Welcome

Internet Explorer 8

We are pleased to announce that Amadeus Selling Platform 3.1 P100 (or higher version) is compatible with Internet Explorer 8.

Please note that Windows 7 has not yet been approved for use with Amadeus Selling Platform. Validation of this new operating system is planned for a future date.

SMS Traveller Contact

Amadeus SMS Traveller Contact was deployed in the latest version of Amadeus e-Travel Management (AeTM) version 12.2 released last month.

This feature allows the AeTM Site Administrator to search for a group of travellers and to send group text messages to their mobile phones. This could be helpful in dealing with emergencies for example. Please contact your account manager for further details. Read more... 

Air Passenger Duty

Our friends at the Association of Airline Consolidators (AAC) have made us aware of a useful document that outlines the forthcoming changes.

Click to access the PDF. Read more...

e-Support to the rescue

Access the Amadeus e-Support Centre, free of charge, from the convenience of your Selling Platform (versions 2.3 or higher) by clicking the e-Support centre Smart Tab. This useful tool offers you 24/7 access to a wide range of support solutions and information including error messages and how to guides. Read more...

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Follow Us!

Follow the Amadeus UK Intelligence team on Twitter...

http://twitter.com/AmadeusCruise

http://twitter.com/AmadeusHotel

LMB Search functionality

As of 30 September, all LMB entries will no longer be available. But the good news is that a faster List PNRs by Office(LPO) search function replaces the LMB batch search entry.

See HE LPO in Amadeus Help pages for how to use this replacement functionality.

Email confidentiality

It's now possible to restrict access to email addresses in the Passenger Name Record (PNR). There are various options available.

For restricting access to all but your own office: APE-/joebloggs@email.com
For more options, i.e. sharing information with selected offices, see HE APE

Hurry - it's not too late...

There are still a few places left on one of our free Hotel Store webinars on Tuesday 6 October at 1100 or 1400. Discover a great way to add 50,000 hotels with prepaid rates and upfront commission.

Email hotel@uk.amadeus.com to book your place. 

Air Update

Air Asia (AK, FD, QZ, D7) is now bookable via Ticketless Access entries. Functionality has been enhanced to allow mixed Air Asia carriers in the same PNR plus international flight continuation and Open Jaws.

Air Asia's systems require that "at least one airport of each itinerary segment is located in the same country of the departure point of the first segment present in the PNR." If this condition cannot be met, agents should create separate Air Asia bookings. See GGAIRD7 or any of the other 2-letter Air Asia carrier codes for more details.
Read more...

Transavia no longer applies the fare differential of EUR 5 per segment for all bookings created through Amadeus. Now travel agents are able to offer travellers the same prices as transavia.com itself offers on its website. According to the airline, this ensures that travel agents have access to the cheapest transavia.com web fares when booking through Amadeus. Read more...

Amadeus announced a 10 year technology partnership with TAM, the largest airline in South America, to equip TAM with a new generation passenger service system. "The Amadeus platform is recommended by the Star Alliance," TAM Vice President Finance and IT, Líbano Barroso, points out. Read more... 

Hotel Update

Hotel Store webinar

There are still a few places left on one of our free Hotel Store webinars on Tuesday 6 October at 1100 or 1400. Discover what everyone is talking about - the best way to access 50,000 hotels with prepaid rates and upfront commission. Email hotel@uk.amadeus.com to book your place.

Best Available Rate

New chains participating in Amadeus Best Available Rate include: Rihga Royal Hotels (RR) and Mantra Group (MP).

Dynamic Access

Dynamic Access enables hotel providers to return accurate rates and availability to your Amadeus screen instantly. New participants in this highest level of access are: Universal Orland Resort (UE), Conrad (NK), Doubletree Hotels (DT), Embassy Suites (ES), Hilton Garden Inns (GI), Homewood Suites (HG), Hilton Hotels Corporation (HH), Hampton Inns (HX), Waldorf Astoria (WA), CMNET Hotels (ZB). 

Helpdesk Tips

Air formats

AN/10SEPLHRDXB/CK 7 day availability search for K class - if you are looking for availability during peak periods or when flights are infrequent.

DMCO/IAH/DL Minimum connecting time for an online connection at IAH airport

DANA/GB Locations beginning with an 'A' in country GB

Car Rental

CLZEPAR Display a car company's list of locations in Paris - in this case for Hertz (ZE).

/SQ- Use the special equipment option to specify equipment codes in your Car Sell entry e.g. /SQ-ABS is for anti-locking breaks. For a list of equipment codes enter CEA.

/DO-MUC Car availability (CA) option to specify a drop off location if different from the pick-up location.

Passenger Name Record

RHF,A PNR history display of Fare elements and Air segments only.

RU1AHK1 LON 12SEP / FREE FLOW TEXT Add a memo segment for 12 September - this can also be used to keep the PNR live past the last travel date.

RTAXR Retrieve the associated cross referenced PNR from a split booking. 

Fares and Pricing

TQT/FM Display commission on the TST

FXP/R,*NPE To request fare types with no penalty information loaded into the fare notes - for example if the traveller requires a flexible ticket.

Queus and Miscellaneous

QVR Display a summary list of all PNRs which are due to be placed on Queue at a future date either as a result of an option element (OP) or the ticket time limit (TKTL) element.

QS8C3.RTN,I,K Start Queue but only display name, itinerary and ticketing PNR elements for all PNRs on Queue 8 category 3

DE/DA/AL-xx/VD-vv/CY-cc Replace xx with the airline code, vv with the credit card vendor and cc with the country code to check which cards a carrier accepts.

Ticketing

TTR/L7/C-I Reprint specific coupons of the e-ticket using the FB line number (line 7 shown here) in the PNR. I means AGENT COUPON.

TQC/T1 For information on the validating carrier, the forms of payment and the point of sale for which airline ticketing fees have been applied on TST 1.

PV/C A list of carriers for which you do not have authority to issue tickets. Useful if you receive this error message: 'PROHIBITED TICKETING CARRIER - RE-ENTER TICKETING CARRIER'

Car update

Just how much time do you save by booking car rental through Amadeus?

Find out by reading the results of a recent independent research study that compared the time it takes travel agents to make bookings using Amadeus, car websites and call centres. And the winner is...

Read more...

Competition

There were many "correct" answers to our last question about what you like most about Amadeus.

Answers varied from "the help pages ... the people ... the help desk ... interactive seat maps ... ease and speed of use." Even the fact that Amadeus has a pop song namesake "Rock me Amadeus." The winner, randomly selected from all entries was: Funda from Titan Travel.

For your chance to win High Street shopping vouchers from your favourite store to the value of GBP25, please send your answer to the question below by 23 October 2009 to: newsletter@uk.amadeus.com

Name an airline available in Amadeus Ticketless Access?

Rob's Ramblings

You know how the travel industry is awash with acronyms (PNR, TOD, MCO, need I say more)? Well, we're not the only ones. Apparently doctors are at it too - using shorthand on patients' notes.

Next time you're at your GP, let me know if you see "UBI" or "FLK". I have it on good authority that these have been deciphered to mean Unexplained Beer Injury and Funny Looking Kid. They've even got regional acronyms such as "NFN" Normal for Norfolk. (Apologies to anyone from that part of the world - but I'm not making these up!)

Marketers are probably the biggest users of acronyms to categorise similar characteristics of potential buyers (i.e. the study of demographics). We've all heard of YUPPIE, the young urban professional armed with a Filofax and 80's mobile phone that looks like a brick. But here are a few more to add to your vocabulary. Do any of these strike a chord with you or your customers?

• ORCHID: One Recent Child Heavily in Debt
• GLAM: Greying Leisured Affluent Married
• SINBAD: Single Income No Boyfriend Absolutely Desperate
• SKIPPY: School Kid with Purchasing Power 

As always, thanks for reading.

Best wishes, Rob (editor)