The full content agreement will now enable travel agents to have access to the same content under the same conditions as those offered through the SAA's ticketing offices, call centres and website.
Not only will Amadeus travel agents have guaranteed access to the entire range of SAA fares, schedules and availability, but can also look forward to benefitting from Amadeus technology to boost their bottom line.
Some of the new efficiencies recently launched by SAA include the Amadeus Electronic Miscellaneous Document system (vouchers or coupons for ancillary services and travel extras). EMD empowers travel agents to provide a 'one stop' service to their customers for all of their travel transactions instead of having to depend on the airline. EMD facilitates Amadeus Ancillary Services, which offers travel agents unbelievable simplicity in processing travel extras, such as excess baggage and preferred seating. Soon those long and time-consuming manual transactions will be a thing of the past.
"Our Long-term Turnaround Strategy rightly demands that we focus on improving the efficiencies of our operations. This partnership with Amadeus adds value to our business and to our customers. It enables SAA to remain dynamic and relevant as our offering in the industry is a differentiator that sets us apart from our competitors. Travel agencies remain a key sales channel for us and our agreement with Amadeus ensures that travel agents worldwide continue to enjoy the highest level of access to our full range of content and services," said Sylvain Bosc, SAA's Chief Commercial Officer.
Peter Long, Amadeus southern Africa's GM, said that the multi-year agreement with SAA is enabling both SAA and travel agents to deliver greater value to travellers. "Our partnership agreement with SAA builds on our close and long-standing ties with the carrier and we look forward to working together to offer more enriched content to SAA's customers going forward."
