Amadeus gets in the family way with Finnair and Brussels Airlines

Amadeus gets in the family way with Finnair and Brussels Airlines

Amadeus has announced it is working with Finnair and Brussels Airlines on its latest Fare Families solution to improve corporate and leisure travel merchandising through the GDS.

Amadeus has announced it is working with Finnair and Brussels Airlines on its latest Fare Families solution to improve corporate and leisure travel merchandising through the GDS.

The two airlines are poised to launch the display module of the fare retailing technology in test markets with travel agency partners Finland Travel Bureau and Sirius Travel.

Once the development goes global it will allow airlines to provide packaged products including fares, classes and services branded specifically for the travel agent partner.

Amadeus Airline Fare Families will also allow airlines to differentiate on more than just the price of the ticket and upsell by targeting relevant product to travellers, said Amadeus.

The development is the latest attempt by the traditional GDS channel to modernise its processes to allow airline partners to better retail their products.

The GDS sector is under pressure to provide better merchandising capabilities as airlines exploit direct connect alternatives and Iata develops its own New Distribution Capability platform.

Allister Paterson, chief commercial officer at Finnair, said: “Personalising and merchandising our product in the most effective way is a critical objective for Finnair.

“Amadeus Fare Families is an important step in our journey to deliver the most attractive offer to the customer.

“As consumer travel needs evolve, travellers are looking for fares that offer them diffrentiation and value, not simply a low cost.

“This new fare families capability enhances our ability to deliver choice and value to our customers via our travel agency partners.”

Mark Hellemans, Sirius Travel coordinator CRS and new technologies, added: “The ability to provide our customers with increased transparency and visibility on air offers empowers us to help travellers make more informed decisions, thus reinforcing our role as travel consultants”.

Decius Valmorbida, head of distribution marketing at Amadeus, said: “Improving yield and profit is a crucial objective for airlines, and many are looking to innovative merchandising techniques as a means of achieving this.

“Fare families provide airlines with an opportunity to show their value and differentiate based on specific brand attributes, in a manner that is proven to have a successful impact on yield.

“In fact, this approach is so attractive to travellers that some corporations have even formalised particular fare families within their business travel policies, allowing employees to select a particular fare family and thus assure themselves of certain optional services and fare conditions as a result.”

The two launch airlines are launching the display module of Amadeus Fare Families.

This will enable the carriers to package booking classes and to show the name of the fare family as well as the services offered (plus those available at an extra cost), allowing for an apples-to-apples comparison.

The complete solution will be available worldwide as of 2014.