Madrid, Spain, 10 November 2008
Independent research* conducted by UPS Professional Services and commissioned by Amadeus, a leading provider of technology to the travel and tourism industry, concluded that travel agents can save over 60% of their time by booking a low-cost flight via the Amadeus system than through the airline's website or a third party website using screenscraping.

Amadeus Ticketless Access is the solution that connects the inventory of ticketless carriers directly to the Amadeus GDS, enabling them to distribute efficiently through this channel. The low-cost booking process is then integrated directly into the travel agent’s regular work process.

Respondent travel consultants were requested to go through different booking scenarios where they were asked to book round-trip low-cost flights, modify some of these trips, book a hotel and car rental for their customers. Time savings were significant when completing the same processes through the Amadeus system as through a travel website using a screenscraping application or an airline website.

The Amadeus system's single booking environment together with standardised commands for all booking processes, helped travel consultants to complete the process faster. The system allows travel agents to book a low-cost flight in the same way as a full service carrier, eliminating the need to search through pull-down menus and understand the different airline and travel websites.

The solution offered by Amadeus has the added advantage of allowing travel consultants to compare all carriers availability - full service carriers and low cost carriers – in a single display. Users also receive direct confirmation once a booking is made due to real-time synchronization between both the carrier and the Amadeus system.

This more efficient and time-saving approach to booking ultimately allows travel consultants to give a better service to their customers, as well as increasing productivity and the bottom line profit for the business.

To read the full report click here

*About the research:

In July 2008, UPS Professional Services (UPS), a wholly owned subsidiary of United Parcel Service supporting clients with UPS's intellectual capital, began a research project commissioned by Amadeus. The purpose of the research was to better understand and evaluate the booking processes being used by travel agencies in Europe when it comes to low cost carriers.

The report is based on the results of value measurements and qualitative questionannaires. When working with value measurements, UPS created various scenarios and measured the time needed to perform these when using functionalities within Amadeus and comparing these to competing solutions.

UPS consolidated over 515 measurements and 46 interviews. The sample of this research involved 48 travel consultants in 25 travel agencies and six countries : Denmark, Belgium, France, Sweden, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

About Amadeus
Amadeus is the chosen technology partner for providers, sellers, and buyers of travel. The company provides distribution, IT and point-of-sale solutions to help its customers adapt, grow and succeed in the fast changing travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (airlines, hotels, car rental companies, railway companies, ferry lines, cruise lines, insurance companies and tour operators), travel sellers (travel agencies) and travel buyers (corporations and travellers). Solutions are grouped in four solution categories – Distribution & Content, Sales & e-Commerce, Business Management and Services & Consulting.

Amadeus has central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters & marketing), Nice (development) and Erding (Operations – data processing centre) and regional offices in Miami, Buenos Aires and Bangkok. At market level, Amadeus maintains customer operations in 76 countries covering more than 217 markets.

The company is majority owned by WAM Acquisition, whose shareholders are BC Partners, Cinven, Air France, Iberia and Lufthansa. Amadeus employs over 8,500 employees worldwide, representing 95 nationalities.

More information about Amadeus is available at: www.amadeus.com

About UPS
UPS Professional Services (UPS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Parcel Service and has been in business supporting clients from an engineering and technology perspective for approximately 15 years. Clients who wish to leverage UPS's intellectual capital to achieve operational excellence engage UPS Professional Services to improve quality and productivity within their supply chain. PSI specializes in several areas including Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Supply Chain Design and Transportation Optimisation, Package Engineering, and Fleet Services.

Founded in 1907 as a messenger company in the United States, UPS has grown into a $36 billion corporation by clearly focusing on the goal of enabling commerce around the globe. Today UPS is a global company with one of the most recognised and admired brands in the world. UPS has become the world's largest package delivery company and a leading global provider of specialised transportation and logistics services. Every day, UPS manages the flow of goods, funds, and information in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.