Amadeus has announced the formation of the Amadeus Rail Business Group as a result of the integration of the existing Amadeus Rail unit and the recently acquired rail IT company Onerail. The move comes following the full integration of the two companies, which means Amadeus now has a suite of quality rail distribution technology products for both travel agents and rail providers across the globe.
Amadeus said the Rail Business Group will draw on expertise from Amadeus’ dedicated rail teams in Australia, Canada, Germany and Spain. It continues to combine both rail IT and distribution expertise as part of the company’s strategy to be a true travel technology provider. The goal is providing an unmatched IT product, offering ready to address the growing demands of the rail industry.
Such challenges include European deregulation laws, which will come into force in 2010, the wider rollout of e-ticketing and the increased expectations of today’s traveler to have a seamless, end-to-end trip experience. The new business group will be led by Diane Bouzebiba, who will be responsible for sales, marketing and product management. Head of development will be Doug Howe, formerly chief operating officer of Onerail, who will now be responsible for product definition and delivery.
Amadeus said it has a long track record in the rail industry— dating back to the 1990s— and provides extremely successful distribution solutions to the major railways. Recent acclaimed rail product launches include Fly By Rail— a fully integrated booking system that displays high-speed rail and inter-city services alongside airline flight information— and Airport Express, to which the UK’s Heathrow Express service was recently added; the first air-rail link globally available through the Amadeus Selling Platform.
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