Kuwait Airways cutting over to Amadeus Inventory
After nine months of preparation, data-transfers, operations and staff training, testing (and re-testing), Kuwait Airways has announced that on Friday May 19 (tomorrow), it will implement its cutover to the world-leading, Amadeus Altea Suite - for its new inventory, reservations, ticketing and loyalty systems. According to Kuwait Airways’ Director of IT and Project Director for the Amadeus Implementation, Abdulmunim Abdulsalam, the cut-over represents a “revolution” in the way the airline will be able to interact with its passengers, customers, as well as its business and travel industry partners.
“The Amadeus Altea Suite is a comprehensive Passenger Service System (PSS) that will simplify and enhance all online and face to face business interactions between Kuwait Airways and our customers,” says Abdulsalam. “The project has been divided into two phases: the first being the Inventory Reservations, Ticketingand Loyalty system, which we will cut-over to on the night of 19-20 May; The second being the Departure Control System (DCS), which will be introduced from June onwards, starting with Kuwait Airways domestic and international stations,” Abdulsalam continued.
“While the implementation process has been a huge undertaking, it is a once in a generation exercise that wasnecessary for Kuwait Airways to undertake, sothatwe can compete effectively in the modern aviation business environment,” Abdulsalam added. Kuwait Airways has stated that customers should be aware that the cut-over process may cause some temporary interruptions to its reservation services. In order to minimize disruption, Kuwait Airways suggests customers avoid using its reservation services between the hours of 7 pm, tomorrow, and 6 am, on May 20.
Kuwait Airways has also confirmed that it will be using its social media platforms toinform the general public about the cutover, but has stressed that thesechannels will provide information updates and will not act as a substitute for reservationservices, during the system’s down-time. “Amadeus Altea provides airlines around the world with a springboard to growth through cutting edge technology, supported by our deep understanding of the airline business,” says Maher Koubaa, Vice President, Head of Airline Group, Middle East and Africa at Amadeus.
“We have been working side by side with Kuwait Airways as a business partner to ensure a timely and effective implementation, adapted to the unique needs of the airline. There is a lot to look forward to as we continue to work together to realise the airline’s transformation strategy, supported by the complete suite of Altea solutions,” Koubaa added. From the commercial perspective, it is claimed that the introduction of the Amadeus Altea Suite will be an effective tool to optimize sales, revenue generation and growth - across multiple distribution channels.