LOT Polish Airlines moves sales and reservations to Amadeus to ease alliance integration. The Polish flag carrier is set to join Star Alliance in the course of the year and the Amadeus Sales System, with its common reservation platform, effectively supports the future integration of LOT’s sales offices into the alliance network. LOT will be able to automatically exchange information, with nine out of the 16 current Star Alliance members that use Amadeus.

”After evaluating our options, only Amadeus has offered us the right mix of qualities to simplify distribution within an airline alliance” said LOT distribution systems manager, Krystyna Naumczyk, “A flexible, advanced reservation platform, plus a global network that links us directly to other airlines and travel agencies in all our target markets and offers our passengers additional travel services. This delivered within a community framework will help us to simultaneously improve customer service and cut costs,” added she.

Real-time access to the same reservation, fares and travel information to travel agencies connected to Amadeus, is expected to reduce the administrative complexities between LOT and these travel agents. The latter can quickly and simply access and update the same passenger records as LOT. “The Amadeus Sales System has become the solution of choice for airline looking to join an alliance”, says Holger Taubmann, director, airline marketing and sales, Airlines Business Group, Amadeus.

He further adds that, “The system is also a vehicle for airlines looking to maximise distribution to travel agencies outside alliances. The 134 airlines that currently use the Sales System for their internal sales and reservation needs demonstrate this.” LOT’s airport and city sales offices started making their travel bookings through Amadeus on 29 June, 2003.