Hapag-Lloyd Express (HLX) has joined the list of low fare carriers that can be booked in Amadeus. It is the second German low fare carrier, in a month, to decide to distribute its seats through the Amadeus
global distribution system (GDS).

Owned by TUI AG, the world`s largest travel and tourism group, HLX started operating in October 2002, out of Cologne/Bonn, Germany. It now flies to 17 destinations in five European countries with a fleet of ten Boeing 737 planes.

“Almost 40 per cent of our current passengers are business travellers, who find our favourable fares and non-stop connections suit their needs,” says Hapag-Lloyd Express CEO, Wolfgang Kurth. “In using the GDS to complement our online distribution, we get broader access to this business segment, which mainly uses the travel agency channel.”

“Travel agencies also already account for over 10 per cent of our current bookings. With Amadeus, which is fast and easy to use, we expect to increase this figure significantly,” he adds.

HLX becomes fully integrated in the travel agency booking process at a time when the airline has just expanded its route network by eight new destinations to Spain and France, and opened a second hub in Hanover. This new hub and the one in Cologne/Bonn, serve a fast-growing customer-base, flying between Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

“There is certainly a growing interest by low fare carriers in the GDS, as they realise that our geographic reach can help them penetrate new markets quicker and therefore, help spur their growth and profitability,” says Holger Taubmann, Director, Airline Marketing and Sales, Airline Business Group at Amadeus. “The fact that HLX is backed by a major, global business, with substantial experience in the aviation and tourism industries, lends further strength to this point.”

HLX will be available in the GDS system through a Standard Access level. Amadeus`s unrivalled network in Europe, and specifically in Germany, HLX`s domestic market, were determining factors for the airline to choose Amadeus as its exclusive GDS.

Related stories on ITN:

(09/05/2003) Amadeus Release First Quarter Results 2003

(30/04/2003) Amadeus Announces Release of e-Ticket Tracking Tool

(22/04/2003) Faster Fare Filing from Amadeus

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