Featured Story
Escape the GDS Merger Madness
Travel agents flock to Amadeus
Why deal with staff turnover, tech issues when it’s easy to switch?
The big story in the travel industry is the merger of GDS organizations Galileo, Worldspan and Apollo into one
corporation. While this might be big news, many travel agents aren’t embracing the headlines as good news, since it’s hard to say what the fallout from the merger will be. After all, you’re busy with your business. You don’t have time to “wait and see” if you’re going to lose your account manager—or if the technology you and your staff has been trained to use is going to fall by the wayside.
Rather than waiting for the dust to settle, many travel agencies are switching to Amadeus. Stability, superiority in products, services, customer support and global reach are among the deciding factors, travel agents say.
“There was too much turnover,” explains Dan Hanes, chief operating officer of Morrison Travel in San Mateo, Calif., of why his agency left Apollo after being the GDS’ first customer in the United States and a loyal subscriber for more than 25 years. “We weren’t getting the support we used to get. With Amadeus, the support staff is incredibly helpful.”
The user-friendly interfaces and comprehensive Amadeus training programs have meant fast and painless conversions for many agencies—including Panorama World Tours and Travel, Inc., in Lakewood, Ohio, a consolidator of travel to Europe and the South Pacific and an Apollo customer until last year.
“It made business sense for us to switch to Amadeus,” said Debbi Myers, the travel agency’s general manager. “We have been amazed by how quickly we were able to convert to Amadeus. Our staff did the training course online through AeU®, and it was very easy to switch. Tickets and pricing are so much easier with Amadeus. We love it!”
Hanes echoed Myers’ enthusiasm for Amadeus’ training programs. “They’ve set up special classes just for our agency. We’ve had both online and on-site training, and it’s been really helpful.”
Kay Urban, president and CEO of Amadeus North America, looks forward to offering this exceptional level of support to other travel agencies seeking shelter from the GDS merger storm. “Amidst the uncertainty of change in the industry, Amadeus is a stable, trusted and proven partner that has the expertise and solutions to help travel agencies grow their business,” she said.
Click here for a video message from Kay Urban on why Amadeus is the clear choice.
|
