AMR, HP to Develop New Passenger Service System

AMR Corporation, parent company of American Airlines and American Eagle, signed a letter of intent with HP to develop a next-generation Passenger Service System. The current Passenger Service System (PSS) supports many key functions for American Airlines and American Eagle, including reservations, pricing and ticketing, inventory, flight information and check-in. 

The new system, named Jetstream, will also support these functions and enable American to deliver products and services to its customers and employees with greater consistency and agility. Additionally, Jetstream will serve as the foundation to deliver innovative online and mobile travel tools for its customers who are increasingly dependent on technology, AMR said.

"After extensive evaluation, we have decided to sign a letter of intent with HP to develop our new Passenger Service System, Jetstream,"  AMR Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey said.  "This relationship pairs American, an information technology pioneer in the aviation industry, with HP, a world-renowned technology pioneer. The current Passenger Service System has served us well for many decades and remains among one of the most reliable. Today's decision indicates our commitment to continue to deliver the most effective tools to our employees and outstanding service to our customers."

"At HP, we deliver innovative solutions for our customers' greatest business challenges," HP CEO and Chairman Mark Hurd said. "American Airlines is a forward-thinking company, and we are delighted to build on our long-term relationship. Together, we're developing the next generation systems that will set American apart in the marketplace."

American, which pioneered the development of airline information technology more than 45 years ago by creating the first Passenger Service System, is looking to Jetstream to provide a breakthrough solution that will enhance its customer service and business processes.

American said appreciates and values its long-standing relationship with Sabre. American remains a committed customer of Sabre, using many of the company's airline-related products— such as those for flight operations, inflight provisioning, ground movement monitoring and airport staff management - and is considering other Sabre products and services.

Visit www.aa.com and www.hp.com.

Amadeus Responds

Amadeus, a contender in the biding for the PSS system, expressed regret with AMR’s decision and released the following statement:

“Naturally we are disappointed with the decision by American Airlines. However, this in no way changes Amadeus’ overall commitment to airline IT in the North American marketplace, nor our strong presence and dedication to the region overall. We know that Amadeus was a serious and final contender in the process and that our IT solution was carefully considered by American Airlines.

“At Amadeus, we have been developing and implementing end-to-end airline passenger services solutions for over a decade with airlines of all the major alliances. We know the significant effort and commitment it takes in terms of time, resources, and investment to deliver what airlines need for their business and, most importantly, their travelers.

“Over the years, Amadeus’ IT solutions have continued to evolve and deliver success for our airline customers. Today over 140 airlines are using at least one component of the Altea CMS platform to drive their customer management or passenger services. We have recently announced a 10 year agreement with TAM, the largest airline in the southern hemisphere for the full Amadeus Altea suite of customer management solutions; and Qantas has become the first airline to roll out the entire Altea suite: Reservations, Inventory Management, Departure Control and e-Commerce.

“Amadeus Altea’s unmatched functionality was selected by the Star Alliance to be the basis for the Star Alliance Common IT Platform (CITP).  Most of the major European carriers, as well as Singapore Airlines Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways have chosen our technology. We wish American Airlines all the best in the development of their new system.  American continues to be a valued and strategic partner for Amadeus. We look forward to continuing our ongoing relationship as a business and technology partner moving forward.”

Visit www.amadeus.com.