Amadeus, a leading travel technology provider and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, and Travel Guard, a world-leading travel insurance and assistance company, have been selected to supply real-time travel insurance content, product availability and booking functionality through the direct booking channels of Etihad Airways, Hong Kong Airlines and Kenya Airways.

The combination of Amadeus’ technological expertise and extensive airline and agency distribution network and Travel Guard’s comprehensive portfolio of travel insurance products and wide array of emergency medical, travel and personal assistance services, presents a winning value proposition for airlines by way of accessibility to and delivery of the best travel insurance content and booking functionality in the industry. 

According to Bob Gallagher, chief marketing officer at Travel Guard Worldwide, “travel insurance is an extremely valuable customer service feature and competitive cross-sell opportunity for any airline.  The offer of travel insurance at the time of the air ticket purchase not only provides a benefit to the customer, it also represents an attractive revenue stream for the airlines.  We are pleased to be an Amadeus partner and travel product supplier that is fully integrated in the Amadeus e-Retail engine and Altéa Call Center platform.  Collectively, we bring a simple, cost-effective yet world class travel insurance solution to airline clients.”

The implementation of the travel insurance program through e-Retail (Amadeus’ airline internet booking engine) into Etihad Airways, Hong Kong Airlines and Kenya Airways booking processes required minimal investment and yet generated immediate benefits.  By incorporating an offer of travel insurance into their Website booking path, they were able to offer their customers a seamless purchase experience, whilst generating new non-transportation revenue through commissionable insurance sales.  In addition, it was extremely important that the insurance segment be stored in the Amadeus PNR, which allows for full integration with their back office system.

Moreover, the overall benefits of such a program have led Kenya Airways to additionally offer insurance services through its call centre operations.

For the online traveller, booking travel insurance through Amadeus e-Retail is both fast and simple.  The intuitive booking process pulls the relevant passenger and trip details from the airline segment, proposes the appropriate travel insurance policy, and calculates the insurance premium value.

Marcos Isaac, Director Travel Services Business Group, Amadeus commented, “Revenues other than tickets are expected to account for USD 56 billion or 12% of total airline revenues in 2010 according to an IATA presentation made at the last CAPA[1] conference,” and added, “by selecting Amadeus and Travel Guard, Etihad Airways, Hong Kong Airlines and Kenya Airways will be able to capitalize on the new revenue opportunities and strengthen their ancillary strategy.”