Galileo International Marks 10th Anniversary of Galileo India

India is Galileo’s Second Largest Market in Asia

Hong Kong, March 31, 2004 - Galileo International, a leading global distribution services company and subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NYSE:CD), today marked the 10th anniversary of Galileo India – the company’s distributor responsible for its operations nationwide. India is Galileo’s second largest market in Asia Pacific. Galileo India has established a reputation for leadership, having been first to market with a number of innovations that aid travel agents and airlines.

Galileo India commenced operations in 1994 and has built its network to the point where it is now serving some 4,000 travel agents in 119 cities through 18 dedicated offices. Galileo India’s infrastructure includes 16 service centres providing 24X7 online support to travel agents, complemented by seven centres that provide agency training on the Galileo system. Within India, it has completed an estimated 35 million bookings since its inception. Worldwide, Galileo currently processes one-third of all flight bookings to India – online and offline. 

“Galileo India has contributed significantly to our expansion in Asia Pacific,” said Janie Kaung, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Galileo’s Asia Pacific region. “The business has not only broadened market penetration in terms of geography and customer numbers – it has also demonstrated an ability to be first to market in a range of solutions for travel agents and airlines. India will continue to be an important focus for Galileo and other businesses within Cendant’s Travel Distribution Services division.”

Galileo was the first GDS to launch a booking and reservation tool in India based on a Graphical User Interface (GUI). It was also the first to offer an automated ticketing solution so that travel agents issuing tickets on Jet Airways no longer need to write tickets manually, saving travel agents in India an estimated 18,000 man-hours each year. Galileo India led the market in introducing online travel insurance to agents and was the first to launch Satellite Ticket Printing in India, a solution that allows tickets to be printed at the location of a travel agent’s corporate customer.

Last August, Galileo India was the first GDS to receive authority to process e-tickets throughout India, an achievement that benefits all parties in the travel equation – travel agencies, airlines and air passengers. There are currently 12 airlines offering e-tickets through Galileo India, more than any other GDS, including major carriers such as Air France, British Airways, KLM/Northwest, Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines and Singapore Airlines. This could produce an estimated US$300,000 saving for airlines this year.*

Galileo has also served the airline community well in India with more carriers participating in Galileo at the highest level of connectivity than any other GDS. Galileo’s highest level of participation provides real-time booking, directly helping airlines reduce costs or boost revenue while simultaneously enriching the content of Galileo to the benefit of its 43,000 agency subscribers worldwide.

Locally developed products include Galileo India Accountant Plus (GIA Plus), a popular back-office accounting package used by travel agents to enhance operational efficiency. Galileo India has also developed a Web-based solution that allows the local offices of airlines to manage agency ticketing quotas on the Galileo System. It has also created a tool that enables sub-agents to make and modify bookings online using the system of the main ticketing agent.

Seema Luthra, President and CEO, Galileo India, added: “The past 10 years have been a success for Galileo in India. With inbound, outbound and domestic tourism on a long-term upward trend, Galileo International sees India as offering a platform for future growth with major opportunities for automating travel processes within the Indian travel industry, and for bringing a range of online capabilities to agents and travelers. Galileo is ideally placed for helping surging demand for travel to India.”

* With 12 airlines currently able to provide e-tickets on Galileo, this estimate assumes 50% of the tickets issued by those airlines this year are e-tickets.

About Galileo International:

Galileo International is a global technology leader. Its core business is providing electronic global distribution services for the travel industry through its computerised reservation systems, leading-edge products and innovative Internet-based solutions. Galileo is a value-added distributor of travel inventory dedicated to supporting its travel supplier, agency and corporate customers and, through them, expanding traveler choice. A subsidiary of Cendant Corporation, Galileo is part of Cendant’s Travel Distribution Services Group and is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, USA, with offices worldwide. Visit www.galileo.com.

About Cendant Travel Distribution Services Division:

Cendant’s Travel Distribution Services Division is one of the world’s largest and most geographically diverse collections of travel brands and distribution businesses. The division, employing nearly 5,000 people in more than 116 countries, includes: Galileo, a leading global distribution services (GDS) company, serving more than 43,000 travel agencies and over 60,000 hotels; hotel distribution and services businesses (Trust, THOR, WizCom and Neat Group); leading travel agencies (Cheap Tickets and Lodging.com); Shepherd Systems, an airline market intelligence company; Travelwire, an international travel technology and software company; Travel 2/Travel 4, a leading international provider of long-haul air travel and travel product consolidator; and Travelport, a provider of online global corporate travel management solutions.

For More Information:

Stuart Ridsdale
Galileo Asia
+ (852) 2821 2301
stuart.ridsdale@galileo.com