KLIA Ekspres is a non-stop, high speed train service connecting the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) with the city centre and is now available to more than 102,000 travel agents in 219 markets through Amadeus Airport Express solution, which allows travel agents to book international rail services for their clients along with the airline reservation.

Amadeus Airport Express services are distributed under the 9G IATA code and is fulfilled through e-ticketing technology based on airline standards. Airport Express reservations are fully integrated in Amadeus’ booking process and the information is merged back in the same PNR. Tickets are then emailed to the traveller or to the agency in a printable PDF format, so travellers can go directly to the transportation service, avoiding queues and the hassle of issuing tickets in the airport.

So far only two Airport Expresses are selling their tickets via Amadeus GDS solution: Heathrow Express (London) and Arlanda Express (Stockholm).

According to Marketing Manager Camilla Laaksonen, Arlanda Express still sells very few tickets via GDS.

“It has not been a success for us yet. It seems difficult to change the behavior as the agents are not familiar with the selling platform and customers do not ask for the Add-on products. We do sell a lot of e-tickets on our own website - 5% of our sales today are on internet. I still think there is a future for e-ticketing via GDS, though it will take some time to be successful,” said to airrail NEWS Ms. Laaksonen.

“Rail is an increasingly common mode of transportation in many countries in Asia Pacific, and rail networks continue to improve. It represents a practical way to travel from airport to city, or for domestic tourism. High speed rail services are also growing rapidly as a convenient option for business travel. Offering travellers the ability to book rail transport in addition to their airline tickets provides a very convenient service, helping rail operators to increase passenger bookings and also helping travel agencies to add value,” said David Brett, President of Amadeus Asia Pacific

“Amadeus brings a unique value proposition to the table with its global network of travel agents. A significant international sales channel is now open for us and we are excited to move forward,” commented the news Noormah Mohd Noor, the Chief Executive Officer of Express Rail Link.

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