Trenitalia and Amadeus Sign Global Distribution Agreement

Trenitalia and Amadeus have formed a partnership to distribute Trenitalia content through all Amadeus channels.

Travel agents around the world will be able to book both Trenitalia’s high speed rail products Frecce Alta Velocità (namely Frecciarossa and Frecciargento), and Frecciabianca through the existing sales channels and through the Amadeus global distribution system, which links 91,000 points of sale worldwide. The rest of the medium and long-distance Trenitalia routes are expected to follow shortly.

Thanks to this partnership, Trenitalia will be able to draw on new market segments whilst expanding distribution beyond its traditional channels, developing its presence in such strategic markets as Central Europe, North America and Asia.

According to a recent Amadeus study, by 2020 high-speed rail will be the means most used for business and leisure travel within the confines of Europe, and global passengers will increase by 330 million. In recent years, the number of passengers on Trenitalia's AV high-speed service has grown exponentially, reaching 25 million in 2011. Throughout Europe there has been an evolution in the train travel experience, and it is now recognised as a valid alternative to flying.

As part of the agreement, travel agents who use the Amadeus Selling Platform will have a standardised way to access Trenitalia services, in turn making bookings through an air/rail-based search solution, FlyByRail Track, and a rail-based search solution, Rail Agent Track; designed exclusively for rail services. To this end, it will be far easier for travellers and travel agents to effectively compare Trenitalia services with flights on the same route, ensuring that travellers have greater choice and transparency of options whilst at the same time improving productivity for the agent.

Thomas Drexler, Head of Amadeus Rail, said, “It is a very exciting time for the European rail industry as it extends its network, and looks to attract new travellers to the benefits of rail travel. Key to growth is delivering the type of access and availability that is common in the airline sector which is why international distribution is critical for railways today. By making Trenitalia inventory available across multiple channels, and focusing on delivering a more advanced customer experience, it will help to support global growth for the company.”

Vincenzo Soprano, Trenitalia Managing Director, added, “Many agree that high-speed rail is already the greatest innovation for Italy in this early part of the new millennium. With our Frecce AV service we have pioneered this revolution and have reached new levels of excellence which we are especially proud of, but there is still more to do. We want to look beyond these achievements and always seek new challenges. Indeed, the agreement with Amadeus fits this strategy. Ultimately our overarching objective is to deliver effective, rapid access for travel professionals in key international markets enabling the sale of Trenitalia products and promoting the entire rail network across the country.”

The new platform is expected to be operational by the end of summer/early autumn.

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