distribute through their own websites, call centres and other travel agency content access channels. Travel agencies are a key element of our sales strategy, said Mr James Yu, Senior Vice President, President Office, China Airlines Group. It is extremely important for us to provide the travel agency channel with access to the full range of fares, schedules and inventory from both China Airlines and Mandarin Airlines. This agreement reflects our commitment to this very important distribution channel. We are delighted to have reached a content agreement with the China Airlines Group to ensure that our subscribers have access to the most comprehensive range of flight options from China Airlines and Mandarin Airlines, said Holger Taubmann, Senior Vice President, Distribution, Amadeus. This is also an important step within Amadeus strategy to secure long term content agreements with leading airlines in Asia. Forecasted passenger volumes for both airlines in 2012 are 13.3m of which 11.1m correspond to China Airlines. Amadeus plays a critical role in the distribution space ensuring true global coverage with a 38% global market share of air travel agency sales. Today 80% of Amadeus bookings worldwide are made on airlines with which Amadeus has a content agreement. Furthermore, this agreement will strengthen the Amadeus travel agency offering in Asia, providing them with an effective and technologically advanced distribution partner.
Bangkok Airways announces implementation of Amadeus Dynamic Availability Amadeus travel agencies worldwide now receive even more accurate real-time flight availability from Bangkok Airways. Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner for the global travel industry, announced that Bangkok Airways, Thailand s second largest airline, has become the latest airline to successfully implement Amadeus Dynamic Availability, a solution that provides travel agents worldwide access to real-time flight availability information and accurate postings from Bangkok Airways inventory system. Amadeus Dynamic Availability is a revenue maximisation distribution service that works in conjunction with the airline s inventory and revenue management systems. This solution enables Bangkok Airways to individually process availability requests from the Amadeus travel agency channel, ensuring that appropriate inventory decisions are enabled, in order to optimise revenue and anticipate booking patterns more effectively. Dynamic Availability offers a number of advanced features aimed at improving efficiency, such as letting an airline customise availability based on booking value using origin and destination (O&D) information and target its offer based on customer and market segmentation using point-of-sale information. Peter Wiesner, Senior Vice President Network Management, Bangkok Airways said: Bangkok Airways is a progressive airline and has been implementing more sophisticated revenue management capabilities to enhance our business and take us to the next level. We are fully confident that Amadeus Dynamic Availability will enable us to implement drive a new standard of efficiency across the Amadeus travel agency sales channel, that will help maximise our profitability. Prote Setsuwan, Vice President of Marketing, Bangkok Airways said: The implementation of Amadeus Dynamic Availability will help us to deliver more customised availability offers to all Amadeus subscribers in Thailand and worldwide, based on real-time, accurate Bangkok Airways flight availability. We are confident that this partnership with Amadeus will help to increase sales and enhance customer satisfaction. Hazem Hussin, Executive Vice President, Amadeus Asia Pacific said: We are proud to provide Amadeus Dynamic Availability to Bangkok Airways which shares our vision of providing the best experience to both travel agents and travellers. Amadeus Dynamic Availability will enable Bangkok Airways to grow its business and maximise sales opportunities. At the same time, travel agents will be able to book Bangkok Airways flights with total confidence knowing that they are getting accurate and real-time flight availability. Bangkok Airways is a Bangkok-based airline that officially began its operations as the country s first privately-owned domestic airline. Presently, Bangkok Airways operates scheduled flights covering most major resort destinations in Thailand. Additionally, the airline has also obtained permits to fly internationally to Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Bangkok Airways won several awards from Skytrax in the Best Regional Airline in Asia and World s Best Regional Airlines categories (2012). Download the whitepaper now http: // www.amadeusapac.com
Amadeus Electronic Miscellaneous Document offers travel providers a comprehensive and fully flexible new generation of documentation A complete and flexible solution Fully integrated technology After the worldwide cut-over to electronic ticketing in 2008, both the IATA board and ARC have set the objective of enhancing documentation through electronic technology for agents worldwide. The Electronic Miscellaneous Document (EMD) is the new industry standard method that enables agents to issue documents for travel related services, including unbundled airline services. Over the next couple of months, the EMD will gradually replace the automated MCO, Amadeus virtual MCO and IATA virtual MPD, with both IATA and ARC targeting 100% global EMD implementation and usage in markets by the end of 2013. Amadeus is at the forefront of this evolution in technology, and is supporting all its travel agency partners to ensure a smooth and seamless transition during this period. Amadeus is the first global distribution system to offer a full EMD solution to travel agents, and is also the first to receive full IATA sign-off for its EMD product. With the Amadeus EMD, you can document the sale and track the usage of charges, such as residual value, miscellaneous or excess baggage charges. The services sold using an EMD may either be directly linked to a flight coupon (such as excess baggage, pet in cabin, special meal), or issued independently (for example a train ticket, car rental, rebooking fees), offering a high level of flexibility. There are two types of document available: 1. The stand-alone EMD can be used independently from a flight ticket, and is issued for services such as car rental or lounge access. This will also replace the current MCO used for residual value or penalty fees. 2. The associated EMD is directly linked to a flight coupon, for example for excess baggage, seats or special meal charges. It is used to collect charges at the same time as the flight coupon, and the status of both coupons is synchronized. The EMD also provides automatic fulfillment for the Amadeus ancillary services solution, allowing you to more easily manage your customer s needs, and to offer an enhanced service. The Amadeus EMD is fully integrated in the reservation and sales flow, with processing harmonized in your customer s booking. This facilitates servicing, and provides you with an integral and intuitive sales tool in your preferred selling interface. The Amadeus EMD is automatically updated in real-time, with all relevant data fed to your mid and back-office systems via the Amadeus Interface Record. Electronic technology provides enhanced security and saves valuable time, simplifying your business processes and increasing productivity. All of these features allow you to benefit from enhanced efficiency and flexibility, and provide your customers with a smoother, faster and more convenient travel experience. Benefits 1. A single, standard method to issue all airline services, replacing the automated MCO, Amadeus virtual MCO and IATA virtual MPD. 2. Follows the latest industry standards / mandates. 3. Fully integrated in the Amadeus system, with a one-stop view in the PNR, automatic reporting in the sales report and back-office systems via A.I.R. 4. Real time and secured information throughout the whole EMD cycle via the link to an EMD server. 5. The accountable document for the Amadeus ancillary services solution. 6. The same workflow as for the current automated/virtual MCO means a minimal impact on existing business practices. 7. Enhanced functionality compared with the MCO; the EMD also includes interlining, has multi-coupon functionality, and e-ticket association.