Gulf Air, Amadeus renew distribution agreement

Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air and Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, have announced that they have renewed their distribution agreement and vowed to expand its scope to provide content access for travel agents worldwide using Amadeus’ global distribution system (GDS) platform. The three-year agreement will enable all Amadeus GDS users to access Gulf Air’s entire range of schedules, inventory and the most up-to-date routes and fares, including the airline’s web fares. Gulf Air serves 48 destinations worldwide and has become a major player connecting the Middle East and other regions. In the first half of 2012, Gulf Air saw a 13 per cent increase in passenger numbers compared to the same period last year. Under this agreement both players ensure that all travel agencies connected to the Amadeus system can access, book and sell Gulf Air flights at the most competitive rates. “The renewed agreement with Amadeus to provide full content access to travel agents aligns perfectly well with our distribution strategy. Now travel agents have greater and wider accessibility to Gulf Air’s full range of published fares and inventory, which means customers have better choices and confidence while planning their travel with Gulf Air,” said Karim Makhlouf, Chief Commercial Officer, Gulf Air. Makhlouf added: “Working with leading GDS partners such as Amadeus helps us increase our share and presence in the market. The partnership has also come at a time when we are set to resume operations to eight destinations in Iran and Iraq. From gulftoday