amadeus.in

Interfacefor Amadeus users in the Indian subcontinent

January 2021

TIDINGSfrom Director’s desk

Good tidings for new year

Greetings to everyone for the year 2021. I wish everyone good health and prosperity for the year ahead. I sincerely hope that the year brings us all hopeful & progressive times as we tide over difficult times in the year gone by..

Last year, the spread of Covid and our response to it forced us all to make big changes in the way we live our lives and the way we do business. As the dark chapter that is the year 2020 comes to a close, the success of the travel industry hinges on our collective ability to adapt, innovate, and collaborate to make travel easier, safer and more seamless than ever before. Now, with rapid COVID tests and mass vaccination programs being rolled out across the globe, people can think about meeting up with friends and loved ones again. Hence, the global restart of the travel industry is linked to rapid health checks

and the wide & effective rollout of vaccines.

Recent Amadeus research showed there is pent-up demand among travelers for the freedom to travel. All that is lacking is the opportunity. It will certainly take a sustained and collaborative effort for the industry to fully regain traveller’s trust and confidence.

So, as we all work to rethink travel, the top five ways to build traveller confidence worldwide include providing access to flexible change, cancellations policies and payment terms, an ability for travellers to socially or physically distance themselves throughout the journey, having visibility to and assurance of sanitization, hygiene and safety measures in hotels & accommodations and effective test, track & trace programs in place.

At Amadeus, we see a key role for technology in helping the industry deliver a frictionless and safe traveller experience. Specifically, we see technology helping in 3 key areas: health status indication, travel information & touchless solutions.

I look forward to collaborating with you, as we move forward on this journey of rethinking travel.

I hope that that 2021 can be a better year for the global travel market and for everyone. Protecting travelers interests & encouraging safe travel in 2021 would be our top priority. I take this opportunity to thank all our travel partners for their unstinting supportand wisheverybody a great and safe 2021.

Let’s get the world travelling again.

Dr. Ankur BhatiaDirector, Amadeus Indian subcontinent

IN THIS EDITION

GLOBAL NEWS

27

INDUSTRY SPEAK

05

PRODUCT+

15

PROVIDERS

21

EVENTS

11

TEAM LEAD - Sibendra Kumar Sahoo DESIGN BY - Lalit Mohan Sharma CONTENT BY - Nidhi Bajaj & Gunjan DograWEB CIRCULATION BY - Deep Chandra Lakhchaura & Mamta Rohilla

INDUSTRY SPEAKAviation news

From the press room

Travel tourism trends 2021

From the press room

INDUSTRY SPEAKINTERFACE I 66 INTERFACE I

INDUSTRY SPEAK I INTERFACE 77I INTERFACE

Travel tourism trends 2021

What will 2021 be like for the travel industry, which saw very bad times in 2020 because of Covid 19 and what will be its impact on various facets of life, both at home and at work?

No doubt there will be much focus on the vaccine, which is expected to bring much relief to and for the people, all over the world.

The pandemic and the lockdowns that it brought with it impacted life from all angles, be it humane, economic, social, medical or any other aspect of life. Of course, death in many families because of Covid was in itself cause for much suffering and pain.

To call the year 2020 unprecedented would meet the approval of most people.

Now, all eyes and ears are on what is in store for us, as far as the once vibrant travel industry is concerned.

Of course, there cannot be any one or uniform answer to this vital, perplex question but the very variety of responses to the issue pose challenges to the planners and practitioners alike, not to mention the actual travellers and the hospitality industry as such.

Interestingly, many webinars were held during the lean months but how much did we gain from them or were

they talking points, minds and hours?

What changes will be seen as a result of the Covid 19 or will life be once again back to square one?

Will hotels, agents and the travellers as such be the same or will we see a sea change in things at the ground level.

Perhaps only time will tell but some indication is given by industry players on the shape of things to come.

Nakul Anand, the much respected Executive Director of ITC Hotels, and chairman of FAITH, the apex body of travel associations, says that there will be much stress and focus on health and hygeine, and sanitising will be the key word. Hotels will practice distancing and disinfecting. Interestingly, Anand points out that the old slogan of location, location, location, will be replaced by cleanliness, cleanliness, cleanliness. The vaccine will play an important role and while domestic travel will pick up, international tourism will take more time.

Priya Paul, of the fast expanding Park hotel, of Apeejay Surrendra Group, reveals that they are already seeing 70 per cent in their hotels and what is more at the same ARRs as in 2019. Tourism will pick up, as people want to travel, she says, adding that international travel may grow a bit

later.

J Taneja, of TSI, says that vaccine has given much hope but administering it will pose a challenge. The campaign to boost domestic tourism has done well. He says people will now prefer responsible tourism, wellness tourism, environment friendly tours and nature destinations.

Subhash Goyal, of STIC group, feels that agents will have to create innovative itineraries, and people would like to visit remote destinations and places less crowded.

Sunder Advani, industry vereran of hotels, cruises and other segments, points out that insurance will play a key role in travel, even as the vaccine will help. Differing quarantine rules are an irritant.

Domestic travel will pick up quicker and outbound may take some time.

Sunil Gupta, of Travel Bureau, based in Agra, feels that curbing the numbers for the Taj makes no sense. He says that tourism will pick up only after October 2021. MICE and business traffic will have to wait another year. So far only weekend travel in own vehicles is taking place and hotels with low tariff are not gaining much.

INTERFACE I INDUSTRY SPEAK8

By Anil Mathur

Arun Dang, of the Grand Agra, feels that jobs in the hospitality industry will be lost if the number of tourists to Taj is curbed. Better train and air connectivity is required to fill the 500 hotels and 100 guest houses.

Krishna Mohan Alpati, of the Southern Travels, with hotels in Delhi, Jaipur in South, says travel is yet to pick up and only a little road traveling by own conveyance is taking place. After April 2021, some increase can be expected.

Rajindera Kumar, director, The Ambassador, New Delhi, says that hotels should look at volumes rather than ARRs till the situation improves.

Bhim Singh, Rajasthan Tours, feels that it may take some time before tourism picks up. His large fleet of cars and coaches in Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer is lying idle, although there has been some movements in Udaipur and other Rajasthan cities of domestic travellers. Unless visas and flights pick up, not much will happen.

Ajay Bakaya, of the large Sarovar Hotels, is looking at 2021 with "cautious optimism'. Leisure will pick up but business will be later. He expects 2021 to end with 70 per cent revenue of 2019. He quips that webinars were educational but there has been no response from the officials. Sarovar is one of the fast expanding management chains, spread in many parts of the country.

Sahib Gulati, of Ellbee Hotels, hopes that the trend seen over x mas and new year will continue in 2021. They have properties in Rishikesh and Mussorie. He expects domestic travel to pick up and the vaccine news will help. Foreign travel will come later.

I INTERFACE INDUSTRY SPEAK 9

EVENTSAcross Amadeus Indian subcontinent

Amadeus information session - The Safe Travel Ecosystem

Webinar series to learn more about how we work with startups

EVENTS

Amadeus information session - The Safe Travel Ecosystem

The global restart of the travel industry is linked to the increasing availability of rapid health checks and the wide rollout of effective vaccines. Today, new processes such as travel corridors or fully tested flights and a new ecosystem of key contribu-tors are emerging in order to enable safe travel.

We are actively engaging with customers from across the industry and with new players like test centers and digital health information aggregators to incorporate ‘fit to travel’ health information into our IT solutions.

In our initial 60-minute information session, "Safe Travel EcoSystem" Amadeus provided a strategic overview and update on collaborative solutions that we are convinced will improve the way the world travels.

Key highlights of the webinar✈ What a safe travel ecosystem could look like

✈ Real-world examples explaining how we see technology as the connector that joins the many promising initiatives

✈ Firsthand insights from partners like Commons Project & Temasek

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17th Dec 2020

Webinar series to learn more about how we work with startupsIn this digital world, travelers are now more empowered and demanding. This is thanks to the convenience of online platforms that will continue to be a significant channels for purchasing travel globally. New disruptors are challenging traditional business models. And travel providers are equipping themselves for further digital transformation. All this is mounting pressure on online travel agencies (OTAs) as they try to break through a more complex marketplace.

Key highlights of the webinar✈ Introduction to Amadeus and OTAs

✈ How we can support you to become an online travel agency

• Building a flight booking engine step by step • The role of Amadeus, consolidators & startups

✈ Amadeus air booking APIs at a glance: how to use our APIs to build a flight booking engine

EVENTS I INTERFACE 13

05th Aug 2020

PRODUCT+Product & Training

All Fares in Selling Platform Connect

All Fares in Selling Platform Connect Quick Card

Welcome to the new All Fares

How to access All Fares

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Jul 2020

All Fares is the Amadeus solution that allows travel apents to easily access multiple sources of air content, and pet the best available fares in just a few clicks.

Accessible from Selling Platform Connect graphical interface, All Fares has renewed its look and feel. It now includes powerful customization tools that make searching, comparing and booking travel recommendations (from both EDIFACT and other sources) simpler than ever.

You have two options to access All Fares:

_From New Booking File in the main navigation bar on top, by clicking on Air.

_From the main graphic or command page, by clicking on the plane icon in the upper right

All Fares is automatically pre—selected in the Search by field found at the bottom of Your Air Search Options.

Search by

Try the new look and feel Old all Fares display A new All Fares version is available from Selling Platform Connect graphical interface.

You can try it for free, and return to the old version anytime.

A banner on top of Your Air Search Options page informs you about it. To switch to the new version, click on the button inside the banner.

You can choose your preferred version of all Fares, and switch from one display to the other anytime you want. Both versions include the main functionalities to start searching for all fares.

1. Select One Way, Round Trip or Multi Destinations (to choose up to 6 destinations)

2. Select origin and destination

3. Calendar Search option (+/- 3 days)

4. Search for fares that include baggage

5. Select the Fare Types: Public, Negotiated, Corporate or IT fares

6. Choose the number and type of passengers

7. Click on Search

The new version has an improved design with features that make bookings easier and enhance the user experience.

To return to the old version of All Fares, you can either click on the top right button or select it from your air search on top of the page.

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How to search for a flight

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New All Fares display

How to read the search resultsAll Search results are displayed in a single page, with the lowest one available on top, showing:

_Fare information and services included

_Badges indicating the content type (for example: NDC content)

_Upgrades available

_Filters on the left column to refine your results based on different criteria

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More information at a glance

How to upgrade a fare

Displaying the fare details

When you’re looking at your search results, the New All Fares also includes the following tools to help you choose the best available option:

_A responsive design

_Accessible guidelines to ease your workflow

_Multiple content sources available, including NDC (New Distribution Capability)

All the details of a specific flight can be easily displayed from the Results page.

Click on the angle—down icon • to expand them and you will see the following:

Some recommendations may also display a list of available upgrades at the bottom.

Click on a specific upgrade to see its details, then select it by clicking on Book button below. _Departure and arrival details including times, airports

and terminals.

_Connection and stopovers (if any).

_Fare Family name

_Booking class and cabin

_Services included

_Baggage information

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PROVIDERSAirline news & joint promotions

Amadeus has renewed its multi-year distribution agreement with Air New Zealand

Jazeera Airways is available on Amadeus Bangladesh

Turkish Airlines makes the digital shopping experience quicker, more accurate and relevant with Amadeus

Team Amadeus Bangladesh celebrated Vistara inaugural flight DEL-DAC-DEL

SpiceJet is now on Amadeus in Bangladesh

Amadeus Ticket changer (ATC) - Automated reissue & refund functionality is now available on Amadeus for Vistara

Amadeus Bangladesh team visited Biman Bangladesh Airlines HDQ to celebrate their 49th anniversary

Air India introduces non-Stop flights from Bengaluru – San Francisco

AIRLINES NEWS

PROVIDERS

Amadeus has renewed its multi-year distribution agreement with Air New Zealand

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Under the agreement, the airline will continue to make its fares and air content available to Amadeus-connected travel agencies via the Amadeus Travel Platform. Amadeus Agents enjoy access to Air New Zealand’s flight schedules, load changes, seat maps and ancillaries, including real-time updates. Through this platform, Air New Zealand will continue to be able to reach travel sellers of all types, such as travel management companies, tour operators, retail travel

agencies, online travel agencies, metasearch, media players, as well as corporations. This enables more choice and the best possible service for travelers

as well as helping agents drive upsell opportunities and increased revenue for Air New Zealand.

Jazeera Airways is available on Amadeus Bangladesh Jazeera Airways is now available on Amadeus Bangladesh for Sale and ticketing.

Team Amadeus visited Jazeera Airways office to celebrate together.

Turkish Airlines makes the digital shopping experience quicker, more accurate and relevant with Amadeus

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This new long-term IT agreement combined with a recent fleet expansion will take the airline into its next phase of international growth.

Following a recent expansion of its fleet, Turkish Airlines is now fueling its vision with new technology. The airline has signed an IT deal with Amadeus that will help it deliver personalized offers to travellers across all platforms and devices.

The Turkish flag carrier is aiming to expand its customer reach with a series of new shopping solutions from Amadeus’ Offer Suite. These flexible and modular solutions will allow the airline to connect with new market channels and develop a future-proof retail strategy.

The airline was already using the Amadeus Flex Pricer solution and it has now signed for the entire Shopping portfolio in the

Amadeus Offer Suite, comprised of:

• Flex Pricer Premium

• Massive Search

• Instant Search

• Fare Quote Mini Rules

• ATC Reissue, Shopper and Refund

Team Amadeus Bangladesh celebrated Vistara inaugural flight DEL-DAC-DEL

Team Amadeus Bangladesh visited the Vistara office to wish them good luck for their inaugural flight DEL-DAC-DEL which started operating effective 5th November’2020

SpiceJet is now on Amadeus in Bangladesh for sale & ticketing effective November’2020.

Team Bangladesh visited SpiceJet office to celebrate together.

Amadeus Ticket Changer (ATC) -Automated Reissue & Refund functionality has been implemented for Vistara on Amadeus effective 14 December’2020.

It is applicable on retail fares as of now.

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SpiceJet is now on Amadeus in Bangladesh

Amadeus Ticket changer (ATC) - Automated reissue & refund functionality is now available on Amadeus for Vistara

SpiceJet is now on Amadeus in Bangladesh for sale & ticketing effective November’2020.

Team Bangladesh visited SpiceJet office to celebrate together.

PROVIDERS I INTERFACE 25

Amadeus Bangladesh team visited Biman Bangladesh Airlines HDQ to celebrate their 49th anniversary.

Air India introduces non - stop flights from Bengaluru – San Francisco effective 11 January’2021.

Air India introduces non-stop flights from Bengaluru – San Francisco

GLOBAL NEWSAcross the Amadeus world

10 things you need to know about NDC [X]

Amadeus and Singapore Airlines reach deal to bring content via NDC to Amadeus- connected travel agents.

Traveling for business made easier through new joint partnership between Amadeus, Booking.com and Conferma Pay

10 things you need to know about NDC [X]

1. NDC content is available and live in Amadeus: Content via NDC from Air Canada, Air France-KLM, American Airlines, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines is currently being implemented, in pilot mode, or already live and available for travel sellers to book via Amadeus systems.

2. Technology is the backbone of NDC and Amadeus has the best in the industry: State of the art, high performing tech is needed to process travel bookings via NDC. Airlines need it. Travel agencies need it. Intermediaries need it. Companies need it. This is in our DNA. Actually, our company was founded by airlines who still to this day, over 30 years later, rely on us for our technological and industry expertise.

3. Simply booking a flight without servicing capabilities is not good for customer service. Amadeus is making full omnichannel NDC servicing capabilities available.

Now that the prime booking flow (the ability to book a flight) with NDC is widely standardized across all airlines, we are doubling our efforts on servicing (post-booking activities such as exchange, cancellation or incident recovery processes), which are not yet sufficiently standardized across different providers and airlines, nor do they fully meet travel seller expectations.

4. NDC is part of a broader vision to enhanced travel retailing, requiring time and commitment. Amadeus is in it for the long-haul: Amadeus has actively been involved in the creation of NDC and was the first travel tech player to implement XML in our global distribution system. And actually, it’s not even the end-goal. It’s the foundation for a broader industry vision toward other initiatives such as ONE Order, Dynamic Offers or One Identity. In fact, if we were to start with travel distribution from scratch today – all over again, from zero, we would do it in an

NDC way. It’s one of the biggest changes the industry has seen in a long time.

5. Implementing NDC is complex. And adopting it is difficult and will require changes from all players in the distribution chain. At Amadeus, we have the expertise, the technology and the network to help get the industry to the next level and, in turn, to ensure greater adoption: The success of NDC will eventually be measured by the level of sustainable adoption not merely by airlines but by all players in the travel distribution value chain. Travel sellers’ adoption is critical to NDC’s success and travel sellers require solutions that allow them to provide top-notch customer service integrated into their existing travel management infrastructures.

6. Traveler needs and desires are shaping NDC. Putting these first is important, otherwise, what’s the point? Amadeus’ traveler-centric mindset will ensure the whole

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NDC. New Distribution Capability. This is one, yet critical, enabler in the larger vision of enhanced travel retailing. It’s one of the biggest changes the industry has seen in a long time. At Amadeus, NDC is a key strategic priority. So much so, we have a program dedicated to it called NDC [X]

10 things you need to know about NDC [X]

journey, not only while booking an offer via NDC, is positively impacted: Amadeus’ philosophy is that all new approaches to merchandising and technology standards such as NDC must focus on the end customer’s needs first and foremost. Travelers today want simplicity, transparency, and personalization. Their wish is achieved thanks to access to personalized offers and services, and the ability to compare and shop for those offers in the channel of their choosing.

7. If the industry interprets the standard differently, NDC will fail. It should be obvious - industry standards need to be standardized. We’re committed to that. We’ve not only been advocating the need for this across the industry, we’ve been influencing the definition of them. We set up a team in our NDC [X] program to focus on building a list of use cases where standards were lacking clarification. We asked for input from our travel seller

and airline partners to understand what would work well for them in the future. After consolidating this from all of our partners around the world, and outlining some recommendations, we created a guide for NDC adoption. We are actively collaborating with key stakeholders to strengthen the IATA NDC implementation guide for the industry.

8. NDC means New Distribution Capability. It’s a technical standard, not a business model. All distribution has a cost for providers, through whichever channel. Whether advertising fees to drive traffic to their website via search engines or metasearch, or to connect to a global network of travel sellers through the Amadeus Travel Platform.

9. NDC requires the industry to collaborate and work in agile mode. Amadeus is bringing people together and leading the discussion and the development: Amadeus launched its NDC [X]

program in early 2018 and now has approximately 50 active partners. We have a long-list of early adopters of our NDC-enabled solutions too! In everything we do, we work in an agile mode. This way we can add and remove functionalities and integrate feedback from all the parties as we progress.

10. The certifications to back up our claims – Amadeus is certified by IATA: We currently hold dual Level 4 NDC certifications from IATA: as an IT provider through Altéa NDC, and as an aggregator with the Amadeus Travel Platform. And both Finnair and Singapore Airlines have reached the IATA @Scale certification based on Altéa NDC. We are also certified as ONE Order Capable as an IT and Order Management System Provider. But what do these certifications actually mean?

GLOBAL NEWS

Amadeus and Singapore Airlines reach deal to bring content via NDC to Amadeus- connected travel agents.Singapore Airlines makes content available via NDC through the Amadeus Travel Platform, reaching the world’s largest travel agency network

When Singapore Airlines first joined Amadeus NDC [X], the carrier focused on digital transformation, enhancing retailing capabilities, and creating a more personalized experience for its travelers. Today, Singapore Airlines deepens this commitment to modern retailing, supported by Amadeus technology, by making its NDC offers available to travel sellers through the Amadeus Travel Platform.

Travel agents worldwide connected to the Amadeus Travel

Platform will soon be able to

shop,

book, and pay for all Singapore Airlines offers made available through NDC as part of the airline’s KrisConnect program. This includes ancillary services such as seat selection, excess baggage, special fares, and personalized merchandising offers for loyalty members and corporate travelers. This is just the start of more exciting opportunities that NDC will bring, with more content becoming available soon such as dynamic fares.

The content will be available in the Amadeus NDC-enabled solutions used by agents today, providing a familiar and efficient booking environment. The Amadeus Travel Platform includes

critical servicing functionalities that agents need,

such as the

cancelation, void, refund and modification of NDC bookings. It’s a one-stop-shop that brings together all relevant travel content from any source (EDIFACT, NDC, and other APIs) into a single view, allowing agents to search, compare, buy, and service bookings all from one display. This will ensure travel sellers can continue to deliver fast, professional service levels to their travelers and at the same time help Singapore Airlines drive the adoption of NDC.

Bryan Koh, Divisional Vice President, E-Commerce and Distribution, Singapore Airlines says,

“We look forward to providing more attractive and customized offers on Amadeus’ extensive travel agency network via NDC. Singapore Airlines remain committed to improving our retail capabilities and extending them

to travel agents through multiple channels and touchpoints

such as self-booking

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tools, web services, travel agency front office solutions, and mobile.”

Cyril Tetaz, Executive Vice President, Airlines, Asia Pacific, Amadeus comments, “Singapore Airlines is truly transforming the way offers are created, sold and serviced across channels, so that the airline can continue to pioneer in the area of customer-centric retailing and merchandising. This partnership is further proof of our strategic commitment to NDC, as we are delivering sustainable, long-term value for our customers, which is more important than ever amid the current market circumstances. We are working hand-in-hand with Singapore Airlines to increase NDC adoption and enhance retailing capabilities through our best in-class technology and the world’s largest travel agency network.”

Travel sellers will be able to make bookings through Amadeus’ NDC-enabled solutions – Amadeus Selling Platform Connect and

Amadeus Travel API – starting from January 2021 in several markets in APAC and beyond. The airline’s NDC-sourced content will continue to be progressively rolled out in other markets globally throughout H1 2021 in order to reach all Amadeus-connected agents. In addition, Amadeus’ flagship solution for corporations, Amadeus cytric Travel & Expense, will be able to process Singapore Airlines’ bookings via NDC during 2021.

Today’s announcement builds on Singapore Airlines and Amadeus’ existing partnership in NDC. Singapore Airlines has been using Amadeus Altéa NDC, a full Offer and Order Management solution, and Amadeus Anytime Merchandising, since 2018. The combination of these technologies together with the latest integration of content into the Amadeus Travel Platform ensures full retailing capabilities and servicing for Singapore Airlines, with a truly customer-

centric approach and full control over its offers across all channels.

“This exciting announcement is yet another leap forward for Amadeus in our NDC journey. Driving NDC forward and realizing its next generation retailing capabilities for our customers is a key part of our long-term global strategy. We have processed NDC bookings through the Amadeus Travel Platform since 2018, and the capabilities and content are not only here today but also continually being enriched as more and more airlines and travel sellers gear up on NDC. We are working closely with the industry to increase adoption and drive volume by delivering the performance, scalability, market reach, and global support that airlines and travel sellers need,” adds Javier Laforgue, Executive Vice President, Airlines Distribution and Content Sourcing, Amadeus.

Traveling for business made easier through new joint partnership between Amadeus, Booking.com and Conferma PayThanks to this partnership, business travelers that book Booking.com content won’t have to pay the hotel with their credit card at checkout; one can bill the company directly, thus removing a key friction point

When traveling for business in this new era for travel, the last thing a corporate traveler wants is to think about how to pay for the trip or hotel stay. It needs to be easy and automated rather than a stressful experience.

This is why Amadeus, Booking.com and Conferma Pay, have partnered together to allow business travelers to simplify the checkout payment process.

Bolstered by the new simplified payment system, the existing partnership between Amadeus and Booking.com continues to grow. The number of Booking.com properties available to be paid with Amadeus Hotel Billback has now increased from 20% to 80%. This allows business travelers to access the vast majority of the more than

one million Booking.com properties available on the Amadeus platform, curated specifically to meet the needs of their corporate travel clients. These properties are able to directly invoice the business traveler’s employer through billback or the employer’s travel agent, via the use of virtual cards.

When business travel is arranged through Amadeus’ solutions (such as Amadeus Selling Platform Connect, Amadeus Web Services, and Amadeus cytric Travel & Expense), Conferma Pay automatically generates a virtual card number, which Booking.com then sends on to the property. At checkout, the property charges the

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booking to the virtual card, and the booking and payment data is then reconciled. Amadeus facilitates and enables the communication between Conferma Pay and Booking.com, who is now able to contact each property directly and provide the payment information.

Amadeus Hotel Billback which can also be combined with Amadeus B2B Wallet, is a global solution that removes the need for an employee to incur expenses on personal cards. It also provides companies with complete visibility over hotel stays. Virtual cards are easy for travel agents to reconcile, they come with less risk of fraud, and help companies track expenses.

Commenting on the strengthened relationship with Amadeus, Michael Miller, Global Director, Business Travel, Booking.com said, “Partnering with Amadeus has helped us bring more than a million properties from around the globe to the Amadeus Travel Platform. This breadth of choice,

combined with the introduction of the simplified payment process through the Amadeus Hotel Billback system, really does keep the business traveler front and centre of all of our efforts, improving the overall travel experience.”

The addition of Booking.com content in Amadeus Hotel Billback powered by Conferma Pay gives TMCs and their corporate customers a new opportunity to use virtual payment for all their hotel reservations. Both the traveler and the agent can benefit from automated reconciliation, minimize the risk of fraud, and experience a simple, secure, frictionless process from purchase to payment” said Kelly Cleeton, Director, Global Business Development, Conferma Pay.

“Thanks to these upgrades between Amadeus, Booking.com and Conferma, travel agents will be able to offer hotel billback as an additional advantage that travelers can receive when

choosing Booking.com properties. It will allow agents to quickly reconcile any bookings they have paid on behalf of clients, and reduce the manual effort involved in booking and paying for hotels on behalf of corporate customers,” said Katja Bohnet, Director of Hotel Distribution, Hospitality, Amadeus.

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