The national airline of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Etihad Airways is set to introduce next-generation travel technology following the signing of a landmark multi-year deal with Amadeus.
As part of the deal, Etihad Airways will implement the full Amadeus Altéa PSS suite, including web booking, revenue management and merchandising, data management, and passenger servicing solutions. These technology products will be customised for Etihad over the coming years and will improve the experience of guests, staff, travel agents, Etihad Guest members, and corporate customers.
Etihad’s guests will see new web and mobile channels powered by Amadeus Digital Experience suite, offering the simplest user experience possible to purchase flight tickets and manage bookings. Advanced retailing capabilities will be developed collaboratively using machine learning to provide guests with bespoke offerings and personalise their travel experience.
To modernise retailing capabilities across sales channels, Etihad has also signed for Amadeus Altéa New Distribution Capability (NDC) and will work with Amadeus to distribute personalized travel offers to guests. Etihad will make its full range of NDC offers available to Amadeus travel sellers, allowing agents to see the features of Etihad’s award-winning product more transparently and the ancillaries that can be bought.
The airline will, in addition, implement the Altéa Departure Control Customer Management component of the suite, providing guests with real-time, personalised alerts of offers, services, and flight changes. The system will offer a higher level of service customisation and provide guests with a faster and simpler check-in process, which is more important than ever as travel rebuilds.
“The aviation industry is going through a digital revolution, and Etihad Airways is committed to staying at the forefront of that change. With Amadeus as a partner, Etihad’s guests will be able to enjoy the best user experience possible as they book and manage their flights, with the ability to customise their travel to an unprecedented level. Etihad is also excited to push NDC forward as a means to offer a much richer, relevant, and dynamic shopping experience to trade partners, and Amadeus is the perfect partner to support that strategy,” said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad.
Decius Valmorbida, President, Travel, Amadeus, says, “As the travel industry rebuilds, we are excited that Etihad Airways will be utilising Amadeus’ technology to support the airline in delivering its leading travel proposition. Open source, cloud-based systems, and next-generation retailing capabilities will be the engine powering recovery, and we are at the forefront of these technologies in the travel industry. We are very pleased to be working with such a dynamic carrier like Etihad and are excited about collaborating to create memorable travel experiences for its passengers.”
All these improvements are expected to not only empower guests and ensure a smooth experience at every step of the journey but also offer travelers more options to customise their trip.