American Airlines and Amadeus have agreed a new distribution deal including the creation of a direct link allowing the booking of the carrier’s ancillary products.
The contract, which has been described as “long term” by the two companies, will allow agents to continue to access the full range of American’s airfares through the Amadeus GDS.
It also includes an agreement for a new direct link to be developed between Amadeus and American which will enable the booking of add-ons such as the airline’s premium economy product.
Derek DeCross, vice president of global sales for American Airlines, said: “Amadeus agents worldwide will benefit from an advanced solution that transparently displays the full range of American’s products and instantly delivers highly relevant, tailored offers to customers.”
American has been in the forefront of developing direct links with agencies for the distribution of its flights. This move initially triggered legal disputes with the two other GDS owners Travelport and Sabre, although both of these cases have now been settled with the two tech companies agreeing new distribution deals with American.
Airline organisation IATA is currently developing a new set of technical standards - known as NDC - to allow carriers to distribute flights including all ancillaries in a "Amazon-style" shopping experience.
Scott Alvis, chief marketing officer for Amadeus North America, added: “American and Amadeus share a culture of innovation and our teams work well together. We are committed to partnering with our airline customers to bring outstanding technology and expertise to help them achieve their plans.”
American Airlines is due to merge with rival US Airways later this year, subject to receiving regulatory approval for the deal. American has been in bankruptcy protection in the US since November 2011.