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Prepared 
by 
Khan 
Mohd 
Eshtiaque 
& 
Naye 
Moussa 
STRATEGIC 
ANALYSIS 
OF 
AMADEUS, 
AN 
IBEX 
35 
COMPANY
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
Content 
CORPORATE 
HISTORY 
AND 
GENERAL 
INFORMATION 
...................................................................... 
3 
BUSINESS 
OVERVIEW 
...................................................................................................................... 
3 
PRODUCT 
OFFERING 
........................................................................................................................ 
5 
Global 
Distribution 
Systems 
........................................................................................................... 
5 
The 
GDS 
Model 
............................................................................................................................... 
5 
IT 
Solutions 
..................................................................................................................................... 
6 
KEY 
MARKETS 
2 
AND 
MARKET 
SHARE 
........................................................................................................... 
6 
EXTERNAL 
ANALYSIS 
I 
...................................................................................................................... 
7 
THE 
MACRO-­‐ENVIRONMENT 
..................................................................................................................... 
7 
PESTEL 
ANALYSIS 
................................................................................................................................... 
7 
Political 
........................................................................................................................................... 
7 
Economical 
..................................................................................................................................... 
7 
Social 
.............................................................................................................................................. 
8 
Technological 
................................................................................................................................. 
8 
Environmental 
................................................................................................................................ 
8 
Legal 
............................................................................................................................................... 
8 
EXTERNAL 
ANALYSIS 
II 
..................................................................................................................... 
9 
THE 
INDUSTRY 
........................................................................................................................................ 
9 
THE 
PORTER’S 
FIVE 
FORCES 
FRAMEWORK 
................................................................................................... 
9 
Buyers 
............................................................................................................................................. 
9 
Suppliers 
....................................................................................................................................... 
10 
Competitive 
Rivalry 
...................................................................................................................... 
10 
Substitutes 
.................................................................................................................................... 
11 
Potential 
Entrants 
and 
Barriers 
to 
Entry 
...................................................................................... 
11 
INTERNAL 
ANALYSIS 
...................................................................................................................... 
12 
COMPETITIVE 
STRENGTHS 
...................................................................................................................... 
12 
WEAKNESSES 
& 
OPERATING 
RISKS 
........................................................................................................... 
14 
EVALUATION 
OF 
CURRENT 
STRATEGY 
........................................................................................... 
14 
FUTURE 
RECOMMENDATIONS 
....................................................................................................... 
16 
APPENDIX 
..................................................................................................................................... 
17
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
Corporate 
history 
and 
general 
Information 
In 
the 
late 
70’s, 
American 
Airlines 
was 
the 
first 
airline 
to 
use 
a 
distribution 
system, 
which 
greatly 
helped 
them 
increasing 
and 
handling 
reservations. 
This 
distribution 
system 
consisted 
of 
a 
software 
connected 
to 
all 
travel 
agents 
so 
that 
American 
Airlines 
was 
on 
top 
of 
the 
available 
flights 
screen, 
highly 
increasing 
the 
number 
of 
reservations 
placed 
with 
the 
company. 
In 
the 
early 
80’s, 
a 
group 
of 
European 
airlines 
got 
together 
to 
counter 
the 
American 
system 
Sabre. 
As 
there 
was 
a 
lot 
of 
political 
disagreement 
within 
the 
European 
airlines, 
though, 
they 
split 
into 
two 
groups. 
One 
group 
created 
a 
system 
called 
Galileo, 
lead 
by 
British 
Airways 
and 
KLM, 
and 
the 
other 
group 
– 
led 
by 
Air 
France 
and 
SAS, 
named 
its 
project 
Amadeus. 
Air 
France, 
Iberia, 
Lufthansa 
and 
SAS 
finally 
founded 
Amadeus 
as 
a 
Global 
Distribution 
Systems 
(GDS) 
provider 
in 
June 
1987. 
The 
first 
booking 
through 
the 
Amadeus 
system 
occurred 
in 
1992. 
Over 
ten 
years 
later, 
in 
October 
1999, 
Amadeus 
conducted 
the 
initial 
public 
offering 
of 
its 
shares, 
which 
are 
now 
listed 
and 
traded 
on 
the 
Madrid, 
Paris 
and 
Frankfurt 
stock 
exchanges. 
After 
approximately 
six 
years 
of 
trading, 
private 
equity 
funds 
advised 
by 
BC 
Partners 
and 
Cinven 
completed 
Amadeus’ 
acquisition 
of 
a 
majority 
stake 
in 
mid-­‐2005 
and 
took 
Amadeus 
private, 
creating 
the 
company 
that 
exists 
today. 
These 
funds, 
along 
with 
Air 
France, 
Iberia 
and 
Lufthansa 
Commercial 
Holding, 
remain 
Amadeus’ 
key 
shareholders. 
Amadeus 
has 
its 
business 
sites 
spread 
over 
three 
countries. 
While 
headquarters 
and 
marketing 
can 
be 
found 
in 
Madrid, 
Spain, 
product 
development 
is 
based 
in 
Sophia 
Antipolis, 
France 
and 
data 
processing 
is 
based 
in 
Erding 
(near 
Munich), 
Germany. 
The 
company 
also 
has 
regional 
offices 
in 
the 
US, 
Argentina, 
Thailand, 
and 
Dubai 
and 
173 
local 
Amadeus 
Commercial 
Organisations 
(ACOs) 
covering 
clients 
in 
195 
countries. 
Overall, 
the 
Amadeus 
Group 
employs 
more 
than 
10,000 
people 
worldwide. 
3 
Business 
overview
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
Today, 
Amadeus 
is 
a 
leading 
transaction 
processor 
for 
the 
global 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry, 
which 
provides 
advanced 
technology 
solutions 
to 
its 
travel 
provider 
and 
travel 
agency 
customers 
worldwide. 
It 
has 
two 
main 
areas 
of 
business, 
which 
generate 
significant 
synergies: 
Distribution 
and 
IT 
Solutions. 
Amadeus 
acts 
as 
an 
international 
network 
providing 
real-­‐time 
search, 
pricing, 
booking, 
ticketing 
and 
other 
processing 
solutions 
to 
travel 
providers 
and 
travel 
agencies 
through 
its 
Distribution 
department, 
while 
the 
IT 
Solutions 
department 
offers 
travel 
providers 
(principally 
airlines) 
an 
extensive 
portfolio 
of 
technology 
solutions 
which 
automate 
certain 
mission-­‐critical 
business 
processes, 
such 
as 
reservations, 
inventory 
management 
and 
other 
operational 
processes. 
The 
company 
counts 
with 
a 
transaction-­‐based 
pricing 
model 
that 
allows 
its 
customers 
to 
convert 
certain 
of 
their 
fixed 
technology 
costs 
into 
variable 
costs 
that 
vary 
with 
passenger 
volumes 
and 
links 
its 
revenue 
to 
global 
travel 
volumes 
rather 
than 
travel 
spending, 
thus 
reducing 
the 
volatility 
of 
Amadeus’ 
results 
of 
operations. 
In 
terms 
of 
customers, 
Amadeus 
has 
two 
key 
categories 
of 
customers: 
1. Travel 
providers, 
including 
airlines, 
hotels, 
rail 
operators, 
cruise 
and 
ferry 
4 
operators, 
car 
rental 
companies, 
tour 
operators 
and 
insurance 
companies 
2. Travel 
agencies, 
including 
online 
and 
offline 
travel 
agencies. 
In 
limited 
cases 
they 
also 
provide 
certain 
products 
and 
services 
to 
travel 
buyers, 
including 
corporate 
travel 
departments 
and 
to 
end 
consumers. 
Amadeus 
is 
a 
mayor 
player 
within 
the 
Global 
Travel 
and 
Tourism 
Industry 
and 
the 
Global 
Travel 
Technology 
Industry. 
With 
regards 
to 
the 
Global 
Travel 
and 
Tourism 
Industry, 
the 
World 
Travel 
and 
Tourism 
Council 
estimated 
this 
industry 
to 
have 
generated 
US$6.3 
trillion 
of 
economic 
activity 
in 
2011 
(9.1% 
of 
global 
GDP).1 
In 
terms 
of 
the 
Global 
Travel 
Technology 
Industry, 
this 
sector 
experienced 
significant 
technological 
advancements 
made 
in 
the 
past 
30 
years 
in 
the 
areas 
of 
computing 
and 
1 
http://www.wttc.org/site_media/uploads/downloads/WTTC_Review_2011.pdf
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
communications 
that 
have 
revolutionized 
the 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry. 
The 
continuing 
shift 
to 
digitization, 
requiring 
enhanced 
data 
processing 
and 
management 
capacity 
have 
led 
to 
an 
increase 
of 
Amadeus 
product 
offering 
and 
brand 
awareness 
globally. 
Product 
Offering 
Amadeus 
offers 
two 
main 
categories 
of 
products 
each 
aimed 
at 
different 
customers 
in 
the 
market 
and 
with 
their 
own 
business 
model. 
Global 
Distribution 
Systems 
Within 
the 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry, 
Amadeus’ 
GDS 
platform 
connects 
a 
large 
number 
of 
travel 
providers 
(airlines, 
hotels 
etc.) 
with 
a 
large 
number 
of 
travel 
agencies 
(like 
American 
Express 
Travel, 
TUI, 
Expedia 
etc.), 
through 
which 
corporations 
and 
end 
consumers 
can 
access 
travel 
content. 
The 
international 
GDS 
providers 
have 
now 
evolved 
into 
independent, 
global 
networks 
connecting 
the 
full 
spectrum 
of 
travel 
providers 
(both 
air 
and 
non-­‐air), 
travel 
agencies 
(both 
online 
and 
offline) 
and 
travel 
buyers 
(end 
consumers 
and 
corporate 
travel 
departments). 
A 
GDS 
provider 
creates 
value 
within 
the 
travel 
distribution 
chain 
by 
aggregating 
inventory 
from 
multiple 
travel 
suppliers 
and 
offering 
travel 
intermediaries 
streamlined 
capabilities 
to 
provide 
an 
integrated 
interface 
displaying 
a 
wide 
variety 
of 
choices, 
prices 
and 
itineraries 
available 
to 
their 
customers. 
The 
GDS 
Model 
GDS 
providers 
operate 
primarily 
on 
a 
fee-­‐per-­‐transaction 
basis, 
collecting 
a 
booking 
fee 
from 
the 
relevant 
travel 
provider 
for 
travel 
bookings 
processed 
through 
their 
GDS 
platform. 
Although 
such 
bookings 
are 
initiated 
and 
completed 
through 
travel 
agencies, 
the 
fee 
is 
paid 
by 
the 
travel 
provider. 
In 
an 
attempt 
to 
maintain 
and 
grow 
the 
reach 
of 
their 
network, 
GDS 
providers 
generally 
offer 
volume-­‐based 
incentives 
and 
other 
economic 
inducements 
to 
their 
travel 
agency 
customers 
to 
process 
more 
bookings. 
The 
following 
diagram 
presents 
a 
simplified 
overview 
of 
the 
key 
financial 
flows 
for 
this 
two-­‐sided 
transaction-­‐based 
business 
model. 
5
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
IT 
Solutions 
Amadeus 
provides 
technology 
solutions 
that 
automate 
certain 
mission-­‐critical 
business 
processes. 
Amadeus’ 
IT 
portfolio 
covers 
everything 
from 
the 
development 
and 
the 
provision 
of 
IT 
solutions 
that 
enable 
processes 
such 
as 
central 
reservation, 
inventory 
management, 
departure 
control, 
e-­‐commerce, 
the 
provision 
of 
consulting 
services 
and 
other 
data 
and 
passenger 
processing 
and 
management 
services, 
to 
back-­‐ 
and 
mid-­‐office 
solutions 
for 
travel 
providers. 
Amadeus 
offers 
IT 
solutions 
to 
a 
large 
range 
of 
clients. 
A 
significant 
component 
is 
its 
Altéa 
suite 
of 
airline 
IT 
solutions, 
enabling 
easy 
adaptation 
to 
the 
customers’ 
needs. 
IT 
solutions 
constituted 
€628 
million 
of 
revenues 
in 
2011. 
The 
IT 
Solutions 
Model 
While 
Amadeus’ 
competitors 
often 
use 
a 
“one-­‐to-­‐one” 
application 
hosting 
model 
(the 
company 
develops 
a 
system 
for 
the 
airline 
or 
system 
provider 
exclusively 
while 
remuneration 
is 
based 
on 
the 
number 
of 
transactions 
or 
a 
license) 
or 
a 
system 
outsourcing 
model 
(the 
outsourcing 
partner 
operates 
and 
manages 
the 
travel 
providers’ 
systems 
through 
a 
simple 
application 
hosting 
environment 
and 
remuneration 
is 
generally 
on 
a 
fixed 
price), 
Amadeus 
uses 
the 
community 
platform 
model 
for 
its 
Altéa 
offering 
and 
its 
non-­‐air 
business 
solutions. 
This 
means 
that 
Amadeus 
provides, 
manages, 
customizes 
and 
continually 
develops 
the 
technology 
system 
using 
a 
standardized 
solution 
which 
is 
shared 
by 
all 
customers 
connected 
to 
the 
IT 
solutions 
provider’s 
platform. 
Customers 
benefit 
from 
common 
development 
costs 
and 
shared 
system 
upgrades 
and 
fees 
are 
charged 
on 
a 
per-­‐ 
transaction 
basis. 
Key 
Markets 
and 
Market 
Share 
As 
mentioned 
in 
the 
beginning, 
Amadeus 
operates 
globally 
in 
over 
190 
countries 
through 
a 
network 
of 
173 
local 
ACOs, 
which 
establish 
and 
maintain 
the 
company’s 
relationships 
with 
local 
travel 
agencies 
and 
other 
subscribers, 
providing 
customer 
support 
and 
training 
in 
the 
markets 
they 
serve. 
Initially, 
some 
of 
the 
local 
ACOs 
were 
operated 
as 
joint 
venture 
companies 
with 
airlines 
from 
the 
countries 
they 
served, 
but 
over 
time 
Amadeus 
acquired 
and 
successfully 
integrated 
a 
substantial 
majority 
of 
these 
organizations 
within 
its 
operations, 
strengthening 
its 
control 
over 
sales 
and 
customer 
service 
processes. 
The 
local 
ACOs 
are 
supported 
by 
the 
regional 
centers 
located 
in 
Buenos 
Aires, 
Bangkok, 
Dubai 
and 
Miami, 
which 
provide 
commercial 
management, 
customer 
support 
and 
development 
of 
products 
for 
their 
respective 
regions.2 
Amadeus 
is 
the 
largest 
GDS 
provider 
serving 
the 
worldwide 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry, 
with 
an 
estimated 
market 
share 
of 
38% 
in 
2011.3 
According 
to 
T2R, 
Amadeus 
is 
also 
the 
market 
leader 
in 
the 
provision 
of 
mission-­‐critical 
Passenger 
Service 
Systems, 
or 
PSS, 
solutions 
(including 
e-­‐commerce) 
to 
airlines, 
which 
comprises 
a 
substantial 
part 
of 
Amadeus’ 
IT 
Solutions 
business 
area, 
with 
an 
estimated 
market 
share 
(in 
terms 
of 
revenue) 
of 
25%. 
In 
6 
2 
See 
Appendix 
1 
3 
See 
Appendix 
2
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
20011, 
Amadeus 
generated 
revenue 
of 
€2,707 
million, 
adjusted 
EBITDA 
of 
€1,039 
million 
and 
profits 
of 
€466 
million. 
7 
4 
External 
Analysis 
I 
The 
Macro-­‐Environment 
This 
section 
aims 
to 
examine 
the 
different 
macro-­‐environmental 
factors 
that 
could 
potentially 
affect 
Amadeus 
and 
that 
it 
should 
take 
into 
consideration 
when 
assessing 
particular 
strategies. 
The 
worldwide 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry, 
or 
the 
global 
travel 
technology 
industry, 
in 
which 
Amadeus 
operates 
are 
highly 
sensitive 
to 
general 
macro-­‐ 
economic 
conditions 
and 
trends. 
Factors 
that 
negatively 
impact 
these 
industries 
could 
have 
a 
material, 
adverse 
effect 
on 
Amadeus 
if 
not 
accounted 
for 
when 
assessing 
strategies. 
PESTEL 
Analysis 
First, 
we 
will 
start 
analyzing 
the 
macroeconomic 
factors 
likely 
to 
affect 
Amadeus’ 
business 
in 
the 
short 
and 
long-­‐term 
using 
the 
PESTEL 
framework. 
Political 
The 
global 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry 
has 
shown 
strong 
expansion 
over 
the 
past 
30 
years, 
with 
growth 
rates 
typically 
outperforming 
general 
macroeconomic 
trends. 
Air 
travel 
volumes 
are 
increasing 
because 
of 
continuing 
global 
GDP 
growth, 
rising 
income 
levels 
in 
growth 
markets, 
and 
increased 
globalization 
and 
this 
should 
positively 
impact 
Amadeus. 
Furthermore, 
there 
is 
an 
increasing 
importance 
on 
growth 
markets 
such 
as 
the 
Middle 
East 
and 
Asia 
Pacific 
regions, 
which 
are 
becoming 
key 
drivers 
of 
the 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry. 
Global 
security 
issues, 
political 
instability, 
act 
or 
threats 
of 
terrorism 
and 
other 
political 
issues 
(for 
example, 
prolonged 
work 
stoppages 
or 
labor 
unrest) 
make 
the 
worldwide 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry 
highly 
susceptible 
to 
factors 
outside 
of 
Amadeus’ 
control. 
When 
looking 
at 
international 
strategies, 
Amadeus 
must 
also 
take 
into 
consideration 
restrictive 
government 
policies 
such 
as 
restrictions 
on 
travel 
in 
general 
(more 
burdensome 
visa 
requirement 
and 
restrictions), 
restrictions 
on 
the 
withdrawal 
of 
international 
investments 
and 
earning 
or 
other 
related 
restrictions 
on 
the 
repatriation 
of 
cash 
generation 
by 
their 
international 
operations, 
and 
the 
political 
regulations 
in 
regards 
to 
nationalization 
or 
expropriation 
of 
assets. 
Economical 
Interest 
rate 
fluctuations 
may 
adversely 
impact 
the 
results 
of 
Amadeus’ 
operation 
because 
fluctuations 
would 
modify 
the 
fair 
value 
of 
their 
assets 
and 
liabilities 
that 
accrue 
at 
a 
fixed 
interest 
rate 
and 
the 
cash 
flows 
from 
the 
assets 
and 
liabilities 
pegged 
to 
a 
variable 
interest 
rate, 
which 
would 
affect 
their 
equity 
and 
profitability. 
Amadeus 
in 
2009 
had 
financial 
debts 
of 
€4009m 
and 
97.1% 
of 
this 
debt 
value 
is 
subject 
to 
variable 
interest 
rates 
and 
this 
is 
a 
huge 
financial 
risk 
for 
them. 
Furthermore, 
fluctuations 
in 
the 
exchange 
rate 
of 
the 
Euro, 
the 
US 
Dollar, 
and 
other 
foreign 
currents 
could 
negatively 
impact 
Amadeus’ 
operating 
expenses 
and 
revenue 
since 
a 
significant 
portion 
of 
their 
revenue 
is 
denominated 
in 
currencies 
other 
than 
4 
See 
Appendix 
3
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
the 
Euro. 
14.1% 
of 
Amadeus’ 
revenue 
was 
denominated 
in 
US 
Dollar 
and 
this 
requires 
highly 
effective 
and 
insightful 
currency 
hedging 
to 
mitigate 
the 
risks 
of 
currency 
fluctuations. 
World 
energy 
prices, 
particularly 
fuel 
prices, 
would 
also 
indirectly 
affect 
Amadeus. 
The 
most 
recent 
global 
economic 
crisis 
severely 
affected 
the 
airline 
industry 
and 
this 
in 
turn 
affected 
Amadeus’ 
operation. 
Social 
The 
worldwide 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry 
is 
heavily 
affected 
by 
the 
airline 
industry, 
especially 
in 
regards 
to 
social 
factors. 
Epidemics 
or 
pandemics 
such 
as 
the 
outbreaks 
of 
the 
H1N1 
influenza 
virus, 
socio-­‐political 
upheaval 
like 
the 
Arab 
Spring 
or 
aircraft, 
train, 
and 
other 
travel 
related 
accidents, 
threats, 
and 
acts 
of 
terrorism 
or 
security 
issues 
negatively 
affect 
the 
airline 
industry 
and, 
hence, 
have 
an 
adverse 
affect 
on 
Amadeus. 
The 
consumer 
trends, 
such 
as 
preferences 
of 
local 
populations 
for 
local 
providers, 
could 
further 
affect 
Amadeus. 
When 
examining 
strategies, 
Amadeus 
must 
also 
take 
into 
consideration 
differences 
in 
distance, 
time 
zones, 
language, 
and 
cultural 
differences 
including 
issues 
associated 
with 
establishing 
management, 
distribution, 
and 
support 
systems. 
Technological 
Amadeus 
must 
constantly 
keep 
track 
of 
and 
adapt 
to 
technological 
development 
and 
industry 
trends, 
as 
they 
are 
extremely 
reliant 
upon 
IT 
and 
innovation 
for 
their 
business 
operations. 
Furthermore, 
as 
Amadeus 
has 
international 
operations, 
it 
must 
examine 
whether 
appropriate 
infrastructure 
or 
the 
development 
of 
such 
infrastructure 
exists 
in 
order 
to 
support 
the 
company’s 
technology, 
including 
the 
Internet 
as 
a 
broadcast, 
advertising, 
and 
commerce 
medium. 
In 
the 
last 
fiscal 
year, 
Amadeus 
spent 
€364m 
(13.4% 
of 
Revenue) 
in 
R&D 
to 
develop, 
roll 
out 
and 
maintain 
their 
technology 
platform.5 
Environmental 
As 
previously 
seen 
in 
social 
factors, 
the 
worldwide 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry 
is 
heavily 
affected 
by 
the 
airline 
industry, 
also 
especially 
in 
regards 
to 
environmental 
factors. 
Extreme 
weather 
and 
natural 
disasters 
like 
the 
earthquakes 
in 
Japan 
have 
had 
a 
strong 
negative 
impact 
on 
the 
travel 
industry 
(Japanese 
Travel 
& 
Tourism 
GDP 
fell 
by 
4% 
during 
2011)6. 
Changes 
in 
attitude 
towards 
the 
environmental 
impact 
of 
carbon 
emissions 
caused 
by 
air 
travel 
could 
affect 
Amadeus’ 
operations 
in 
the 
futures 
(this 
could 
also 
be 
classified 
as 
a 
social 
factor). 
Legal 
Amadeus 
must 
take 
intellectual 
property 
rights 
into 
great 
account 
as 
their 
success 
in 
part 
is 
due 
to 
their 
technology 
and 
other 
intellectual 
property. 
Amadeus 
must 
examine 
the 
intellectual 
property 
rights 
when 
looking 
at 
international 
strategies 
and 
expansion, 
as 
it 
is 
important 
to 
be 
protected 
effectively 
in 
all 
the 
jurisdictions 
in 
which 
they 
operate. 
Amadeus 
must 
also 
assess 
business 
practices 
that 
could 
affect 
their 
operations, 
such 
as 
potentially 
longer 
payment 
cycles 
and 
differing 
accounting 
practices. 
Changes 
in 
laws 
and 
regulations 
governing 
or 
otherwise 
affecting 
the 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry 
could 
also 
affect 
Amadeus; 
8 
5 
See 
Appendix 
4 
6 
http://www.wttc.org/site_media/uploads/downloads/WTTC_Review_2011.pdf
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
Amadeus 
operates 
in 
a 
regulated 
industry 
in 
several 
jurisdictions, 
both 
in 
Spain 
and 
internationally, 
and 
they 
are 
subject 
to 
laws 
and 
regulations 
that 
could 
significantly 
affect 
their 
activities 
such 
as 
tax 
laws, 
consumer 
protection, 
pricing 
and 
discounts, 
specific 
provisions 
of 
GDS 
services, 
fair 
competition 
in 
the 
provision 
of 
GDS 
services, 
and 
privacy 
and 
data 
protection. 
Any 
failure 
to 
comply 
with 
such 
regulations 
or 
changes 
in 
these 
regulations 
could 
materially 
affect 
Amadeus. 
Furthermore, 
adverse 
competition 
law 
rulings 
could 
restrict 
Amadeus’ 
ability 
to 
expand 
or 
to 
operate 
their 
business 
as 
they 
wish 
and 
could 
expose 
them 
to 
possible 
fines 
and 
penalties. 
External 
Analysis 
II 
The 
Industry 
The 
World 
Travel 
and 
Tourism 
Council, 
or 
WTTC, 
estimated 
the 
global 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry 
to 
have 
generated 
US$6.3 
trillion 
of 
economic 
activity 
in 
2011, 
of 
which, 
industry 
suppliers 
and 
intermediaries 
such 
as 
Amadeus 
generated 
around 
$2 
trillion.7 
Technological 
advancements 
have 
revolutionized 
the 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry; 
Amadeus 
offers 
technology-­‐based 
products 
and 
services 
designed 
for 
the 
needs 
of 
the 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry, 
allowing 
one 
to 
also 
refer 
to 
this 
market 
as 
the 
“travel 
technology” 
industry. 
As 
additional 
information, 
the 
GDS 
industry 
is 
partially 
regulated 
in 
the 
EU, 
unlike 
in 
the 
US 
where 
there 
is 
full 
deregulation, 
and 
GDS 
providers 
are 
subject 
to 
rules 
aimed 
at 
preventing 
abuse 
of 
competition 
and 
ensuring 
the 
supply 
of 
neutral 
information 
to 
consumers. 
The 
Porter’s 
Five 
Forces 
Framework 
The 
section 
aims 
to 
identify 
the 
attractiveness 
of 
the 
industry 
in 
which 
Amadeus 
operates 
by 
using 
the 
Porter’s 
Five 
Forces 
framework. 
Buyers 
Amadeus 
has 
two 
key 
categories 
of 
customers: 
1) 
travel 
providers, 
including 
airlines, 
hotels, 
rail 
operators, 
cruise 
and 
ferry 
operators, 
car 
rental 
companies, 
tour 
operators 
and 
insurance 
companies, 
and 
2) 
travel 
agencies, 
including 
online 
and 
offline 
travel 
agencies. 
Amadeus 
derives 
a 
significant 
majority 
of 
their 
revenue 
from 
the 
booking 
fees 
they 
charge 
airlines 
for 
reservations 
made 
through 
their 
GDS 
platform. 
Due 
to 
the 
growth 
of 
low-­‐cost 
airlines, 
the 
recent 
economic 
downturn, 
and 
other 
factors, 
airlines 
are 
seeking 
to 
reduce 
operating 
costs, 
including 
distribution 
costs. 
Faced 
with 
this, 
airlines 
have 
launched 
diverse 
initiatives 
to 
reduce 
the 
booking 
fees 
they 
pay 
to 
GDS 
providers 
like 
Amadeus. 
As 
a 
result, 
new 
economic 
models 
for 
distribution 
through 
GDS 
providers 
have 
arisen, 
which 
has 
led 
to 
increased 
pricing 
competition 
among 
GDS 
provider, 
which 
directly 
affects 
Amadeus. 
Furthermore, 
travel 
providers 
are 
currently 
seeking 
to 
decrease 
their 
reliance 
on 
GDS 
providers 
and 
look 
for 
alternative 
distribution 
models, 
including 
direct 
distribution 
models 
(such 
as 
an 
airline 
selling 
tickets 
via 
its 
own 
website). 
If 
direct 
distribution 
were 
to 
account 
for 
an 
increasing 
proportion 
of 
the 
total 
number 
of 
air 
bookings 
made 
worldwide, 
it 
could 
cause 
fewer 
bookings 
through 
Amadeus’ 
GDS 
platform 
and 
this 
could 
directly 
affect 
their 
9 
7 
http://www.wttc.org/site_media/uploads/downloads/WTTC_Review_2011.pdf
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
business. 
Travel 
agencies 
are 
the 
primary 
channel 
of 
distribution 
for 
the 
services 
offered 
by 
Amadeus’ 
GDS 
platform. 
In 
recent 
years, 
travel 
agencies 
have 
been 
consolidating 
and 
forming 
groups, 
thus 
improving 
their 
bargaining 
position 
with 
respect 
to 
GDS 
providers, 
including 
Amadeus, 
and 
allowing 
them 
to 
negotiate 
for 
improved 
arrangements 
such 
as 
reduced 
subscription 
fees. 
Furthermore, 
as 
part 
of 
a 
defensive 
measure 
and 
in 
recent 
years 
airlines 
have 
been 
consolidating 
or 
strengthening 
their 
alliance 
activities, 
thus 
improving 
their 
bargaining 
position 
with 
respect 
to 
GDS 
providers 
and 
providers 
of 
IT 
solutions, 
including 
Amadeus. 
This 
improved 
bargaining 
position 
has 
affected 
the 
negotiation 
of 
the 
contractual 
terms 
governing 
the 
relationship 
between 
these 
airlines 
and 
their 
GDS/IT 
solutions 
provider, 
such 
as 
Amadeus. 
Suppliers 
Amadeus 
(and 
similar 
businesses) 
are 
dependent 
upon 
third-­‐party 
computer 
systems, 
service 
providers, 
and 
software 
companies 
(such 
as 
IBM, 
HP, 
Microsoft, 
Oracle, 
etc.) 
and 
rely 
on 
several 
communications 
companies 
internationally 
(such 
as 
Telefonica, 
British 
Telecom, 
Deutsche 
Telecom 
etc.) 
to 
provide 
network 
connections 
between 
its 
data 
processing 
facility 
and 
its 
customers. 
Amadeus 
needs 
to 
maintain 
effective 
relationships 
with 
these 
third-­‐party 
technology 
and 
service 
suppliers 
because 
if 
any 
arrangements 
with 
these 
suppliers 
were 
to 
be 
terminated, 
they 
may 
not 
be 
able 
to 
find 
an 
alternative 
source 
of 
technology 
or 
systems 
support 
on 
commercially 
reasonable 
terms 
or 
on 
a 
timely 
basis 
or 
at 
all, 
which 
would 
result 
in 
significant 
business 
disruption 
and 
additional 
cost. 
Additionally, 
many 
agreements 
with 
third-­‐party 
suppliers 
are 
terminable 
on 
short 
notice 
and 
provide 
limited 
remedy 
for 
service 
interruptions. 
In 
this 
industry, 
third-­‐party 
service 
providers, 
software 
companies, 
and 
communication 
companies 
have 
the 
greater 
bargaining 
power 
because 
Amadeus’ 
and 
other 
related 
companies’ 
product 
offering 
is 
dependent 
and 
relies 
upon 
them. 
Competitive 
Rivalry 
Factors 
affecting 
GDS 
Services: 
As 
the 
GDS 
industry 
operates 
within 
a 
two-­‐sided 
network 
model, 
the 
competitive 
positioning 
of 
a 
GDS 
provider 
depends 
on 
its 
success 
in 
attracting 
and 
retaining 
both 
its 
travel 
providers 
and 
travel 
agency 
customers. 
Amadeus 
must 
offer 
competitive 
terms 
to 
its 
travel 
providers 
and 
travel 
agency 
customers. 
Understanding 
and 
successfully 
managing 
this 
two-­‐way 
interrelationship 
and 
achieving 
meaningful 
market 
share 
is 
key 
to 
remaining 
competitive 
as 
a 
GDS 
provider; 
The 
pursuit 
of 
expanded 
customer 
bases 
has 
given 
rise 
to 
a 
drive 
towards 
greater 
consolidation 
in 
the 
GDS 
industry. 
Therefore, 
Amadeus 
must 
differentiate 
itself 
through 
their 
product 
offering 
and 
grow 
their 
customer 
base 
by 
1) 
securing 
broader 
and 
more 
comprehensive 
inventory 
from 
travel 
providers 
than 
their 
competitors, 
and 
2) 
maintaining 
a 
more 
extensive 
network 
of 
travel 
agency 
customers 
than 
their 
competitors. 
GDS 
Services 
Key 
Competitors: 
The 
international 
GDS 
market 
is 
large 
and 
relatively 
concentrated, 
with 
4 
international 
GDS 
providers. 
Three 
companies 
(Amadeus, 
Sabre, 
and 
Travelport) 
account 
for 
around 
95% 
of 
GDS-­‐processed 
air 
bookings 
and 
the 
other 
5% 
is 
accounted 
for 
by 
Abacus. 
At 
a 
global 
level, 
Amadeus 
competes 
primarily 
with 
Sabre 
and 
Teleport, 
although 
Abacus 
is 
a 
strong 
regional 
competitor 
in 
the 
Asia 
Pacific 
region. 
In 
addition 
to 
these 
3 
main 
international 
GDS 
competitors, 
there 
are 
a 
number 
of 
local 
10
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
Computer 
Reservation 
System 
(CRS) 
providers, 
which 
are 
primarily 
owned 
by 
airlines 
and 
operated 
exclusively 
in 
their 
home 
countries. 
Amadeus’ 
GDS 
platform 
has 
been 
the 
global 
leader 
from 
2000 
to 
20011, 
having 
the 
highest 
market 
share. 
Factors 
affecting 
IT 
Solutions 
Competition 
in 
this 
IT 
Solutions 
industry 
can 
be 
based 
on 
how 
Amadeus 
and 
its 
competitors 
differentiate 
themselves 
through 
1) 
the 
pricing 
structure, 
2) 
the 
ability 
of 
competitors 
to 
keep 
up 
with 
technological 
developments, 
3) 
the 
effectiveness 
and 
reliability 
of 
competitors’ 
implementation 
and 
system-­‐migration 
process, 
4) 
the 
ability 
of 
competitors 
to 
tailor 
IT 
solutions 
to 
the 
needs 
of 
individual 
customers 
and 
to 
offer 
“one 
stop 
shops”, 
5) 
the 
effectiveness 
and 
reliability 
of 
their 
systems, 
and 
6) 
the 
cost 
and 
efficiency 
of 
customer 
support 
services. 
IT 
Solutions 
Key 
Competitors 
The 
IT 
solutions 
market 
is 
highly 
fragmented 
with 
several 
players 
focusing 
on 
specific 
subsectors 
and 
operating 
different 
business 
models. 
Travel 
Technology 
Research 
(T2R) 
estimated 
that 
approximately 
30% 
of 
all 
airline 
IT 
solutions 
are 
still 
developed 
and 
maintained 
in-­‐house, 
which 
presents 
travel 
technology 
companies 
like 
Amadeus 
with 
both 
a 
challenge 
and 
an 
opportunity 
to 
acquire 
this 
30% 
as 
customers. 
It 
is 
expected 
that 
this 
30% 
will 
begin 
to 
outsource 
their 
IT 
solutions 
to 
companies 
like 
Amadeus. 
In 
2008, 
T2R 
estimated 
that 
Amadeus 
had 
a 
market 
share, 
measured 
in 
terms 
of 
revenue, 
of 
28%, 
with 
no 
other 
single 
competitor 
achieving 
a 
market 
share 
of 
more 
than 
9%. 
Third 
part 
competitors 
include 
large 
third-­‐party 
vendors, 
such 
as 
Sabre 
Airline 
Solutions, 
and 
other 
niche 
providers 
like 
Lufthansa 
systems. 
Substitutes 
A 
substitute 
to 
Amadeus’ 
services 
may 
be 
to 
do 
things 
in-­‐house 
rather 
than 
from 
third-­‐party 
providers 
like 
Amadeus. 
Travel 
providers 
may 
instead 
opt 
to 
use 
direct 
distribution 
methods 
or 
other 
alternative 
forms 
of 
distribution. 
They 
may 
also 
opt 
to 
have 
their 
own 
internal 
software 
and 
IT 
developments, 
which 
would 
be 
quite 
costly. 
These 
are 
the 
substitutes 
available 
to 
travel 
agencies 
and 
travel 
providers; 
they 
may 
be 
costly 
and 
whether 
the 
quality 
and 
efficiency 
they 
offer 
will 
be 
up 
to 
par 
with 
that 
of 
Amadeus 
and 
other 
GDS 
and 
IT 
Solutions 
companies 
is 
questionable. 
When 
examining 
Amadeus’ 
success 
based 
on 
its 
huge 
market 
share 
in 
both 
businesses, 
it 
seems 
unlikely 
that 
their 
current 
customers 
would 
opt 
for 
substitutes; 
the 
cost 
of 
switching 
would 
be 
too 
high 
and 
the 
move 
would 
just 
be 
unnecessary. 
Potential 
Entrants 
and 
Barriers 
to 
Entry 
Amadeus 
operates 
in 
a 
travel 
technology 
industry 
segment 
that 
is 
characterized 
by 
having 
high 
barriers 
to 
entry. 
Firstly, 
there 
is 
a 
high 
level 
of 
investment 
in 
technology 
(Amadeus 
spends 
€300m 
in 
R&D 
each 
year), 
which 
is 
used 
in 
developing, 
and 
maintaining 
the 
platforms 
required 
for 
distribution 
and 
IT 
Solutions. 
Most 
of 
the 
players 
in 
this 
industry 
have 
the 
resource, 
which 
is 
needed 
to 
compete 
efficiently 
on 
a 
global 
scale. 
Success 
in 
this 
industry 
is 
heavily 
characterized 
by 
long-­‐term 
contracts 
and 
relationships 
leading 
players 
such 
as 
Amadeus 
have 
for 
both 
distribution 
and 
IT 
Solutions 
and 
buyer-­‐switching 
cost 
is 
too 
11
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
high. 
Finally, 
the 
mission 
critical 
nature 
of 
the 
distribution 
and 
IT 
Solutions 
platform 
is 
very 
difficult 
to 
replicate 
and 
most 
customers 
tend 
to 
approach 
providers 
of 
established 
platforms 
for 
such 
services. 
Internal 
Analysis 
After 
looking 
at 
the 
external 
factors 
governing 
the 
industry 
Amadeus 
is 
participating 
in, 
we 
will 
now 
look 
at 
Amadeus 
itself 
and 
both 
its 
strengths 
and 
weaknesses 
deriving 
from 
the 
company’s 
capabilities 
and 
the 
characteristics 
of 
the 
very 
special 
industry. 
Competitive 
Strengths 
First, 
we 
will 
look 
at 
the 
company’s 
strengths. 
Advanced 
Technology 
& 
Scalable 
Platform 
for 
Future 
Growth 
Amadeus 
operates 
in 
an 
industry 
characterized 
by 
rapid 
technological 
change 
and 
evolving 
customer 
demand. 
To 
cater 
to 
this 
industry 
characteristic, 
Amadeus 
has 
always 
been 
and 
continues 
to 
be 
consistent 
in 
their 
focus 
on 
innovation 
and 
heavy 
investment 
in 
product 
development, 
which 
has 
given 
them 
a 
first 
mover 
advantage 
in 
areas 
such 
as 
airlines 
e-­‐ 
commerce 
technology8. 
Technological 
innovation 
is 
one 
of 
Amadeus’ 
key 
drivers 
of 
success; 
as 
competition 
increases 
to 
offer 
superior 
customer 
solutions 
and 
technology, 
it 
has 
to 
be. 
Through 
its 
commitment 
to 
product 
development, 
Amadeus 
has 
created 
a 
highly 
scalable 
community 
based 
technology 
platform 
to 
flexibly 
and 
reliably 
serve 
distribution 
and 
IT 
needs 
of 
its 
customers. 
Amadeus’ 
technology 
is 
one 
of 
its 
core 
competences; 
its 
focus 
on 
creating 
a 
technologically 
superior, 
highly 
reliable, 
flexible 
and 
scalable 
platform 
positions 
them 
for 
growth 
and 
increased 
margins. 
Brand 
& 
Intellectual 
Property 
Amadeus’ 
ability 
to 
compete 
successfully 
is 
highly 
dependent 
on 
their 
technology 
platform 
and 
other 
intellectual 
property 
including 
their 
brands. 
Amadeus’ 
significant 
assets 
are 
its 
software 
and 
other 
proprietary 
information 
and 
intellectual 
property 
rights. 
Maintaining 
and 
expanding 
the 
portfolio 
of 
product 
and 
service 
brands 
are 
important 
aspects 
of 
Amadeus’ 
efforts 
to 
attract 
and 
expand 
their 
customer 
base. 
Highly 
synergetic 
business 
with 
a 
broad 
and 
loyal 
customer 
base 
Amadeus 
have 
two 
highly 
synergetic 
core 
businesses: 
Distribution 
and 
IT 
Solutions 
exhibit 
strong 
technological 
synergies 
and 
gives 
customers 
the 
benefit 
of 
common 
IT 
and 
software 
applications 
and 
platforms 
which 
are 
all 
connected 
to 
the 
same 
data 
center 
and 
communications 
network.9 
The 
ability 
to 
effectively 
bundle 
their 
synergetic 
core 
business 
offerings 
gives 
them 
a 
long-­‐term 
competitive 
advantage 
in 
terms 
of 
cost 
and 
solutions 
offering. 
Amadeus 
benefits 
from 
these 
considerable 
synergies, 
since 
their 
core 
businesses 
cater 
primarily 
to 
the 
same 
customer 
groups. 
Amadeus 
could 
leverage 
on 
its 
existing 
customer 
base 
and 
either 
cross 
sell 
new 
products 
or 
acquire 
new 
customers 
in 
other 
12 
8 
See 
Appendix 
6 
9 
See 
Appendix 
7
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
segments 
of 
the 
travel 
industry. 
It 
is 
also 
very 
interesting 
to 
note 
that, 
unlike 
their 
competitors, 
Amadeus 
established 
local 
support 
offices 
in 
the 
countries 
in 
which 
they 
operate 
to 
provide 
technical 
support 
to 
customers 
and 
acquire 
new 
customers 
while 
accumulating 
knowledge 
of 
the 
local 
market. 
Finally, 
Amadeus 
has 
a 
highly 
diversified 
mix 
in 
terms 
of 
its 
customers 
and 
their 
geographical 
location, 
which 
enables 
Amadeus 
to 
have 
multiple 
revenue 
streams 
and 
not 
rely 
on 
any 
single 
source. 
Transaction 
based, 
resilient 
Business 
Model 
The 
highly 
resilient 
nature 
of 
Amadeus’ 
business 
model 
has 
taken 
form 
since 
their 
revenue 
is 
linked 
to 
travel 
volumes 
rather 
than 
price, 
and 
this 
tends 
to 
be 
more 
resilient 
during 
economic 
downturns 
when 
travellers 
tend 
to 
be 
more 
price 
sensitive10 . 
Additionally, 
Amadeus 
has 
developed 
a 
high 
level 
of 
visibility 
and 
security 
in 
it’s 
long 
term 
business 
view, 
since 
it 
has 
established 
contracts 
with 
it’s 
customers 
spanning 
usually 
between 
10 
– 
15 
years 
with 
airlines 
for 
IT 
Solutions 
and 
3 
– 
5 
years 
contract 
with 
travel 
agents 
using 
it’s 
Distribution 
Services. 
Ability 
to 
identify, 
attract, 
train 
and 
retain 
committed, 
proven 
and 
highly 
experienced 
management 
team 
and 
staff 
Amadeus’ 
operation 
not 
only 
requires 
complex 
technological 
structures, 
but 
also 
people 
with 
highly 
specific 
skills, 
who 
are 
pivotal 
in 
Amadeus’ 
strategic 
capabilities. 
The 
combined 
vision 
of 
the 
team 
has 
driven 
continued 
innovation 
and 
allowed 
Amadeus 
to 
consistently 
gain 
market 
share 
in 
the 
highly 
complex 
travel 
technology 
market. 
The 
top 
management 
team 
has 
overseen 
all 
the 
key 
stages 
of 
Amadeus’ 
evolution 
and 
has 
driven 
Amadeus’ 
persistent 
growth 
throughout 
several 
economic 
cycles. 
The 
executive 
management 
has 
approximately 
12 
years 
of 
experience 
within 
Amadeus. 
The 
executive 
management 
team 
oversees 
the 
top 
management 
team, 
who 
has 
an 
average 
of 
around 
14 
years 
of 
experience 
within 
the 
company 
and 
has 
been 
instrumental 
in 
establishing 
a 
corporate 
culture 
of 
operational 
excellence 
and 
leading 
a 
highly 
educated, 
skilled, 
diverse 
and 
motivated 
workforce. 
Strong 
Financial 
Performance11 
It 
is 
very 
interesting 
to 
note 
that 
Amadeus’ 
transaction 
based 
business 
model 
has 
demonstrated 
high 
resilience 
through 
economic 
downturns 
and 
strong 
growth 
in 
periods 
of 
economic 
growth. 
Its 
revenue 
has 
grown 
by 
52% 
from 
€1816m 
in 
2004 
to 
€2707 
million 
in 
2011. 
Amadeus 
has 
actively 
streamlined 
its 
operations, 
improved 
use 
of 
capacity 
and 
resources, 
and 
cut 
cost 
on 
a 
per 
unit 
basis, 
which 
has 
led 
to 
an 
EBITDA 
growth 
of 
6.45% 
between 
2010 
and 
2011. 
It 
is 
worth 
mentioning 
the 
transformation 
of 
the 
mix 
of 
assets 
and 
liabilities 
of 
the 
company. 
In 
2007, 
the 
company 
was 
highly 
leveraged 
with 
more 
liabilities 
(€6.3bn) 
than 
assets 
(€5.55bn). 
The 
leverage 
ratio, 
hit 
an 
all 
time 
high 
of 
79% 
in 
2009 
and 
13 
10 
See 
Appendix 
8 
11 
Source: 
Bloomberg
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
this 
has 
gone 
down 
to 
45% 
in 
2011. 
This 
is 
mainly 
due 
to 
the 
fact 
that 
Amadeus 
has 
significantly 
reduced 
its 
debt 
from 
almost 
€6.3bn 
in 
2007 
to 
just 
below 
€4bn 
in 
201112. 
Well 
Positioned 
For 
Future 
Growth 
Amadeus 
is 
a 
world 
leader 
in 
distribution 
in 
almost 
every 
region 
and 
is 
well 
positioned 
to 
capitalize 
on 
their 
network 
effect 
to 
pursue 
further 
organic 
growth. 
Amadeus 
is 
the 
market 
leader 
in 
3 
out 
of 
the 
4 
BRIC 
countries 
and 
they 
have 
developed 
strong 
relationships 
with 
the 
national 
carriers 
in 
those 
countries. 
They 
have 
strong 
commercial 
relationships 
with 
airline 
alliances, 
where 
there 
is 
a 
strong 
demand 
for 
common 
IT 
platforms 
and 
they 
already 
have 
in 
their 
portfolio 
15/26 
Star 
Alliance 
airlines, 
8/11 
Oneworld 
airlines, 
and 
5/11 
Skyteam 
airlines, 
who 
have 
migrated 
to 
using 
Amadeus’ 
portfolio 
of 
IT 
solutions. 
Weaknesses 
& 
Operating 
Risks 
Now, 
we 
will 
look 
at 
Amadeus’ 
weaknesses. 
Defects 
or 
Errors 
in 
Distribution 
and/or 
IT 
Solutions 
Amadeus’ 
distribution 
and 
IT 
solutions 
are 
complex 
and 
could 
at 
one 
point 
contain 
undetected 
defects 
or 
errors, 
particularly 
when 
the 
product 
or 
product 
enhancement 
has 
been 
recently 
developed. 
Amadeus 
may 
not 
be 
able 
to 
discover 
defects 
until 
after 
these 
have 
been 
implemented 
and 
customers 
could 
discover 
these 
defects. 
This 
could 
result 
in 
delays 
in 
payments 
by 
customers, 
loss 
of 
customers 
and 
contract 
cancelations, 
harm 
to 
Amadeus’ 
reputation, 
increased 
maintenance 
expenses, 
increased 
insurance 
costs, 
and 
other 
significant 
costs 
to 
the 
company. 
System 
or 
Technology 
Disruption 
or 
Under-­‐Performance 
All 
of 
Amadeus’ 
data 
and 
transaction 
processing 
services 
are 
centralized 
in 
its 
data 
processing 
facility. 
They 
also 
have 
a 
disaster 
recovery 
center 
in 
the 
case 
of 
a 
system 
failure. 
If 
Amadeus 
does 
not 
maintain 
and 
improve 
its 
systems, 
it 
could 
result 
in 
system 
disruptions 
through 
delayed 
response 
times, 
unreliable 
service 
levels, 
insufficient 
system 
capacity 
and 
more, 
all 
which 
could 
result 
in 
losing 
customers 
and 
incurring 
liabilities. 
In 
addition 
to 
operating 
risks 
from 
not 
maintaining 
the 
system, 
Amadeus’ 
IT 
and 
systems 
are 
also 
vulnerable 
to 
damage 
from 
natural 
disasters, 
acts 
of 
terrorism 
and 
war, 
power 
losses, 
telecommunications 
and 
data 
network 
failures, 
sabotage 
and 
viruses, 
and 
the 
failure 
of 
third 
party 
systems 
or 
software 
on 
which 
Amadeus 
relies 
on. 
Evaluation 
of 
current 
strategy 
It 
is 
the 
goal 
of 
Amadeus 
to 
be 
the 
leading 
provider 
of 
transaction-­‐based 
distribution 
and 
IT 
solutions 
to 
the 
global 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry. 
The 
specific 
nature 
of 
the 
industry 
Amadeus 
competes 
in 
and 
the 
position 
it 
currently 
holds 
require 
it 
to 
focus 
on 
its 
key 
14 
12 
See 
Appendix 
9
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
strengths, 
which 
differentiate 
it 
from 
the 
market, 
and 
try 
and 
extend 
its 
customer 
network. 
This 
is 
also 
reflected 
in 
the 
current 
strategy 
the 
company 
is 
pursuing 
on 
a 
corporate 
level 
and 
in 
its 
separate 
business 
units. 
On 
the 
15 
corporate 
level, 
Amadeus 
aims 
to 
expand 
its 
business 
reach 
in 
a 
highly 
synergetic 
manner, 
capturing 
as 
many 
technology-­‐related 
transactions 
as 
possible 
across 
all 
stages 
of 
the 
travel 
procedure. 
Amadeus 
therefore 
aims 
to 
grow 
its 
customer 
base 
strongly. 
Additionally, 
penetrating 
the 
market 
further, 
covering 
everything 
from 
the 
initial 
planning 
process 
like 
searching 
and 
making 
reservations 
up 
until 
post-­‐trip 
activities 
such 
as 
expense 
claims 
and 
reporting, 
allows 
Amadeus 
to 
provide 
complete 
and 
highly 
integrated 
IT 
solutions 
to 
their 
customers 
while 
leveraging 
its 
existing 
technology 
platform 
to 
create 
immense 
synergies. 
Amadeus 
continues 
to 
focus 
on 
its 
technological 
leadership 
position 
in 
the 
market 
– 
one 
of 
its 
key 
factors 
to 
success. 
Growth 
and 
expansion 
of 
its 
two 
business 
units 
depend 
heavily 
on 
the 
company’s 
ability 
to 
continually 
develop 
advanced 
technology 
on 
a 
competitive 
basis. 
This 
is 
reflected 
in 
the 
average 
expense 
of 
about 
€300 
million 
on 
R&D 
during 
the 
last 
years.13 
The 
company 
has 
rightly 
understood 
that 
it 
needs 
to 
continue 
its 
strong 
commitment 
to 
product 
innovation 
and 
technological 
excellence 
to 
stay 
at 
the 
forefront 
of 
advances 
in 
the 
travel 
technology 
industry 
and 
preserve 
the 
market 
leader 
position. 
Amadeus 
also 
seeks 
to 
grow 
inorganically 
through 
selective 
acquisitions 
both 
nationally 
and 
internationally, 
which 
will 
allow 
the 
company 
to 
obtain 
additional 
competencies, 
technologies 
and/or 
customers, 
to 
enter 
new 
markets 
and 
business 
segments 
to 
reach 
its 
overall 
goal. 
Based 
on 
past 
excellence, 
shareholders 
expect 
a 
lot 
from 
Amadeus, 
which 
puts 
its 
future 
performance 
under 
a 
lot 
of 
pressure. 
However, 
they 
are 
stressing 
that 
growth 
through 
acquisitions 
can 
only 
be 
held 
up 
in 
the 
long-­‐term 
if 
the 
companies 
to 
be 
acquired 
create 
synergies 
and 
open 
up 
new 
opportunities 
for 
the 
company. 
While 
this 
might 
be 
seen 
as 
a 
limitation, 
it 
is 
the 
only 
right 
way 
to 
go 
about 
growth 
for 
Amadeus. 
On 
the 
business 
unit 
level, 
the 
company 
believes 
that 
continuous 
success 
can 
only 
be 
achieved 
with 
growth 
in 
both 
Distribution 
and 
IT 
Solutions. 
Amadeus 
continues 
its 
development 
of 
the 
distribution 
business 
in 
order 
to 
achieve 
sustained 
and 
profitable 
growth. 
Therefore, 
Amadeus 
focuses 
on 
increasing 
its 
market 
share 
worldwide 
through 
the 
consolidation 
of 
its 
business 
in 
Western 
Europe 
(e.g. 
the 
sale 
of 
Opodo) 
and 
expanding 
its 
operations 
in 
key 
growth 
areas 
such 
as 
Africa 
and 
South-­‐East 
Asia. 
It 
also 
pursues 
the 
continued 
competitiveness 
of 
its 
CGS 
platform 
globally, 
which 
is 
facilitated 
by 
the 
company’s 
efforts 
to 
continually 
enhance 
value 
for 
its 
customers 
through 
promoting 
its 
value-­‐based 
pricing 
model, 
enabling 
chargeable 
ancillary 
services, 
and 
continuing 
to 
improve 
the 
content 
of 
its 
GDS 
platforms, 
while 
enhancing 
and 
developing 
interfaces 
that 
allow 
end 
consumers 
to 
access 
information 
through 
mobile 
and 
other 
evolving 
technologies. 
Its 
current 
strategy 
for 
the 
distribution 
business 
also 
comprises 
diversification 
and 
growth 
of 
its 
revenue 
sources 
by 
targeting 
an 
expanded 
portfolio 
of 
GDS 
13 
See 
appendix 
3
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
solutions 
aimed 
at 
a 
wider 
range 
of 
clients, 
which 
led 
to 
the 
new 
establishment 
of 
a 
New 
Businesses 
unit. 
It 
makes 
Amadeus 
more 
independent 
of 
individual 
revenue 
sources, 
provides 
new 
opportunities 
and 
increases 
its 
client 
network. 
Amadeus 
has 
already 
extended 
its 
platform 
to 
airports 
(Nice 
airport), 
hotels, 
and 
key 
rail 
operators 
like 
Deutsche 
Bahn 
in 
Germany 
and 
RENFE 
in 
Spain, 
and 
aims 
at 
expanding 
the 
product 
and 
agreement 
scope 
dramatically 
over 
the 
next 
years. 
The 
IT 
solution 
business, 
especially 
the 
Altéa 
airline 
IT 
business, 
is 
expanded 
into 
adjacent 
business 
areas 
where 
Amadeus 
identifies 
synergies 
with 
its 
existing 
technologies 
and/or 
customer 
base. 
Up-­‐selling 
additional 
Altéa 
modules 
to 
existing 
IT 
clients, 
building 
on 
the 
strong 
relationships 
the 
company 
has 
established, 
is 
generating 
new 
opportunities 
for 
revenue 
growth. 
On 
an 
16 
organizational 
level 
the 
company 
understands 
that 
it 
is 
vital 
for 
the 
strategic 
goals 
mentioned 
above 
to 
continuously 
refine 
its 
internal 
processes 
and 
the 
active 
management 
of 
running 
costs 
involved 
in 
the 
development, 
marketing 
and 
implementation 
of 
its 
distribution 
and 
IT 
solutions. 
Therefore, 
initiatives 
to 
improve 
efficiency 
and 
cut 
non-­‐value 
adding 
activities 
are 
at 
the 
heart 
of 
Amadeus 
operational 
strategy. 
This 
will 
allow 
the 
company 
to 
provide 
better 
services 
to 
their 
clients 
in 
the 
future 
and 
increase 
its 
profitability. 
Amadeus’ 
current 
strategy 
is 
highly 
consistent 
with 
the 
company’s 
goals 
while 
taking 
into 
account 
industry 
specifics. 
Future 
recommendations 
Amadeus 
is 
already 
the 
market 
leader 
in 
its 
industry 
and 
a 
highly 
successful 
company. 
Its 
current 
strategy 
is 
aligned 
with 
the 
company’s 
ambitious 
goal 
to 
secure 
its 
market 
leader 
position 
and 
further 
grow 
extensively. 
However, 
if 
it 
wants 
to 
continue 
to 
do 
so, 
it 
must 
take 
into 
account 
various 
factors 
that 
will 
distinguish 
the 
future 
market 
leader 
from 
the 
rest. 
While 
high 
barriers 
to 
entry 
and 
high 
buyer 
switching 
costs 
currently 
protect 
players 
in 
the 
industry, 
a 
trend 
towards 
further 
deregulation 
of 
the 
European 
market 
will 
pose 
a 
challenge 
as 
well 
as 
an 
opportunity 
in 
this 
area. 
The 
ability 
to 
adapt 
quickly 
to 
those 
and 
other 
kind 
of 
changes 
has 
to 
be 
a 
core 
focus 
of 
the 
company. 
Apart 
from 
that, 
Amadeus 
has 
to 
further 
strengthen 
its 
core 
capabilities. 
It 
has 
to 
stay 
at 
the 
forefront 
of 
technological 
advancement, 
which 
means 
actively 
driving 
technological 
innovation 
through 
extensive 
R&D 
and 
providing 
technology 
that 
is 
perceptive 
to 
general 
consumer 
trends 
and 
customer 
demands 
like 
the 
trend 
towards 
mobile 
applications 
(making 
bookings 
through 
apps 
rather 
than 
webpages). 
Amadeus 
has 
already 
made 
first 
steps 
into 
this 
direction 
by 
conducting 
a 
study 
on 
the 
importance 
of 
mobile 
phones 
on 
air 
travel 
called 
“the 
always-­‐connected 
traveller”14. 
14 
See 
appendix 
10
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
In 
order 
to 
secure 
its 
position 
as 
the 
global 
industry 
leader, 
it 
should 
strengthen 
its 
position 
and 
increase 
its 
representation 
in 
fast-­‐growing 
markets 
like 
Africa, 
South-­‐East 
Asia 
and 
the 
BRIC 
states. 
The 
South-­‐East 
Asian 
market 
could 
be 
conquered 
by 
taking 
over 
the 
smallest 
of 
the 
four 
competitors, 
Abacus, 
in 
the 
case 
that 
this 
would 
comply 
with 
regulations, 
make 
sense 
financially, 
provide 
synergies, 
and 
assuming 
that 
Abacus’ 
customers 
would 
continue 
with 
Amadeus. 
While 
Amadeus 
has 
already 
established 
contracts 
with 
many 
members 
of 
most 
airline 
alliances, 
it 
could 
instead 
target 
alliances 
directly 
to 
capture 
all 
members. 
A 
standard 
system 
would 
be 
beneficial 
for 
the 
alliances 
as 
their 
members 
would 
all 
share 
the 
same 
service 
provider 
and 
be 
able 
to 
exchange 
data 
and 
information 
easily. 
Another 
idea 
that 
Amadeus 
could 
pursue 
is 
to 
offer 
basic 
packages 
for 
new, 
small 
airlines 
entering 
the 
market. 
Smaller 
airlines 
tend 
to 
use 
their 
own 
direct 
distribution 
systems; 
if 
Amadeus 
could 
provide 
a 
package 
that 
fits 
newcomers 
in 
the 
small 
airline 
segment, 
it 
could 
leverage 
its 
existing 
capabilities 
and 
technology 
while 
growing 
its 
customer 
base 
and 
establish 
long-­‐term 
relationships 
with 
market 
entrants. 
17 
Appendix 
Appendix 
1: 
Global 
Representation
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
18 
Appendix 
2: 
GDS 
Market 
Appendix 
3: 
Amadeus 
Income 
Statement
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
19 
Appendix 
4: 
R&D 
Investment
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
Appendix 
5: 
Key 
competitors 
Amadeus 
competes 
on 
a 
global 
level 
with 
Sabre 
and 
Travelport 
(the 
three 
collectively 
account 
for 
95% 
of 
GDS 
air 
bookings), 
and 
with 
Abacus 
(owned 
by 
a 
number 
of 
Asian 
airlines 
and 
Sabre; 
accounts 
for 
5% 
of 
GDS 
air 
bookings) 
in 
the 
Asia 
Pacific 
region. 
Sabre 
Sabre 
accounts 
for 
roughly 
29% 
of 
GDS 
processed 
air 
bookings 
in 
the 
industry 
and 
posted 
revenue 
of 
$2.9bn 
in 
2011. 
It 
is 
organized 
in 
four 
segments 
namely: 
1) Sabre 
Travel 
Networks 
– 
Division 
responsible 
for 
marketing 
and 
distributing 
travel-­‐ 
related 
products 
and 
services 
for 
it’s 
travel 
supplier 
participants 
through 
online 
and 
offline 
travel 
agencies 
and 
corporate 
channels. 
2) Sabre 
Airline 
Solutions 
– 
Division 
responsible 
for 
offering 
IT 
Solutions 
for 
airlines, 
20 
airports 
and 
government 
agencies. 
3) Travelocity 
– 
Division 
responsible 
for 
offering 
online 
travel 
services. 
4) Sabre 
Hospitality 
Solutions 
It 
is 
very 
interesting 
to 
note 
how 
Amadeus 
overtook 
Sabre 
to 
take 
a 
leading 
position 
in 
the 
GDS 
market. 
Amadeus 
built 
a 
highly 
scalable 
technological 
platform 
that 
could 
have 
modules 
attached 
to 
it 
rather 
than 
the 
Sabre 
platform, 
which 
required 
patches 
to 
be 
added 
in 
order 
to 
implement 
new 
changes 
or 
requirements 
by 
customers. 
Additionally, 
the 
Sabre 
platform 
was 
only 
available 
in 
English 
and 
their 
approach 
to 
customers 
in 
countries 
where 
English 
is 
not 
a 
native 
language 
was 
“take 
it 
or 
leave 
it”. 
Amadeus 
on 
the 
other 
hand 
provided 
customized 
solutions 
and 
operated 
with 
a 
think 
global 
and 
act 
local 
strategy. 
Travelport 
Travelport 
accounts 
for 
30% 
of 
GDS 
processed 
air 
bookings 
in 
the 
industry. 
Its 
portfolio 
includes 
Galileo, 
Apollo 
and 
Worldspan 
GDS 
platforms. 
It 
also 
operates 
Gullivers 
Travel 
which 
is 
a 
global 
wholesaler 
of 
accommodation, 
ground 
products 
and 
services 
to 
the 
travel 
and 
tourism 
industry. 
Travelport 
also 
owns 
a 
minority 
stake 
in 
Orbitz 
Worldwide(48%) 
which 
operates 
CheapTickets, 
ebookers 
and 
HotelClub. 
Travelport 
also 
provides 
airline 
IT 
services 
to 
some 
airlines.
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
21 
Appendix 
6: 
Amadeus 
R&D 
Appendix 
7: 
Amadeus’ 
Synergie
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
22 
Appendix 
8: 
Amadeus’ 
Transaction 
Based, 
Resilient 
Business 
Model
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
23 
Appendix 
9: 
Amadeus’ 
EBITDA/Debt 
Ratio
Strategic 
Analysis 
of 
Amadeus 
24 
Appendix 
10: 
Amadeus’ 
research

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Strategic Analysis for Amadeus

  • 1. Prepared by Khan Mohd Eshtiaque & Naye Moussa STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF AMADEUS, AN IBEX 35 COMPANY
  • 2. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus Content CORPORATE HISTORY AND GENERAL INFORMATION ...................................................................... 3 BUSINESS OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................................... 3 PRODUCT OFFERING ........................................................................................................................ 5 Global Distribution Systems ........................................................................................................... 5 The GDS Model ............................................................................................................................... 5 IT Solutions ..................................................................................................................................... 6 KEY MARKETS 2 AND MARKET SHARE ........................................................................................................... 6 EXTERNAL ANALYSIS I ...................................................................................................................... 7 THE MACRO-­‐ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................................................................... 7 PESTEL ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................... 7 Political ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Economical ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Social .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Technological ................................................................................................................................. 8 Environmental ................................................................................................................................ 8 Legal ............................................................................................................................................... 8 EXTERNAL ANALYSIS II ..................................................................................................................... 9 THE INDUSTRY ........................................................................................................................................ 9 THE PORTER’S FIVE FORCES FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................... 9 Buyers ............................................................................................................................................. 9 Suppliers ....................................................................................................................................... 10 Competitive Rivalry ...................................................................................................................... 10 Substitutes .................................................................................................................................... 11 Potential Entrants and Barriers to Entry ...................................................................................... 11 INTERNAL ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................... 12 COMPETITIVE STRENGTHS ...................................................................................................................... 12 WEAKNESSES & OPERATING RISKS ........................................................................................................... 14 EVALUATION OF CURRENT STRATEGY ........................................................................................... 14 FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................................... 16 APPENDIX ..................................................................................................................................... 17
  • 3. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus Corporate history and general Information In the late 70’s, American Airlines was the first airline to use a distribution system, which greatly helped them increasing and handling reservations. This distribution system consisted of a software connected to all travel agents so that American Airlines was on top of the available flights screen, highly increasing the number of reservations placed with the company. In the early 80’s, a group of European airlines got together to counter the American system Sabre. As there was a lot of political disagreement within the European airlines, though, they split into two groups. One group created a system called Galileo, lead by British Airways and KLM, and the other group – led by Air France and SAS, named its project Amadeus. Air France, Iberia, Lufthansa and SAS finally founded Amadeus as a Global Distribution Systems (GDS) provider in June 1987. The first booking through the Amadeus system occurred in 1992. Over ten years later, in October 1999, Amadeus conducted the initial public offering of its shares, which are now listed and traded on the Madrid, Paris and Frankfurt stock exchanges. After approximately six years of trading, private equity funds advised by BC Partners and Cinven completed Amadeus’ acquisition of a majority stake in mid-­‐2005 and took Amadeus private, creating the company that exists today. These funds, along with Air France, Iberia and Lufthansa Commercial Holding, remain Amadeus’ key shareholders. Amadeus has its business sites spread over three countries. While headquarters and marketing can be found in Madrid, Spain, product development is based in Sophia Antipolis, France and data processing is based in Erding (near Munich), Germany. The company also has regional offices in the US, Argentina, Thailand, and Dubai and 173 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations (ACOs) covering clients in 195 countries. Overall, the Amadeus Group employs more than 10,000 people worldwide. 3 Business overview
  • 4. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus Today, Amadeus is a leading transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, which provides advanced technology solutions to its travel provider and travel agency customers worldwide. It has two main areas of business, which generate significant synergies: Distribution and IT Solutions. Amadeus acts as an international network providing real-­‐time search, pricing, booking, ticketing and other processing solutions to travel providers and travel agencies through its Distribution department, while the IT Solutions department offers travel providers (principally airlines) an extensive portfolio of technology solutions which automate certain mission-­‐critical business processes, such as reservations, inventory management and other operational processes. The company counts with a transaction-­‐based pricing model that allows its customers to convert certain of their fixed technology costs into variable costs that vary with passenger volumes and links its revenue to global travel volumes rather than travel spending, thus reducing the volatility of Amadeus’ results of operations. In terms of customers, Amadeus has two key categories of customers: 1. Travel providers, including airlines, hotels, rail operators, cruise and ferry 4 operators, car rental companies, tour operators and insurance companies 2. Travel agencies, including online and offline travel agencies. In limited cases they also provide certain products and services to travel buyers, including corporate travel departments and to end consumers. Amadeus is a mayor player within the Global Travel and Tourism Industry and the Global Travel Technology Industry. With regards to the Global Travel and Tourism Industry, the World Travel and Tourism Council estimated this industry to have generated US$6.3 trillion of economic activity in 2011 (9.1% of global GDP).1 In terms of the Global Travel Technology Industry, this sector experienced significant technological advancements made in the past 30 years in the areas of computing and 1 http://www.wttc.org/site_media/uploads/downloads/WTTC_Review_2011.pdf
  • 5. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus communications that have revolutionized the travel and tourism industry. The continuing shift to digitization, requiring enhanced data processing and management capacity have led to an increase of Amadeus product offering and brand awareness globally. Product Offering Amadeus offers two main categories of products each aimed at different customers in the market and with their own business model. Global Distribution Systems Within the travel and tourism industry, Amadeus’ GDS platform connects a large number of travel providers (airlines, hotels etc.) with a large number of travel agencies (like American Express Travel, TUI, Expedia etc.), through which corporations and end consumers can access travel content. The international GDS providers have now evolved into independent, global networks connecting the full spectrum of travel providers (both air and non-­‐air), travel agencies (both online and offline) and travel buyers (end consumers and corporate travel departments). A GDS provider creates value within the travel distribution chain by aggregating inventory from multiple travel suppliers and offering travel intermediaries streamlined capabilities to provide an integrated interface displaying a wide variety of choices, prices and itineraries available to their customers. The GDS Model GDS providers operate primarily on a fee-­‐per-­‐transaction basis, collecting a booking fee from the relevant travel provider for travel bookings processed through their GDS platform. Although such bookings are initiated and completed through travel agencies, the fee is paid by the travel provider. In an attempt to maintain and grow the reach of their network, GDS providers generally offer volume-­‐based incentives and other economic inducements to their travel agency customers to process more bookings. The following diagram presents a simplified overview of the key financial flows for this two-­‐sided transaction-­‐based business model. 5
  • 6. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus IT Solutions Amadeus provides technology solutions that automate certain mission-­‐critical business processes. Amadeus’ IT portfolio covers everything from the development and the provision of IT solutions that enable processes such as central reservation, inventory management, departure control, e-­‐commerce, the provision of consulting services and other data and passenger processing and management services, to back-­‐ and mid-­‐office solutions for travel providers. Amadeus offers IT solutions to a large range of clients. A significant component is its Altéa suite of airline IT solutions, enabling easy adaptation to the customers’ needs. IT solutions constituted €628 million of revenues in 2011. The IT Solutions Model While Amadeus’ competitors often use a “one-­‐to-­‐one” application hosting model (the company develops a system for the airline or system provider exclusively while remuneration is based on the number of transactions or a license) or a system outsourcing model (the outsourcing partner operates and manages the travel providers’ systems through a simple application hosting environment and remuneration is generally on a fixed price), Amadeus uses the community platform model for its Altéa offering and its non-­‐air business solutions. This means that Amadeus provides, manages, customizes and continually develops the technology system using a standardized solution which is shared by all customers connected to the IT solutions provider’s platform. Customers benefit from common development costs and shared system upgrades and fees are charged on a per-­‐ transaction basis. Key Markets and Market Share As mentioned in the beginning, Amadeus operates globally in over 190 countries through a network of 173 local ACOs, which establish and maintain the company’s relationships with local travel agencies and other subscribers, providing customer support and training in the markets they serve. Initially, some of the local ACOs were operated as joint venture companies with airlines from the countries they served, but over time Amadeus acquired and successfully integrated a substantial majority of these organizations within its operations, strengthening its control over sales and customer service processes. The local ACOs are supported by the regional centers located in Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Dubai and Miami, which provide commercial management, customer support and development of products for their respective regions.2 Amadeus is the largest GDS provider serving the worldwide travel and tourism industry, with an estimated market share of 38% in 2011.3 According to T2R, Amadeus is also the market leader in the provision of mission-­‐critical Passenger Service Systems, or PSS, solutions (including e-­‐commerce) to airlines, which comprises a substantial part of Amadeus’ IT Solutions business area, with an estimated market share (in terms of revenue) of 25%. In 6 2 See Appendix 1 3 See Appendix 2
  • 7. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus 20011, Amadeus generated revenue of €2,707 million, adjusted EBITDA of €1,039 million and profits of €466 million. 7 4 External Analysis I The Macro-­‐Environment This section aims to examine the different macro-­‐environmental factors that could potentially affect Amadeus and that it should take into consideration when assessing particular strategies. The worldwide travel and tourism industry, or the global travel technology industry, in which Amadeus operates are highly sensitive to general macro-­‐ economic conditions and trends. Factors that negatively impact these industries could have a material, adverse effect on Amadeus if not accounted for when assessing strategies. PESTEL Analysis First, we will start analyzing the macroeconomic factors likely to affect Amadeus’ business in the short and long-­‐term using the PESTEL framework. Political The global travel and tourism industry has shown strong expansion over the past 30 years, with growth rates typically outperforming general macroeconomic trends. Air travel volumes are increasing because of continuing global GDP growth, rising income levels in growth markets, and increased globalization and this should positively impact Amadeus. Furthermore, there is an increasing importance on growth markets such as the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions, which are becoming key drivers of the travel and tourism industry. Global security issues, political instability, act or threats of terrorism and other political issues (for example, prolonged work stoppages or labor unrest) make the worldwide travel and tourism industry highly susceptible to factors outside of Amadeus’ control. When looking at international strategies, Amadeus must also take into consideration restrictive government policies such as restrictions on travel in general (more burdensome visa requirement and restrictions), restrictions on the withdrawal of international investments and earning or other related restrictions on the repatriation of cash generation by their international operations, and the political regulations in regards to nationalization or expropriation of assets. Economical Interest rate fluctuations may adversely impact the results of Amadeus’ operation because fluctuations would modify the fair value of their assets and liabilities that accrue at a fixed interest rate and the cash flows from the assets and liabilities pegged to a variable interest rate, which would affect their equity and profitability. Amadeus in 2009 had financial debts of €4009m and 97.1% of this debt value is subject to variable interest rates and this is a huge financial risk for them. Furthermore, fluctuations in the exchange rate of the Euro, the US Dollar, and other foreign currents could negatively impact Amadeus’ operating expenses and revenue since a significant portion of their revenue is denominated in currencies other than 4 See Appendix 3
  • 8. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus the Euro. 14.1% of Amadeus’ revenue was denominated in US Dollar and this requires highly effective and insightful currency hedging to mitigate the risks of currency fluctuations. World energy prices, particularly fuel prices, would also indirectly affect Amadeus. The most recent global economic crisis severely affected the airline industry and this in turn affected Amadeus’ operation. Social The worldwide travel and tourism industry is heavily affected by the airline industry, especially in regards to social factors. Epidemics or pandemics such as the outbreaks of the H1N1 influenza virus, socio-­‐political upheaval like the Arab Spring or aircraft, train, and other travel related accidents, threats, and acts of terrorism or security issues negatively affect the airline industry and, hence, have an adverse affect on Amadeus. The consumer trends, such as preferences of local populations for local providers, could further affect Amadeus. When examining strategies, Amadeus must also take into consideration differences in distance, time zones, language, and cultural differences including issues associated with establishing management, distribution, and support systems. Technological Amadeus must constantly keep track of and adapt to technological development and industry trends, as they are extremely reliant upon IT and innovation for their business operations. Furthermore, as Amadeus has international operations, it must examine whether appropriate infrastructure or the development of such infrastructure exists in order to support the company’s technology, including the Internet as a broadcast, advertising, and commerce medium. In the last fiscal year, Amadeus spent €364m (13.4% of Revenue) in R&D to develop, roll out and maintain their technology platform.5 Environmental As previously seen in social factors, the worldwide travel and tourism industry is heavily affected by the airline industry, also especially in regards to environmental factors. Extreme weather and natural disasters like the earthquakes in Japan have had a strong negative impact on the travel industry (Japanese Travel & Tourism GDP fell by 4% during 2011)6. Changes in attitude towards the environmental impact of carbon emissions caused by air travel could affect Amadeus’ operations in the futures (this could also be classified as a social factor). Legal Amadeus must take intellectual property rights into great account as their success in part is due to their technology and other intellectual property. Amadeus must examine the intellectual property rights when looking at international strategies and expansion, as it is important to be protected effectively in all the jurisdictions in which they operate. Amadeus must also assess business practices that could affect their operations, such as potentially longer payment cycles and differing accounting practices. Changes in laws and regulations governing or otherwise affecting the travel and tourism industry could also affect Amadeus; 8 5 See Appendix 4 6 http://www.wttc.org/site_media/uploads/downloads/WTTC_Review_2011.pdf
  • 9. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus Amadeus operates in a regulated industry in several jurisdictions, both in Spain and internationally, and they are subject to laws and regulations that could significantly affect their activities such as tax laws, consumer protection, pricing and discounts, specific provisions of GDS services, fair competition in the provision of GDS services, and privacy and data protection. Any failure to comply with such regulations or changes in these regulations could materially affect Amadeus. Furthermore, adverse competition law rulings could restrict Amadeus’ ability to expand or to operate their business as they wish and could expose them to possible fines and penalties. External Analysis II The Industry The World Travel and Tourism Council, or WTTC, estimated the global travel and tourism industry to have generated US$6.3 trillion of economic activity in 2011, of which, industry suppliers and intermediaries such as Amadeus generated around $2 trillion.7 Technological advancements have revolutionized the travel and tourism industry; Amadeus offers technology-­‐based products and services designed for the needs of the travel and tourism industry, allowing one to also refer to this market as the “travel technology” industry. As additional information, the GDS industry is partially regulated in the EU, unlike in the US where there is full deregulation, and GDS providers are subject to rules aimed at preventing abuse of competition and ensuring the supply of neutral information to consumers. The Porter’s Five Forces Framework The section aims to identify the attractiveness of the industry in which Amadeus operates by using the Porter’s Five Forces framework. Buyers Amadeus has two key categories of customers: 1) travel providers, including airlines, hotels, rail operators, cruise and ferry operators, car rental companies, tour operators and insurance companies, and 2) travel agencies, including online and offline travel agencies. Amadeus derives a significant majority of their revenue from the booking fees they charge airlines for reservations made through their GDS platform. Due to the growth of low-­‐cost airlines, the recent economic downturn, and other factors, airlines are seeking to reduce operating costs, including distribution costs. Faced with this, airlines have launched diverse initiatives to reduce the booking fees they pay to GDS providers like Amadeus. As a result, new economic models for distribution through GDS providers have arisen, which has led to increased pricing competition among GDS provider, which directly affects Amadeus. Furthermore, travel providers are currently seeking to decrease their reliance on GDS providers and look for alternative distribution models, including direct distribution models (such as an airline selling tickets via its own website). If direct distribution were to account for an increasing proportion of the total number of air bookings made worldwide, it could cause fewer bookings through Amadeus’ GDS platform and this could directly affect their 9 7 http://www.wttc.org/site_media/uploads/downloads/WTTC_Review_2011.pdf
  • 10. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus business. Travel agencies are the primary channel of distribution for the services offered by Amadeus’ GDS platform. In recent years, travel agencies have been consolidating and forming groups, thus improving their bargaining position with respect to GDS providers, including Amadeus, and allowing them to negotiate for improved arrangements such as reduced subscription fees. Furthermore, as part of a defensive measure and in recent years airlines have been consolidating or strengthening their alliance activities, thus improving their bargaining position with respect to GDS providers and providers of IT solutions, including Amadeus. This improved bargaining position has affected the negotiation of the contractual terms governing the relationship between these airlines and their GDS/IT solutions provider, such as Amadeus. Suppliers Amadeus (and similar businesses) are dependent upon third-­‐party computer systems, service providers, and software companies (such as IBM, HP, Microsoft, Oracle, etc.) and rely on several communications companies internationally (such as Telefonica, British Telecom, Deutsche Telecom etc.) to provide network connections between its data processing facility and its customers. Amadeus needs to maintain effective relationships with these third-­‐party technology and service suppliers because if any arrangements with these suppliers were to be terminated, they may not be able to find an alternative source of technology or systems support on commercially reasonable terms or on a timely basis or at all, which would result in significant business disruption and additional cost. Additionally, many agreements with third-­‐party suppliers are terminable on short notice and provide limited remedy for service interruptions. In this industry, third-­‐party service providers, software companies, and communication companies have the greater bargaining power because Amadeus’ and other related companies’ product offering is dependent and relies upon them. Competitive Rivalry Factors affecting GDS Services: As the GDS industry operates within a two-­‐sided network model, the competitive positioning of a GDS provider depends on its success in attracting and retaining both its travel providers and travel agency customers. Amadeus must offer competitive terms to its travel providers and travel agency customers. Understanding and successfully managing this two-­‐way interrelationship and achieving meaningful market share is key to remaining competitive as a GDS provider; The pursuit of expanded customer bases has given rise to a drive towards greater consolidation in the GDS industry. Therefore, Amadeus must differentiate itself through their product offering and grow their customer base by 1) securing broader and more comprehensive inventory from travel providers than their competitors, and 2) maintaining a more extensive network of travel agency customers than their competitors. GDS Services Key Competitors: The international GDS market is large and relatively concentrated, with 4 international GDS providers. Three companies (Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport) account for around 95% of GDS-­‐processed air bookings and the other 5% is accounted for by Abacus. At a global level, Amadeus competes primarily with Sabre and Teleport, although Abacus is a strong regional competitor in the Asia Pacific region. In addition to these 3 main international GDS competitors, there are a number of local 10
  • 11. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus Computer Reservation System (CRS) providers, which are primarily owned by airlines and operated exclusively in their home countries. Amadeus’ GDS platform has been the global leader from 2000 to 20011, having the highest market share. Factors affecting IT Solutions Competition in this IT Solutions industry can be based on how Amadeus and its competitors differentiate themselves through 1) the pricing structure, 2) the ability of competitors to keep up with technological developments, 3) the effectiveness and reliability of competitors’ implementation and system-­‐migration process, 4) the ability of competitors to tailor IT solutions to the needs of individual customers and to offer “one stop shops”, 5) the effectiveness and reliability of their systems, and 6) the cost and efficiency of customer support services. IT Solutions Key Competitors The IT solutions market is highly fragmented with several players focusing on specific subsectors and operating different business models. Travel Technology Research (T2R) estimated that approximately 30% of all airline IT solutions are still developed and maintained in-­‐house, which presents travel technology companies like Amadeus with both a challenge and an opportunity to acquire this 30% as customers. It is expected that this 30% will begin to outsource their IT solutions to companies like Amadeus. In 2008, T2R estimated that Amadeus had a market share, measured in terms of revenue, of 28%, with no other single competitor achieving a market share of more than 9%. Third part competitors include large third-­‐party vendors, such as Sabre Airline Solutions, and other niche providers like Lufthansa systems. Substitutes A substitute to Amadeus’ services may be to do things in-­‐house rather than from third-­‐party providers like Amadeus. Travel providers may instead opt to use direct distribution methods or other alternative forms of distribution. They may also opt to have their own internal software and IT developments, which would be quite costly. These are the substitutes available to travel agencies and travel providers; they may be costly and whether the quality and efficiency they offer will be up to par with that of Amadeus and other GDS and IT Solutions companies is questionable. When examining Amadeus’ success based on its huge market share in both businesses, it seems unlikely that their current customers would opt for substitutes; the cost of switching would be too high and the move would just be unnecessary. Potential Entrants and Barriers to Entry Amadeus operates in a travel technology industry segment that is characterized by having high barriers to entry. Firstly, there is a high level of investment in technology (Amadeus spends €300m in R&D each year), which is used in developing, and maintaining the platforms required for distribution and IT Solutions. Most of the players in this industry have the resource, which is needed to compete efficiently on a global scale. Success in this industry is heavily characterized by long-­‐term contracts and relationships leading players such as Amadeus have for both distribution and IT Solutions and buyer-­‐switching cost is too 11
  • 12. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus high. Finally, the mission critical nature of the distribution and IT Solutions platform is very difficult to replicate and most customers tend to approach providers of established platforms for such services. Internal Analysis After looking at the external factors governing the industry Amadeus is participating in, we will now look at Amadeus itself and both its strengths and weaknesses deriving from the company’s capabilities and the characteristics of the very special industry. Competitive Strengths First, we will look at the company’s strengths. Advanced Technology & Scalable Platform for Future Growth Amadeus operates in an industry characterized by rapid technological change and evolving customer demand. To cater to this industry characteristic, Amadeus has always been and continues to be consistent in their focus on innovation and heavy investment in product development, which has given them a first mover advantage in areas such as airlines e-­‐ commerce technology8. Technological innovation is one of Amadeus’ key drivers of success; as competition increases to offer superior customer solutions and technology, it has to be. Through its commitment to product development, Amadeus has created a highly scalable community based technology platform to flexibly and reliably serve distribution and IT needs of its customers. Amadeus’ technology is one of its core competences; its focus on creating a technologically superior, highly reliable, flexible and scalable platform positions them for growth and increased margins. Brand & Intellectual Property Amadeus’ ability to compete successfully is highly dependent on their technology platform and other intellectual property including their brands. Amadeus’ significant assets are its software and other proprietary information and intellectual property rights. Maintaining and expanding the portfolio of product and service brands are important aspects of Amadeus’ efforts to attract and expand their customer base. Highly synergetic business with a broad and loyal customer base Amadeus have two highly synergetic core businesses: Distribution and IT Solutions exhibit strong technological synergies and gives customers the benefit of common IT and software applications and platforms which are all connected to the same data center and communications network.9 The ability to effectively bundle their synergetic core business offerings gives them a long-­‐term competitive advantage in terms of cost and solutions offering. Amadeus benefits from these considerable synergies, since their core businesses cater primarily to the same customer groups. Amadeus could leverage on its existing customer base and either cross sell new products or acquire new customers in other 12 8 See Appendix 6 9 See Appendix 7
  • 13. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus segments of the travel industry. It is also very interesting to note that, unlike their competitors, Amadeus established local support offices in the countries in which they operate to provide technical support to customers and acquire new customers while accumulating knowledge of the local market. Finally, Amadeus has a highly diversified mix in terms of its customers and their geographical location, which enables Amadeus to have multiple revenue streams and not rely on any single source. Transaction based, resilient Business Model The highly resilient nature of Amadeus’ business model has taken form since their revenue is linked to travel volumes rather than price, and this tends to be more resilient during economic downturns when travellers tend to be more price sensitive10 . Additionally, Amadeus has developed a high level of visibility and security in it’s long term business view, since it has established contracts with it’s customers spanning usually between 10 – 15 years with airlines for IT Solutions and 3 – 5 years contract with travel agents using it’s Distribution Services. Ability to identify, attract, train and retain committed, proven and highly experienced management team and staff Amadeus’ operation not only requires complex technological structures, but also people with highly specific skills, who are pivotal in Amadeus’ strategic capabilities. The combined vision of the team has driven continued innovation and allowed Amadeus to consistently gain market share in the highly complex travel technology market. The top management team has overseen all the key stages of Amadeus’ evolution and has driven Amadeus’ persistent growth throughout several economic cycles. The executive management has approximately 12 years of experience within Amadeus. The executive management team oversees the top management team, who has an average of around 14 years of experience within the company and has been instrumental in establishing a corporate culture of operational excellence and leading a highly educated, skilled, diverse and motivated workforce. Strong Financial Performance11 It is very interesting to note that Amadeus’ transaction based business model has demonstrated high resilience through economic downturns and strong growth in periods of economic growth. Its revenue has grown by 52% from €1816m in 2004 to €2707 million in 2011. Amadeus has actively streamlined its operations, improved use of capacity and resources, and cut cost on a per unit basis, which has led to an EBITDA growth of 6.45% between 2010 and 2011. It is worth mentioning the transformation of the mix of assets and liabilities of the company. In 2007, the company was highly leveraged with more liabilities (€6.3bn) than assets (€5.55bn). The leverage ratio, hit an all time high of 79% in 2009 and 13 10 See Appendix 8 11 Source: Bloomberg
  • 14. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus this has gone down to 45% in 2011. This is mainly due to the fact that Amadeus has significantly reduced its debt from almost €6.3bn in 2007 to just below €4bn in 201112. Well Positioned For Future Growth Amadeus is a world leader in distribution in almost every region and is well positioned to capitalize on their network effect to pursue further organic growth. Amadeus is the market leader in 3 out of the 4 BRIC countries and they have developed strong relationships with the national carriers in those countries. They have strong commercial relationships with airline alliances, where there is a strong demand for common IT platforms and they already have in their portfolio 15/26 Star Alliance airlines, 8/11 Oneworld airlines, and 5/11 Skyteam airlines, who have migrated to using Amadeus’ portfolio of IT solutions. Weaknesses & Operating Risks Now, we will look at Amadeus’ weaknesses. Defects or Errors in Distribution and/or IT Solutions Amadeus’ distribution and IT solutions are complex and could at one point contain undetected defects or errors, particularly when the product or product enhancement has been recently developed. Amadeus may not be able to discover defects until after these have been implemented and customers could discover these defects. This could result in delays in payments by customers, loss of customers and contract cancelations, harm to Amadeus’ reputation, increased maintenance expenses, increased insurance costs, and other significant costs to the company. System or Technology Disruption or Under-­‐Performance All of Amadeus’ data and transaction processing services are centralized in its data processing facility. They also have a disaster recovery center in the case of a system failure. If Amadeus does not maintain and improve its systems, it could result in system disruptions through delayed response times, unreliable service levels, insufficient system capacity and more, all which could result in losing customers and incurring liabilities. In addition to operating risks from not maintaining the system, Amadeus’ IT and systems are also vulnerable to damage from natural disasters, acts of terrorism and war, power losses, telecommunications and data network failures, sabotage and viruses, and the failure of third party systems or software on which Amadeus relies on. Evaluation of current strategy It is the goal of Amadeus to be the leading provider of transaction-­‐based distribution and IT solutions to the global travel and tourism industry. The specific nature of the industry Amadeus competes in and the position it currently holds require it to focus on its key 14 12 See Appendix 9
  • 15. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus strengths, which differentiate it from the market, and try and extend its customer network. This is also reflected in the current strategy the company is pursuing on a corporate level and in its separate business units. On the 15 corporate level, Amadeus aims to expand its business reach in a highly synergetic manner, capturing as many technology-­‐related transactions as possible across all stages of the travel procedure. Amadeus therefore aims to grow its customer base strongly. Additionally, penetrating the market further, covering everything from the initial planning process like searching and making reservations up until post-­‐trip activities such as expense claims and reporting, allows Amadeus to provide complete and highly integrated IT solutions to their customers while leveraging its existing technology platform to create immense synergies. Amadeus continues to focus on its technological leadership position in the market – one of its key factors to success. Growth and expansion of its two business units depend heavily on the company’s ability to continually develop advanced technology on a competitive basis. This is reflected in the average expense of about €300 million on R&D during the last years.13 The company has rightly understood that it needs to continue its strong commitment to product innovation and technological excellence to stay at the forefront of advances in the travel technology industry and preserve the market leader position. Amadeus also seeks to grow inorganically through selective acquisitions both nationally and internationally, which will allow the company to obtain additional competencies, technologies and/or customers, to enter new markets and business segments to reach its overall goal. Based on past excellence, shareholders expect a lot from Amadeus, which puts its future performance under a lot of pressure. However, they are stressing that growth through acquisitions can only be held up in the long-­‐term if the companies to be acquired create synergies and open up new opportunities for the company. While this might be seen as a limitation, it is the only right way to go about growth for Amadeus. On the business unit level, the company believes that continuous success can only be achieved with growth in both Distribution and IT Solutions. Amadeus continues its development of the distribution business in order to achieve sustained and profitable growth. Therefore, Amadeus focuses on increasing its market share worldwide through the consolidation of its business in Western Europe (e.g. the sale of Opodo) and expanding its operations in key growth areas such as Africa and South-­‐East Asia. It also pursues the continued competitiveness of its CGS platform globally, which is facilitated by the company’s efforts to continually enhance value for its customers through promoting its value-­‐based pricing model, enabling chargeable ancillary services, and continuing to improve the content of its GDS platforms, while enhancing and developing interfaces that allow end consumers to access information through mobile and other evolving technologies. Its current strategy for the distribution business also comprises diversification and growth of its revenue sources by targeting an expanded portfolio of GDS 13 See appendix 3
  • 16. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus solutions aimed at a wider range of clients, which led to the new establishment of a New Businesses unit. It makes Amadeus more independent of individual revenue sources, provides new opportunities and increases its client network. Amadeus has already extended its platform to airports (Nice airport), hotels, and key rail operators like Deutsche Bahn in Germany and RENFE in Spain, and aims at expanding the product and agreement scope dramatically over the next years. The IT solution business, especially the Altéa airline IT business, is expanded into adjacent business areas where Amadeus identifies synergies with its existing technologies and/or customer base. Up-­‐selling additional Altéa modules to existing IT clients, building on the strong relationships the company has established, is generating new opportunities for revenue growth. On an 16 organizational level the company understands that it is vital for the strategic goals mentioned above to continuously refine its internal processes and the active management of running costs involved in the development, marketing and implementation of its distribution and IT solutions. Therefore, initiatives to improve efficiency and cut non-­‐value adding activities are at the heart of Amadeus operational strategy. This will allow the company to provide better services to their clients in the future and increase its profitability. Amadeus’ current strategy is highly consistent with the company’s goals while taking into account industry specifics. Future recommendations Amadeus is already the market leader in its industry and a highly successful company. Its current strategy is aligned with the company’s ambitious goal to secure its market leader position and further grow extensively. However, if it wants to continue to do so, it must take into account various factors that will distinguish the future market leader from the rest. While high barriers to entry and high buyer switching costs currently protect players in the industry, a trend towards further deregulation of the European market will pose a challenge as well as an opportunity in this area. The ability to adapt quickly to those and other kind of changes has to be a core focus of the company. Apart from that, Amadeus has to further strengthen its core capabilities. It has to stay at the forefront of technological advancement, which means actively driving technological innovation through extensive R&D and providing technology that is perceptive to general consumer trends and customer demands like the trend towards mobile applications (making bookings through apps rather than webpages). Amadeus has already made first steps into this direction by conducting a study on the importance of mobile phones on air travel called “the always-­‐connected traveller”14. 14 See appendix 10
  • 17. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus In order to secure its position as the global industry leader, it should strengthen its position and increase its representation in fast-­‐growing markets like Africa, South-­‐East Asia and the BRIC states. The South-­‐East Asian market could be conquered by taking over the smallest of the four competitors, Abacus, in the case that this would comply with regulations, make sense financially, provide synergies, and assuming that Abacus’ customers would continue with Amadeus. While Amadeus has already established contracts with many members of most airline alliances, it could instead target alliances directly to capture all members. A standard system would be beneficial for the alliances as their members would all share the same service provider and be able to exchange data and information easily. Another idea that Amadeus could pursue is to offer basic packages for new, small airlines entering the market. Smaller airlines tend to use their own direct distribution systems; if Amadeus could provide a package that fits newcomers in the small airline segment, it could leverage its existing capabilities and technology while growing its customer base and establish long-­‐term relationships with market entrants. 17 Appendix Appendix 1: Global Representation
  • 18. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus 18 Appendix 2: GDS Market Appendix 3: Amadeus Income Statement
  • 19. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus 19 Appendix 4: R&D Investment
  • 20. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus Appendix 5: Key competitors Amadeus competes on a global level with Sabre and Travelport (the three collectively account for 95% of GDS air bookings), and with Abacus (owned by a number of Asian airlines and Sabre; accounts for 5% of GDS air bookings) in the Asia Pacific region. Sabre Sabre accounts for roughly 29% of GDS processed air bookings in the industry and posted revenue of $2.9bn in 2011. It is organized in four segments namely: 1) Sabre Travel Networks – Division responsible for marketing and distributing travel-­‐ related products and services for it’s travel supplier participants through online and offline travel agencies and corporate channels. 2) Sabre Airline Solutions – Division responsible for offering IT Solutions for airlines, 20 airports and government agencies. 3) Travelocity – Division responsible for offering online travel services. 4) Sabre Hospitality Solutions It is very interesting to note how Amadeus overtook Sabre to take a leading position in the GDS market. Amadeus built a highly scalable technological platform that could have modules attached to it rather than the Sabre platform, which required patches to be added in order to implement new changes or requirements by customers. Additionally, the Sabre platform was only available in English and their approach to customers in countries where English is not a native language was “take it or leave it”. Amadeus on the other hand provided customized solutions and operated with a think global and act local strategy. Travelport Travelport accounts for 30% of GDS processed air bookings in the industry. Its portfolio includes Galileo, Apollo and Worldspan GDS platforms. It also operates Gullivers Travel which is a global wholesaler of accommodation, ground products and services to the travel and tourism industry. Travelport also owns a minority stake in Orbitz Worldwide(48%) which operates CheapTickets, ebookers and HotelClub. Travelport also provides airline IT services to some airlines.
  • 21. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus 21 Appendix 6: Amadeus R&D Appendix 7: Amadeus’ Synergie
  • 22. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus 22 Appendix 8: Amadeus’ Transaction Based, Resilient Business Model
  • 23. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus 23 Appendix 9: Amadeus’ EBITDA/Debt Ratio
  • 24. Strategic Analysis of Amadeus 24 Appendix 10: Amadeus’ research