* Launch marks the travel industry’s first NDC-XML (v1.0) enabled connectivity for travel agency distribution in North America
* Amadeus subscribers in the U.S. can now easily and efficiently book the carrier’s extra-legroom seating
Madrid, Spain and Chicago, IL, USA, 2014-9-5 — /Travel PR News/ — Amadeus and United Airlines today announced the successful launch of Amadeus’ Airline Ancillary Services Solution using NDC-XML (v1.0) connectivity. This marks the industry’s first NDC-XML solution in the travel agency channel in North America.
“We are excited to be working with Amadeus to merchandise our Economy Plus® extra-legroom seats via our travel agency partners,” said Scott Wilson, United’s Vice President of Merchandising and eCommerce. “NDC-XML connectivity allows us to use a next-generation industry standard to effectively merchandise our portfolio of products and services to our customers.”
Amadeus is committed to delivering leading merchandising technology to its airline customers while giving agencies extensive new content to best serve traveller needs. Amadeus’ Ancillary Service Solution is now integrated and supporting airlines to deploy ancillary services in over 95 markets worldwide. Currently, 58 airlines have signed up for the leading merchandising technology, with United becoming the first to do so using NDC-XML (v1.0) connectivity in North America.
Aleks Popovich, IATA Senior Vice President Financial and Distribution Services, said, “We welcome the introduction of this NDC 1.0 solution to enhance distribution in the travel agent channel. Technology providers play an important role in moving industry standards forward and unlocking value for airlines and their passengers. We have high expectations that by combining technology and merchandising capabilities, the Amadeus Ancillary Service Solution will play a leadership role in the evolution of airline distribution.”
“We are pleased to partner with United to increase its revenue through the travel agency channel, whilst helping to meet travellers’ strong demand for its Economy Plus product. Amadeus’ technical capabilities enabled us to deliver this NDC-XML solution using our Ancillary Services Solution which seamlessly integrates into the travel agent’s booking flow,” commented Holger Taubmann, SVP, Distribution, Amadeus IT Group.
With this launch, Amadeus subscribers in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands can now easily and seamlessly book United’s extra-legroom seats for their customers. The integrated ancillary services solution provided by Amadeus enables agents to proactively offer and book United’s Economy Plus seats for their customers during the initial booking or after a ticket has been issued. Implementation planning for rollout of the carrier’s Economy Plus seats in Amadeus’ other global markets is underway.
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Notes to the editors:
About Amadeus
Amadeus is a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (e.g. airlines, hotels, rail and ferry operators, etc.), travel sellers (travel agencies and websites), and travel buyers (corporations and travel management companies).
The Amadeus group employs around 10,000 people worldwide, across central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters), Nice (development) and Erding (operations), as well as 71 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations globally.
The group operates a transaction-based business model.
Amadeus is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under the symbol “AMS.MC” and is a component of the IBEX 35 index.
To find out more about Amadeus please visit www.amadeus.com, and www.amadeus.com/blog for more on the travel industry.
About United Airlines
United Airlines and United Express operate an average of more than 5,200 flights a day to 374 airports across six continents. In 2013, United and United Express operated nearly two million flights carrying 139 million customers. With U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates more than 700 mainline aircraft and, in 2014, will take delivery of 35 new Boeing aircraft, including the 787-9 as the North American launch customer, and will welcome 32 new Embraer 175 aircraft to United Express. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 27 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.
Media inquiries only:
Amadeus IT Group
Malek Nejjai
Tel.: +34 91 582 01 60
mediarelations@amadeus.com
United Airlines
United Worldwide Media Relations
Tel: (872) 825-8640
media.relations@united.com