Amadeus Posts Gains in N. America
by Michele McDonald /Amadeus’ worldwide market share inched upward to 40.3% in the first half of 2014, fueling a 3.8% increase in air booking volume, chief executive officer Luis Maroto said.
Air bookings totaled 241.8 million in the half, while non-air bookings declined slightly to 30.3 million.
In a conference call to discuss the company’s earnings with analysts, Maroto said Amadeus outperformed the industry, which grew 2.6% during the half.
Inroads in North America
In a striking turnaround, North America has become Amadeus’ fastest-growing region, with 15.5% volume growth in the first six months of the year.
Although Amadeus is the largest GDS worldwide, with a dominating presence in western Europe, it historically has been the smallest in the North American market, with market share in the region languishing below 10%.
The tide began to turn in early 2013, when Amadeus implemented an agreement with Expedia.
Other gains too
But Ana de Pro, Amadeus’ chief financial officer, said the recent gains in North America “were not only driven by Expedia. We are also gaining from our other customers.”
She noted that more than a year had elapsed since the Expedia deal was implemented, so it would not have had a massive year-over-year effect on volume growth
Amadeus reported adjusted profit of €380.6 million ($511.1 million) for the first half of 2014, an increase of 8.9%.
Revenues increased 8.5%, to €1.7 billion ($2.3 billion).