Amadeus and Etihad Airways, the
national airline of the United Arab Emirates, have signed an agreement by
which the airline will implement the complete Amadeus Altéa Customer
Management suite (CMS), to strengthen competitive differentiation and
support its growth strategy.As part of the deal, Etihad, one of the world?s fastest growing airlines,
will use all three components of the Amadeus Altéa CMS comprising Altéa
Reservation - including e-ticketing, Altéa Inventory and Altéa Departure
Control System. The full suite, based on a next generation ?community? IT
platform, aims to provide Etihad with complete control over its distribution
channels, inventory and seat planning, and the airport check-in process.
This will enable the airline to maximise yield on every seat as well as
identify the value of its ?guests? at all stages of the travelling process,
ensuring that service is targeted accordingly.

Etihad?s growth strategy is aggressive. Since its inauguration in 2003, the
airline has added 34 destinations to its network and aims to extend its
current fleet from 16 to 50 by 2008. In Asia, the airline flys to airports
in India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Securing
competitive advantage is therefore a top priority, which is why Etihad has
chosen Altéa CMS, a flexible platform that will address its evolving and
increasingly complex business requirements.

Ian Ferguson-Brown, Head of Communications, Etihad Airways, said: ?As a
growing, new airline in a highly competitive market, differentiation is key
and getting the right technology in place is an important part of this
strategy. Altéa CMS? customer-centric features are an excellent fit to our
?Guest Recognition? Program. By using a technology platform that is based
around the needs of our ?guests?, we are able to deliver the targeted,
seamless service that they expect. Further, Altéa underpins our strategy for
timely deployment of e-ticketing, to align us with the global industry and
offer what is today a key point of differentiation in the Middle East
region.?

He continued: ?The commercial benefits of joining a community platform for
us are clear. We are able to take advantage of proven IT systems that are
flexible and agile and we also benefit from ongoing product developments at
lower than average costs.?

Amadeus? Vice President Airline Business Group, Frédéric Spagnou, said:
?Amadeus Altéa CMS gives Etihad the confidence that their customer
management system is robust enough to support their ambitious commercial
strategy. As a growing airline, the ability to scale rapidly and embrace new
services as they develop is a critical factor of success. The Altéa
community platform ensures Etihad remains compliant with evolving industry
standards, thereby allowing the airline to focus on delivering new
initiatives and developing partnerships with other airlines.?

Complete implementation of the Altéa suite is planned by the end of this
year. Etihad went live with e-ticketing on its own flights in June 2006.

To date, 28 airlines have chosen the Altéa Customer Management suite,
including major carriers in Europe, Asia Pacific, America, Middle East and
Africa. Altéa Reservation, which provides a seamless reservation service
across multiple channels, is currently used by over 150 airlines as their
internal sales system.
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