Amadeus, a global provider of technology and distribution solutions to the travel and tourism industry, today announced a partnership with KLIA Ekspres - a non-stop, high speed train service that connects the Kuala Lumpur International Airport with the Kuala Lumpur city centre – that will enable travel agencies to book the train service via Amadeus.

KLIA Ekspres will now be available to more than 102,000 travel agents in 219 markets through Amadeus Airport Express, Amadeus’ solution which allows travel agents to easily and efficiently book international rail services for their clients along with their airline reservation.

The addition of KLIA Ekspres further expands Amadeus Airport Express service, which already features Heathrow Express (London), Arlanda Express (Stockholm) and Friendly Airport Limousine service at Narita Airport (Tokyo).

Another rail service available to Asia Pacific travellers through Amadeus includes the ability to book Eurostar rail together with flights at the travel agent through Amadeus. This helps the travel agent to provide a more comprehensive service to their customer and makes the traveller’s journey seamless, with all reservations completed before they leave home.

David Brett, President of Amadeus Asia Pacific, said, “Rail is an increasingly common mode of transportation in many countries in Asia Pacific, and rail networks continue to improve. It represents a practical way to travel from airport to city, or for domestic tourism. High speed rail services are also growing rapidly as a convenient option for business travel. Offering travellers the ability to book rail transport in addition to their airline tickets provides a very convenient service, helping rail providers to increase passenger bookings and also helping travel agencies to add value.”

“We are very pleased to partner with KLIA Ekspres to offer their rail services in our Distribution System. Amadeus Airport Express is a great tool to help travel agencies to streamline the overall trip experience for the traveller, helping agents to provide added value to their customers while broadening their offering and generating additional revenue streams.”

Noormah Mohd Noor, the Chief Executive Officer of Express Rail Link, said, “Amadeus brings a unique value proposition to the table with its global network of travel agents. A significant international sales channel is now open for us and we are excited to move forward.”

Amadeus Airport Express services are distributed under the 9G IATA code and is fulfilled through e-ticketing technology based on airline standards. Airport Express reservations are fully integrated in Amadeus’ booking process and the information is merged back in the same PNR. Tickets are then emailed to the traveller or to the agency in a printable, PDF format, so travellers can go directly to the transportation service, avoiding queues and the hassle of issuing tickets in the airport.

The KLIA Ekspres trip to the heart of the city takes 28 minutes, and operates every 15 minutes during peak hours. Since it entered in operation in April 2002, KLIA Ekspres has carried over 26 million passengers.