AMADEUS/ Wideroe and Amadeus team up to provide comprehensive Internet booking site

Users accessing the site at www.wideroe.no/ available in both English and Norwegian - are linked to the Amadeus GDS. They can look up information, check availability, make a booking and get a real-time confirmation from Wideroe and other airlines, as well as major hotel chains and car rental companies. Payment is made via credit card and security is ensured with SSL encryption.

For its own flights and those of major airlines that Wideroe has an interlining agreement with, the traveller can pick up his ticket at any Wideroe sales office. Tickets for bookings made with other airlines can be collected at the relevant airline sales office.

"We wanted a simple and flexible solution for our customers, and Amadeus was the perfect partner to provide us with the necessary tools and support. This joint effort has enabled us to offer a one-stop-shopping site for our customers," explained Gorm Frimannslund, Vice President Station Services at Wideroe. "In addition to helping us control our costs, this further proves Wideroe's innovative approach to fulfilling our customers' needs", he added.

"Scandinavia is at the forefront of Internet development and electronic commerce so we are pleased to team up with Wideroe, one of the most dynamic carriers in the region, and help them embrace new distribution opportunities, " said Pascal Bordat, Director New Distribution Technologies at Amadeus

Wideroe was founded in 1934 and has served domestic flights in Norway since 1968. Today the airline employs almost 1000 people and connects 37 regional destinations in Norway with 6 international cities (Berlin, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Gothenburg, Murmansk and Shetland). It has 40 sales offices in Norway, 5 throughout Europe and one in the US.

Amadeus provides online booking capabilities to around 1500 travel industry customers, including travel agencies as well as major airline and hotel providers, thus enabling travellers to make on-line reservations through the Internet.

Amadeus is the world's most advanced global distribution system (GDS). Today, nearly 44,000 travel agencies worldwide and the sales offices of over 100 airlines are connected to Amadeus. Agents can make airline, car and hotel bookings with more than 480 airlines, 60 car rental companies and 47,000 hotel properties representing more than 290 hotel chains, as well as a full range of other travel services.