Amadeus has today announced the launch of Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services (AAAS) for the UK and Ireland travel agency community. Air France, KLM, Finnair and airberlin have all adopted AAAS to distribute their ancillary offering to travel sellers in the UK and Ireland. This enables travellers to book additional services such as preferred seats, meals and extra baggage, through Amadeus-connected travel professionals.
The solution now enables Amadeus business and leisure travel professionals in the UK and Ireland to sell additional luggage, preferred seats and meals using EMD (Electronic Miscellaneous Document) and VMCO (Virtual Miscellaneous Charges Order). This enables them to provide a more comprehensive and efficient service to customers using an integrated booking solution including Amadeus Selling Platform. The electronic messaging standard EMD facilitates the distribution and payment of ancillary services and is part of the e-Services IATA initiative to eliminate the use of paper and ease processes.
Additionally, corporate travellers will be able to book airline ancillary services provided by these carriers through the Amadeus e-Travel Management (AeTM) corporate online booking tool, which is offered by all the leading TMCs in the region. Third-party travel technology developers will also be able to incorporate the addition of airline ancillary services into bespoke applications using Amadeus Web Services and API developer tools.
Diane Bouzebiba, Managing Director of Amadeus UK & Ireland, said: “Our integrated, end-to-end solution puts the product information that airlines want to cross-sell and up-sell in an unique, easy to use, interactive catalogue within the SellingPlatform. As Amadeus research highlights, the airline ancillary market is now worth more than €18 billion and shows no signs of abating.
“Because airline ancillary services have become an important component in tailoring itineraries to the needs of travellers, it is vital for travel professionals to be able to access these services through their preferred booking environment and built on industry standards. With this in mind I feel strongly that today’s launch is yet another example of where Amadeus genuinely offers its customers smarter technology.”
AAAS is an end-to-end solution, compliant with industry standards, which enables users to offer services across all channels. Amadeus has integrated a unique interactive catalogue in its travel agency selling platform that clearly displays the range of airline optional services available. In this way, the travel agent can view, book and up-sell ancillary services quickly and efficiently. The content of the catalogue – the service and its description – is controlled by the airline, which will use this space to differentiate its offer.
To date, 53 airlines have signed up for Amadeus Ancillary Services for the direct and/or indirect channel; 22 airlines have signed up to sell ancillary services using the Amadeus solution in the travel agency channel; and 10 airlines – among which are Air France, KLM, Iberia, Finnair, Qantas, Corsair and airberlin – are currently selling ancillary services through travel agencies in 21 markets, including the UK and Ireland.
