Trenitalia and Amadeus Sign Rail Agreement

Taking advantage of the growth in high speed rail travel, Trenitalia, the transport division of the Italian FS Group and Amadeus report a new partnership to distribute Trenitalia rail content through all Amadeus channels.

Travel agents worldwide will be able to book both Trenitalia’s high speed rail products Frecce Alta Velocità (namely Frecciarossa and Frecciargento), and Frecciabianca through the existing sales channels and through the Amadeus global distribution system. The rest of the medium and long-distance Trenitalia routes will follow shortly.

Trenitalia will be able to draw on new market segments while expanding distribution beyond its traditional channels, including markets in Central Europe, North America, and Asia. The agreement  provides travel agencies greater ease and flexibility when selecting and booking Trenitalia travel.

Amadeus notes its recent study that estimates that  by 2020 high-speed rail will be the means most used for business and leisure travel within Europe. Global passengers will increase by 330 million.

The number of passengers on Trenitalia's AV high-speed service has grown exponentially, reaching 25 million in 2011. Throughout Europe, there has been an evolution in the train travel experience, and it is now recognized as a valid alternative to flying, Amadeus says.

Travel agents who use the Amadeus Selling Platform will have a standardized way to access Trenitalia services, in turn making bookings through an air/rail-based search solution, FlyByRail Track, and a rail-based search solution, Rail Agent Track, designed exclusively for rail services.

Travelers and travel agents will be able to effectively compare Trenitalia services with flights on the same route, ensuring that travelers have greater choice and transparency of options while at the same time improving productivity for the agent,  Amadeus says.

"By making Trenitalia inventory available across multiple channels, and focusing on delivering a more advanced customer experience, it will help to support global growth for the company,” said Thomas Drexler, Head of Amadeus Rail.

Visit www.amadeus.com.