Amadeus and Concur enter into a global strategic alliance

Amadeus, a leading global technology and distribution partner to the travel industry, and Concur (Nasdaq: CNQR), a leading provider of on-demand employee spend management solutions, announced that they have entered into a long-term alliance to bring key technologies together for a combined travel and expense management solution to extend their core offerings.

This includes the integration of travel bookings from Amadeus e-Travel Management (AeTM) into Concur® Expense, as well as unique integration of Amadeus core distribution technology into Concur® Cliqbook Travel – the first time Amadeus has provided this type of technology to a third party. Both companies are currently working towards delivery of the solution in 2010.

Announced at Fusion, Concur’s annual customer conference in Boca Raton, Florida, the alliance is an extension of the companies’ vision for offering end-to-end T&E solutions and gives Concur and Amadeus customers even greater choice for integrated travel and expense management solutions. Through the strategic alliance, Concur and Amadeus continue their commitment to global and local market leadership and set a new level for providing global distribution and content.

Lisa Akeroyd, Regional Director, Corporate Solutions, Amadeus Asia Pacific, said, “Concur is an industry leader in Employee Spend Management. Amadeus, as a recognised leader in online self-booking tools for corporations, is proud to have been chosen as their preferred industry partner.  Through this partnership with Concur, we will be able to offer our clients an integrated solution to expense and travel management. We understand that our clients are looking for efficiency and cost savings, and having the two industry-leading systems from Concur and Amadeus working hand-in-hand makes good business sense for any corporation.”

“Amadeus is a global leader, with a strong reputation and ability to uniquely meet client travel requirements,” said Steve Singh, Chairman and CEO, Concur. “Our partnership with Amadeus expands our market reach and affords our clients greater choice and flexibility for managing corporate travel and expenses on a global basis. This is further validation for Concur’s industry leading vision and a testament to Concur’s commitment to be a global technology platform for customers and partners. We look forward to working with Amadeus to drive greater innovation in the market.”

This alliance supports both companies’ long-term growth objectives. On Amadeus’ part, the agreement is the latest move in its strategy to create a global and end-to-end travel and spend story for its global customer segment.  In addition to Concur’s acquisition of Etap-On-Line in August 2009, the partnership supports Concur’s broader strategy of local and global market leadership. Customers will be able to select the integrated travel and expense management solution that best meets their requirements and which helps them better manage employee spend.