60 Airlines Generate 120% Yearly Online Growth through e-Travel ASP Booking Engine

e-Travel’s growth also accelerates as 13 new airlines launch in a year Madrid, 13 July, 2004: e-Travel, the global leader in online travel solutions and the e-commerce business unit of Amadeus GTD, today announced that online bookings made by its airline customers through e-Travel® Planitgo, the leading booking engine for airline websites, increased by 120 percent for the year May 2003 through May 2004 (up from 50 percent for the year May 2002 through May 2003). This acceleration outstrips the industry trend, which is estimated to have grown at a rate of 28 percent in the US (PhoCusWright 2004) and 29 percent in Europe (World Tourism Organization, June 2003) for the period 2003-2004. Ian Wheeler, Managing Director of e-Travel, said “No other provider comes near to e-Travel when it comes to global reach and scale. In 2004, we expect to process more than 10 million bookings on behalf of our airline customers representing around €2.7 billion in sales.” e-Travel’s proven track record has been further endorsed by 13 new e-Travel Planitgo airline clients over the past 12 months. These airlines include Alitalia, bmi, Finnair, Air Canada, EVA Air, Malev and TACA, who join existing Planitgo customers such as Qantas, Air France and Iberia. This growth is due to e-Travel’s unique global-ASP technology model: all airlines’ booking engines are centrally hosted and continuously improved by e-Travel. Wheeler explains: “Because we serve all regions from Australia to Canada, we can optimize our hosting resources and pass on these benefits to our airlines clients. As a result, our model empowers airlines to grow by launching computing-intensive merchandizing transactions such as Planitgo Flex Pricer [Calendar] and high traffic surge marketing campaigns.” Javier Perez, Iberia.com Vice President says “Iberia has been relying on the e-Travel booking engine for over 5 years, reaching a point where our website is now business critical. Since we adopted e-Travel’s new faring solution, Planitgo Flex Pricer [Calendar], we were able to launch substantial marketing campaigns and saw an immediate increase of over 60% of our online bookings.” About e-Travel e-Travel, the e-commerce business unit of Amadeus Global Travel Distribution S.A., is the leading global provider of online travel technology. It provides e-commerce solutions for airlines, corporations, travel agencies and other online travel businesses, and is dedicated to its customers’ net success. e-Travel serves customers in 90 countries including corporations such as Airbus, DaimlerChrysler, Ingersoll-Rand and Oracle Corporation, as well as travel suppliers such as Air France, Iberia and Qantas, and online agencies such as Opodo. Parent company Amadeus Global Travel Distribution S.A. is the leading global distribution system (GDS) and technology provider serving the marketing, sales and distribution needs of the world’s travel and tourism industries. About e-Travel Solutions for Airlines e-Travel Planitgo e-Travel Planitgo is the most widely adopted Internet Booking Engine, which powers more than 50 airlines and large travel agencies. An ASP-based solution, Planitgo can be customised and integrated into any web environment, providing online booking and self-servicing capabilities within weeks. Planitgo is localised in 20 languages. With over 1,000 configurable parameters and XML/SOAP services, Planitgo handles complex multi-market settings, offers integrated Web Design Services, and provides a wide range of content items. Planitgo Flex Pricer Planitgo Flex Pricer is e-Travel’s newest faring solution for airlines. Flex Pricer empowers online end-users to create their own travel journeys by combining one-way flights mixing various classes with fares rules in plain language. This solution enables end-users to quickly find what they are looking for: best price with maximum flexibility. As a result, airlines can significantly increase their online conversion rates, reduce calls to their call centre, and improve their e-commerce yield. More information about e-Travel is available at: www.e-travel.com For further information please contact: Corporate & Marketing Communication Amadeus Global Travel Distribution Tel: +34 91 582 0160 Fax: +34 91 582 0188 E-mail: [email protected]