Shepherd Systems has announced that several airlines are expanding their use of MIDT and Shepherd Systems` MarketMastersm Internet-based market intelligence systems. 
South African Airways (SAA),  Flybe and Air Zimbabwe are expanding their use of MIDT and have contracted to use Shepherd System`s new MarketMaster or MarketMaster LE systems.  Formerly known as British Midland, bmi has contracted for its first selective MIDT dataset and the use of MarketMaster to make more informed planning decisions.

Shepherd Systems` MarketMaster and MarketMaster LEsm allow airlines to analyze MIDT to better understand airline market dynamics and assist in critical network and sales planning decisions.  This announcement comes at a time when U.S. and European transportation regulators are proposing that market intelligence data be eliminated based on their belief that small airlines are denouncing MIDT.

“Contrary to the view of the U.S. and European regulators, airlines of all sizes have access to, and are using, MIDT to make critical planning decisions that enable their survival and growth during these difficult economic conditions,” said Mike Malik, president and CEO of Shepherd Systems. 

MarketMaster is Shepherd System`s most robust and feature-rich online market intelligence system that allows the airline to quickly determine market position and penetration.

“Although we have been using MIDT for a number of years, due to the financial challenges in the industry and our efforts to cut costs, we did our own analysis and confirmed that MIDT is something we cannot do without,” said Mike Bond, South African Airways executive manager, Strategy and Planning. “In order to make sound business decisions, we need to have access to market intelligence data and intelligence systems to direct us to additional market and revenue opportunities that can help us overcome the current industry challenges and plan for the future.  Shepherd Systems` new MarketMaster technology is able to extract even more value from the MIDT to help us maximize our revenue opportunities.”

Flybe and Air Zimbabwe will utilize MIDT and the MarketMaster LE system for global analysis of existing routes and new route options based on the airlines` historical market share performance and their competitors` performance by class of service mixes. MarketMaster LE is designed to use MIDT data to guide airline sales organizations toward those markets and agencies that represent the highest incremental revenue opportunities. It helps identify revenue loss problems before they become a crisis by analyzing the airline`s advanced bookings and advanced competitor bookings up to 12 months into the future.

“The MarketMaster LE system allows regional airlines to evaluate market sizes and match schedules to provide the best possible service to customers,” said Phil Husbands, Flybe information manager.  “Access to MIDT within the MarketMaster LE online system permits us to perform far more accurate analysis than we were capable of previously.”

“Many airlines have been purchasing MIDT data for the past decade and have harnessed its power to make fact-based, intelligent decisions quickly and effectively,” stated Malik.  “There was a large gap in the accessibility of intelligence data between the larger carriers and the smaller operators, and our products bridge this gap.  MarketMaster LE also accepts the MIDT data from all global distribution systems (GDSs) to provide greater depth of analysis for all users.  The ability to analyze this data is invaluable in helping airlines make planning decisions that impact their growth and profitability.”

Related stories on ITN:

(17/04/2003) Qatar Airways Selects Shepherd Systems` Technology

(16/01/2003) Lufthansa Deploys Shepherd Systems` Booking Information

(30/08/2002) Cathay Pacific Airways Signs With Shepherd Systems

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