Malaysia Airlines boosts ‘traveller first’ approach with landmark Amadeus technology agreement

Airline to enhance merchandising capabilities with Amadeus Partnership to focus on transforming passenger services, developing new revenue streams and revamping the online shopping experience for travellers

In a competitive world where travellers are spoilt for choice, airlines must move from simply selling seats to providing an experience for their customers, which starts from the moment they start to shop. Malaysia Airlines has chosen Amadeus technology that is built for this purpose, as part of a landmark technology partnership between both parties that will focus on three strategic areas – transforming the airline’s passenger service operations, developing new revenue streams, and revamping the online shopping experience for travellers.

Travellers today want to customise how they travel by picking individual services both à la carte or in a bundle that offers tangible value. They also want relevant offers delivered to them that take into consideration their preferences. Through a new merchandising engine powered by Amadeus technology, Malaysia Airlines will be able to deliver this capability to its travellers across all channels. In addition, new mobile and Internet booking solutions from Amadeus will further improve the online shopping experience for Malaysia Airlines customers. For the traveller, this means an easier and more personalised shopping experience; and for the airline, new revenue opportunities.

“We want to make it really easy for our customers to book great value Malaysia Airlines fares worldwide.  Amadeus is a super new system which will provide this simply and quickly, enabling our customers to capture great flights with minimum effort.  Amadeus offers a great web booking experience and state of the art mobile applications to suit individual needs so passengers can look forward to a leaner, more agile experience, from booking tickets to pre-purchasing excess baggage, meals and managing loyalty points, all at the click of a button,” commented Peter Bellew, Chief Executive Officer and Group Managing Director, Malaysia Airlines Berhad.

Under the agreement, Malaysia Airlines will also adopt the full Amadeus Altéa Passenger Service System (PSS) to manage and improve all core passenger processes including reservation, inventory and departure control. Altéa is the preferred common IT platform used by airline alliances worldwide, including 64% of oneworld member airlines. With Altéa, Malaysia Airlines will benefit from closer integration with its partner airlines. Availability, fares, customer and booking information will be shared in real-time with other oneworld partners, ultimately delivering improved revenues and a more seamless customer experience for travellers across alliance members.

Bellew added, “Technology will play an important role in Malaysia Airlines’ transformation and I am confident that Amadeus and its technology will allow us to streamline our operations and deliver the best service to our customers. Having a robust and adaptable technology system will position us well for continued recovery and future success.”

Hazem Hussein, Executive Vice President, Airline Group, Amadeus Asia Pacific, Turkey & Eastern Europe commented, “We are very proud to welcome Malaysia Airlines into the growing Amadeus Altéa community, and are excited to play a part in its transformation story. We share a common vision – to put the traveller first – and we’re confident that our technology will help Malaysia Airlines stay at the forefront of change, grow its business, and improve competitiveness in one of the most dynamic regions in the world.”

Travel agencies using Amadeus will also benefit from this partnership. When an Amadeus travel agent makes a booking on an Altéa airline, both the travel agent and airline share a single reservation number and the same view of the passenger name record (PNR). Amadeus agents see airline updates to the PNR immediately and vice versa, reducing errors and allowing agents to provide the best service and duty of care to their customers.

Amadeus and Malaysia Airlines will now embark on a PSS migration project that will see the airline implement the Amadeus Altéa Suite by 2017.

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 14,000 people worldwide, across central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters), Nice (development) and Erding (operations), as well as 70 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.