American travel agents can now sell Eurostar rail

MIAMI -- North American travel agencies affiliated with Amadeus can now sell, price, book, and issue validated Eurostar rail documents independent of airline ticketing. Popular with American tourists, Eurostar is the high-speed train service linking London, Ashford, Paris, Brussels, Lille, Avignon, Calais, Disneyland Resort Paris and the French Alps.

For the third year, Eurostar is operating direct services from London and Ashford to Avignon in the heart of the popular Provence region of France. From July, when the weekly Saturday direct service starts, there are a wide range of events and festivals in Provence that are popular with tourists. Eurostar recently acquired ARC/BSP membership in the U.S. market.

Previously, agencies in the U.S. and Canada could only sell Eurostar in conjunction with interline airline partners. To ease the booking process, Amadeus, one of the big four global distribution systems (GDS) and a travel technology provider, has enhanced its air/rail booking system that provides its agencies with the ability to sell tickets for rail companies such as Eurostar. The company said this new functionality allows these agencies to quickly compare and then advise clients on the best of air and rail options.

City point to point

"With agencies focused on providing more value-added advice on the best mode of transportation from city point to city point, rail travel is an attractive option," said Bob Lowry, vice president of product management and support for Amadeus North America. "Our Amadeus Rail product, integrated into the air display screen, lets agents more easily compare and promote the benefits of rail travel. This is especially valuable for leisure and business travel clients traveling within Europe, where the choice between air and rail transportation can be an important decision in terms of price and convenience."

Lowry added that with this integrated air/rail display, rail availability, passenger name record (PNR), fares and ticketing entries are exactly the same as those used for Amadeus Air Standard Access airline availability. Travel agents in North America now have options that include rail services on mixed displays with competing air services, allowing agents to offer clients a choice between air and rail travel. Eurostar offers a fully integrated PNR rail segment that is compatible with Amadeus documents and back-office systems.

"The U.S. and Canada are both key markets for Eurostar where we are currently experiencing major growth. Integrating Eurostar into Amadeus‚ system means it is now even easier for North American travel agents to book Eurostar tickets," Alain van West, Eurostar's director of international sales.

16 runs a day

Eurostar directly links the U.K. to France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel, with up to 16 runs to Paris and nine to Brussels daily. In addition, Eurostar offers connecting tickets to over 100 destinations across France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Recently the company was awarded Travel Weekly‚ UK's "Best Rail Operator ".

Through the Amadeus GDS, travel agencies and airline offices can make bookings on more than 95 percent of the world's scheduled airline seats. The system also provides access to 51,000 hotel properties, 50 car rental companies serving over 26,000 locations, as well as ferry, rail, cruise, tour operators and insurance companies.

e-Travel, Amadeus‚ e-commerce business unit, is the global leader in online travel technology and corporate travel management solutions. It services travel agencies in 90 countries, and powers the websites of over 260 corporations and more than 60 airlines and hotels. Amadeus is headquartered in Madrid, Spain and quoted on the Madrid, Paris and Frankfurt stock exchanges.