YYC009

No, there won't be a Res IV...

They went with Amadeus instead of Sabre for the new passenger reservation system

http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases...649548693.html

D582

Great news! It took them long enough to see the light.

The Lev

Hopefully this means that AC's reservation system will finally play nice with its major Star Alliance partners.

tcook052

AC has been moving in Amadeus direction as of late (see this PR from earlier this year) so this announcement just cements that relationship.

Stranger

One can always hope....

canopus27

Pretend I don't know anything about Amadeus (because, well, I don't).

Can anyone give me any details or examples as to how this will help improve the ... what, booking experience? More?

Stranger

For one thing, the booking reference might well end up the same as with LH, TP, SN and a few more.

But surely, communication with the same reservation system should be easier than between two different ones, no?

The Lev

I know about as much as you do about Amadeus, but i'm hoping if the airlines share the same platform it will eliminate some of the check-in problems I've had where AC can issue their own boarding pass but can't issue a connecting LH boarding pass or my Aeroplan number fails to carry over from my AC reservation onto the LH portion.

canopus27

Interesting, thanks. That said, having a single booking ref across multiple airlines, feels like it's interesting to me as a computer geek -- and not overly beneficial to me as a travel geek.

What would be most beneficial to me, would be if I could start to have airlines like LH recognize my status (more than *G) and maybe even offer AC-like benefits (using e-upgrades on LH flights, etc). However, I've always assumed that the reasons that was not done today, were more about business decisions, and less about technical limitations of the underlying systems. Was I wrong?

Yes, I assume so. But what then? I can already book LH flights on ac.com, I can check bags all the way through spanning airlines ... I'm not trying to be dismissive or confrontational, I just honestly don't understand what might start to change that would improve my travel experience.

Stranger

Not quite so.

Right now, you have legs on LH, or SN, for instance, you cannot book a seat without getting the Amadeus booking reference from AC.

Or, if something goes wrong, you cannot check the leg on LH etc. Just happened to us last month. Got rebooked after missing a connection. Remainder of the LH and SN flights were totally messed up. Good that I had the Amadeus booknig ref so I could check and found the next leg had dropped in a black hole.

Should be the caee now and normally it is. But again lately I had two instances when I had to get my AE number added in the lounge. With LH and SN.

Different story. Might make these things easier, but these are not really reservation system issues. LH and UA do these things even though UA does not use Amadeus.

bawm

https://aircanada.mediaroom.com/2017...mer-experience


MADRID and MONTREAL, Oct. 5, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Forward-thinking airlines understand that the critical combination of next-generation airline IT systems, along with the best global distribution capabilities and air travel content, are necessary to serve their customers and operate their business successfully.

Air Canada partners with Amadeus to support international network and improvements to customer experience (CNW Group/Air Canada)

Under a new agreement announced today between Amadeus and Air Canada, Canada's largest airline is poised to harness the best of both in support of its business strategy to enhance customer experience, improve profitability and operational performance in support of its growing international network.

Air Canada has signed for the full Amadeus Altéa Suite passenger service system (PSS) including reservations, inventory, and departure control solutions. The Amadeus Altéa Suite, once fully implemented, will enable Air Canada to enhance customer experience by delivering more consistent and personalized customer service based on individual customer preferences and attributes, pursue additional revenue generating opportunities, and improve operational efficiency. To support Air Canada's international network, the Altéa Suite will help Air Canada achieve closer integration with its codeshare partners and within the Star Alliance – more than two thirds of which are also Altéa carriers.

In addition to these solutions, the carrier will implement a range of other Amadeus IT solutions such as Anytime Merchandising, Customer Experience Management, Payments, Revenue Integrity, Group Management and Passenger Recovery. With the implementation of Amadeus Anytime Merchandising, Air Canada will be able to propose personalized offers according to individual preferences. The combination of the Altéa Suite and Amadeus Anytime Merchandising will, in particular, ensure that Air Canada is well equipped to address evolving industry initiatives such as IATA's New Distribution Capability (NDC).

At the same time, the renewed multi-year distribution agreement, signed in parallel to the Altéa Suite agreement, supports Air Canada's focus on delivering a consistent brand and customer experience across channels, a key aspect of its international growth. Amadeus users worldwide will be able to access Air Canada's industry-leading customizable fare products and availability via the Amadeus global distribution system, as well as the carrier's ancillary offerings.

Today, Amadeus travel agencies can seamlessly book Air Canada's full range of branded fares and select ancillary services, such as Preferred and Advance seat options. Future end-to-end connectivity will also enable integration of the airline's Corporate Rewards, Flight Pass and dynamic pricing offers.

"This new agreement with Amadeus marks the evolution of what has been a long, successful and strategic partnership. We see the benefits of having a fully integrated IT and distribution strategy which brings the strongest distribution capabilities as well as next-generation airline IT services to our customers worldwide," said Lucie Guillemette, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Air Canada. "This agreement supports Air Canada's business strategy for delivering a more personalized travel experience to improve customer service across all touchpoints to support and improve the profitability of our international expansion and improving how we sell, distribute and deliver our products and services. It will enable us to better integrate our systems with our codeshare and Star Alliance partners."

"With Amadeus as its partner, Air Canada will ultimately have in place a modern, flexible community-based IT platform, other business-critical technology solutions, and unsurpassed distribution of its fares and content around the world," said Julia Sattel, Senior Vice President, Airlines, Amadeus. "The benefits of using the Altéa platform extend well beyond just the airline's operations. Amadeus-connected travel agents have the unique advantage of instant visibility to any changes affecting an Altéa airline booking, meaning they can better service their customers. Importantly, for Amadeus, this agreement also marks an important milestone for us in terms of our continued growth and expansion in North America in particular, a region which continues to be strategically crucial for the whole company."

Air Canada is targeting full Altéa Suite implementation in 2019. The renewed distribution agreement between Amadeus and Air Canada is effective immediately.

As of the first half 2017, 199 customers had contracted either of the Amadeus Passenger Service Systems (Altéa or New Skies) and 189 had implemented either of Altéa or New Skies.

InTheAirGuy

canadiancow

Interesting to see how this will play out.

Jebby_ca

This thread? or Amadeus?

tcook052

Please note some posts have been moved, deleted and threads merged for topic continuity.

tcook052
AC forum Mod.