15 October 2008

Qantas migrates to Amadeus customer management technology

Qantas has now fully migrated to AmadeusÃ¢â¬â¢ Altea customer management solution, eight years after signing an initial IT partnership agreement with the technology provider.

The technology is designed to improve the check-in procedure,
with intelligent software giving check-in staff a single view of all passenger details at every touch point.

Information displayed about each passenger will be intuitive, offering priority boarding where warranted, flow-forward to earlier flights, seat preferences based on previous decisions made, and upgrades.

For Qantas staff, a simplified user interface, replacing the old cryptic front end, allows for quick adoption while automated seat planning and boarding gate configuration should speed up the time staff must spent at the computer.

The airline is the first to buy into the Altea experience wholeheartedly so that its entire sales, reservations, inventory and departure functions are controlled by the next generation software.

The carrier has had some teething problems with the software at domestic airports with customers complaining of longer check-in times, but Qantas says this is simply a result of staff getting used to new software.

Qantas chief information officer Jamila Gordon said: Ã¢â¬ÅâœAs the operating environment for airlines gets tougher it is essential that technology is able both to deliver greater operational efficiency and support the implementation of policies that build customer loyalty and drive increased revenues.Ã¢â¬~

By Dinah Hatch