Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines Partner With Amadeus To Boost Merchandising Offer To Travelers

– Travel agents in over 60 markets will now be able to book travellers’ preferred seats in Economy Class in advance of travel
– Amadeus Airlines Ancillary Services solution will also enable passengers to purchase seats with extra legroom

Germany’s flag carrier Lufthansa and global travel industry technology partner Amadeus recently announced a new agreement that will see the airline sell advance seat reservation as an ancillary product in the travel agency channel using Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services.

The agreement, which also applies to Lufthansa’s subsidiary Austrian Airlines, Austria’s flag carrier, means that travel agents using Amadeus in 63 markets worldwide will be able to book advance seat reservations in Economy Class for travelers flying on domestic and European routes. Additionally, passengers will be able to purchase seats offering extra leg room both on continental and intercontinental routes.

Travel agents using Amadeus will be able to reserve the traveler’s preferred seat in advance for a small additional fee, which will vary depending on whether they select a standard seat or an exit row seat with its additional legroom. Passengers without an advance seat reservation are able to choose their seat free of charge only at check-in.

Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines will also adopt Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services, a comprehensive, multi-channel solution that is compliant with industry standards, to distribute ancillary services through their website in the first half of 2014. By launching the advance seat reservation product worldwide in the travel agency channel, the two flag carriers will be embracing a multi-channel approach to merchandising with Amadeus. Both airlines use Electronic Miscellaneous Documents, the IATA standard solution for fulfilling bookings for ancillary services.

Travel agents will be able to make the seat reservations easily and efficiently through Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services, as the solution seamlessly integrates the process into agents’ normal workflow. Merchandising ancillaries using Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services is designed to help increase both the number of bookings the airline receives through the travel agency channel, and the revenue generated per passenger.

To date, 78 airlines have signed-up to the Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services solution, of which 22 are currently distributing their ancillary services through travel agents in 63 markets.