News

Amadeus, IBM form alliance on airline tech

October 1, 2003

MADRID, Spain -- Amadeus and IBM have formed a strategic relationship to address the needs of airline and transportation companies looking to upgrade their IT infrastructure and adapt their business processes.

"The ongoing evolution in how travel is purchased, managed and delivered, as well as the airlines' current economic landscape calls for significant change and business transformation," said Hans Jorgensen, Amadeus vice president, airline business group. "To remain competitive, airlines will need to redefine and simplify their business models and associated IT infrastructure."

According to a news release, close integration of IBM technology and Amadeus solutions is already benefiting travel. Airlines and airports are enhancing the traveler experience through their provision of industry-leading self-booking kiosks, for instance.

Through this strategic agreement, Amadeus and IBM will offer airlines a comprehensive package combining Amadeus' Sales & Distribution and Passenger Service System (PSS) solutions and services with IBM's outsourcing capabilities and global IT services.

For future PSS clients, Amadeus will continue to develop and deliver PSS solutions and services, while IBM will undertake system integration and project management. The two companies will also cross-sell their offering.

"In the last four years Amadeus has made a significant investment in evolving its Global Distribution System and core airline applications into a new generation of systems, built on open architecture," said Jorgensen. "However, beyond PSS, airlines have other IT infrastructure needs that are best answered by a traditional outsourcing leader such as IBM."