Airport & Airline Southwest Airlines and Amadeus IT Group sign contract to support the carrier’s plan to implement international serviceAirport & Airline
Southwest Airlines and Amadeus IT Group sign contract to support the carrier’s plan to implement international service
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- Category: Airport & Airline
- Created on Thursday, 19 April 2012 13:59
Southwest Airlines and Amadeus IT Group sign contract to support the carrier’s plan to implement international service
Southwest Airlines, the largest U.S. carrier in terms of domestic passengers boarded consistently ranked number one in customer service by the Department of Transportation (US), and Amadeus IT Group, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, announced today that they have entered into a joint contract for Amadeus’ Altéa reservations solution that would support the carrier’s international service.Now that the contract is finalized, the two companies will work closely together to implement Amadeus’ technology to allow Southwest to operate international flights in 2014. AirTran Airways, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines, currently serves international destinations. As the AirTran international flights transition to Southwest,Amadeus will support Southwest’s international flying.
While the Amadeus IT Group agreement focuses on the international element of Southwest's reservation system, the contract also provides the option for Southwest to convert its domestic business to Amadeus in the future.
“We could not be more impressed with the experience and knowledge Amadeus IT Group brings to the table,” said Southwest Airlines Chairman, President, and CEO Gary Kelly. “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.”
Luis Maroto, President & CEO, Amadeuscommented: “This agreement is a milestone for Amadeus, both in North America and beyond. Indeed, not only is Southwest an industry leader in terms of its size, the airline is also the global ‘standard’ for low-cost carriers, celebrating 39 consecutive year of profits”.
Julia Sattel, Senior Vice President, Airline IT, Amadeus commented: “We are delighted to welcome Southwest to the Altéa community. Southwest has clearly selected Amadeus because of the strength of our diverse product portfolio, the capabilities of our people, and also our unmatched ability to help the airline maintain its low cost structure while providing innovative technologies that can support an ever-evolving business model.”
