Eurostar, the leading high speed passenger rail company serving the UK, France and Belgium, has chosen to expand distribution of its…
Eurostar, the leading high speed passenger rail company serving the UK, France and Belgium, has chosen to expand distribution of its rail services through the Amadeus global distribution system, via the same neutral display used by airlines.
This initiative allows Amadeus travel agents located in most countries where Eurostar services are not already available through local Amadeus rail distribution solutions, to view, book, and ticket Eurostar services.
Consequently, Eurostar is now fully integrated into the Amadeus system, so bookings are made in exactly the same way as a flight, saving time for agencies in addition to increasing their productivity and revenue. Travel agencies view Eurostar routes alongside flights on the same screen, enabling them to quickly compare rail and air travel options and offer more choice to customers.
Gaining seamless access to Eurostar bookings is an industry must in light of the vast expansion of high-speed rail. Since it began operations in November 1994, Eurostar has carried over 45 million passengers. From the autumn, journey times will be cut by 20 minutes with the opening of the new UK fast line. For the first time, Eurostar trains will be able to travel at their maximum speed of 186 mph (300 kph) in the UK. London-Paris journey time will be reduced to 2 hours 35 minutes, London-Brussels to 2 hours 20 minutes and London-Lille to just 1 hour 40 minutes.
Eurostar`s Head of International Sales, Alain van West, commented, We want to ensure Eurostar services are available to customers through the most effective and wide-reaching channels. We are confident that this partnership with Amadeus will enable us to meet business demand in all corners of the globe.
Eurostar`s presence on GDS will be particularly beneficial to corporations and business travel agencies, who now have a straight-forward means of accessing the rail company`s hassle-free city-centre to city-centre business fares. In the leisure market, Amadeus travel agencies will be able to book popular European itineraries, combining long-haul flights from Eurostar`s 9 interline airline partners (including Virgin Atlantic, US Airways and Korean Air) – with short-haul travel on Eurostar.
Through this close cooperation with a top-class European high-speed rail provider, we are taking a further step towards building a globally integrated rail distribution solution and enabling the full potential of rail travel to be achieved, said Stephane Durand, Director, Travel Service Partners, Amadeus. As the GDS with the most comprehensive rail offering, Amadeus is once again strengthening its position as industry leader.
Eurostar can now be booked automatically through all Amadeus and e-Travel platforms with no need for new installations.
Further benefits of Amadeus neutral display include:
- Rail journeys can be booked as an add-on to air segments or as standalone.
- Bookings are made using standard air commands hence ease of use and minimal training.
- PNR and back-office integration for minimal administration and increased productivity.
- Itinerary document printing (carriage and seat number) for complete customer service.
- Standard ATB2 ticketing supported for no additional investment.
Amadeus was pioneer to offer rail services on the GDS air display. Amadeus travel agencies processed over 80 million rail bookings in 2002 and the company currently distributes the services of 18 of the world`s leading railway companies, including French SNCF, Amtrak, DeutscheBahn, and the Association of UK Train Operating Companies (ATOC).
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
