Datalex Revolutionizes Fare Pricing and Significantly Reduces Distribution Costs for Aer Lingus

Direct Web Fare Sales and More Simplified Fare Structures Enable Aer Lingus to Compete with Low Cost Airlines A spectacular increase in online sales from 3 to 60% on its aerlingus.com site is a primary example of the significant investment return that Aer Lingus has realized in recent months using a revolutionary airline distribution and fares pricing system from leading Irish travel technology supplier, Datalex (ISE: DLE; OTC: DLEXY). In restructuring its business, one of the main savings for Ireland’s national carrier has been in the area of fare quotation costs, mainly through the success of its aerlingus.com site. Using Datalex’s distribution and fares pricing solution, and modified data from an ATPCO (Airline Tariff Publishing Company) output, Aer Lingus can retain more centralized control of the creation, maintenance and distribution of its fares thereby significantly reducing the cost of third-party transactions in addition to simplifying fare structures. New fare models have been introduced in which a number of restrictions no longer apply including Saturday night stays, and passengers are not penalized for one-way purchases. The aerlingus.com site enables passengers to browse and book available fares for up to six passengers and also incorporates a flexible fares calendar. The calendar enables passengers to search for cheaper flights for a configurable amount of dates on either side of their selected departure and arrival dates. “To increase direct Web sales in order to compete with low cost carriers, airlines need to simplify their fares and pricing systems to make it easier for passengers to buy tickets using their Web sites,” said Aidan Brogan, Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing, Datalex. “Datalex has a long and successful relationship with the Aer Lingus team and with them we have developed a totally flexible, high performance, direct distribution solution, which provides alternative lower cost options for fares distribution and pricing including full e-ticketing capabilities.” The new pricing solution controls the storing, pricing, retrieval and validation of fares within a live system and uses modified data from a daily ATPCO output. The key benefit of the Datalex solution is that it enables airlines to offer valid and available flight options, which have already been priced, while reducing the number and cost of fare quotation transactions on third party systems. “Our business transformation over the past few years has required us to take some bold steps in the way we distribute our fares to our customers. Our partnership with Datalex has enabled us to take those steps as they have clearly interpreted our business requirements and translated them into an innovative technology solution, enabling us to see a significantly visible return on our investment,” said Brendan Rice, Manager Tactical Marketing, Aer Lingus. About Datalex Datalex is a leading provider of travel distribution software and solutions which enable global travel industry suppliers and distributors deliver increased content and choice to their customers across multiple sales channels, and to dynamically package and price multiple travel products and services while saving on distribution costs. Datalex’s customers represent the elite of the travel industry and include: Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Amadeus, American Express, ATA Airlines, Best Western International, California State Automobile Association, Delta Air Lines, Disney Cruise Lines, E-Bookers/TravelBag, Emirates Airline, Galileo, GoHop.ie, Japan Travel Bureau, KLM, Korean Airlines, LasVegas.com, Malaysia Airlines, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Page & Moy, Philippine Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Siemens, SilkAir, Singapore Airlines, SNCF, South African Airways, Thomas Cook, Trailfinders, Transavia Airlines, Travelcare, Turkish Airlines, T-Systems, Vail Resorts Inc., Unisys, WEXAS and Worldspan. Founded in 1985, the company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and maintains offices across Europe, the USA and Asia-Pacific. Datalex is a publicly held company traded on the Irish Stock Exchange (symbol: DLE, and also OTC: DLEXY). For more information, please visit the company’s Web site at www.datalex.com. About Aer Lingus Aer Lingus, Ireland’s national airline, flies 7 million passengers a year, serving over 35 destinations in Ireland, the UK, the US, and continental Europe. Aer Lingus is a member of oneworld, an alliance of quality airlines working to bring greater benefits to its customers. Aer Lingus is to introduce four new routes to Europe in its summer schedule for 2005. The new services from Dublin to Seville, Naples, Marseilles and Hamburg will commence at the end of March 2005. Earlier this year, the airline also announced four new services from Cork to Munich, Rome, Nice and Faro. These will start flying at the end of next April. Since the end of 2001, the airline has more than trebled its network of routes, with the introduction of 42 new scheduled services. About ATPCO (Airline Tariff Publishing Company ATPCO is the world leader in the collection and distribution of fares and fare-related data for the airline and travel industry. The company offers travel data services and solutions, including revenue accounting and decision support systems. ATPCO is committed to providing the best solutions and services while enhancing its customers’ productivity.