The overall ACAP project was launched back in June 2005, when the airline alliance sought bids from various vendors to create alternative distribution channels, with the aim of cutting the 2 billion US Dollars which the 16 member carriers spend annually on GDS fees. The new platform will be available in Europe during the course of 2006 and will gradually be expanded to a global presence, including markets in Asia-Pacific.
“We are very pleased to be working together with Lufthansa Systems, as the combination of their European technology base paired with their long-standing experience in the aviation IT field, will allow us to bring a state-of-the-art product onto the market, which will set new industry standards in distribution and business travel,” said Horst Findeisen, Vice President Commercial, Star Alliance.
“Our solid knowledge of core airline systems and the ability to connect these systems flexibly to any booking platform or distribution channel allows us to play a key role in shaping the ACAP platform of Star Alliance and to provide all the necessary functionalities to Star Alliance member carriers. We are also very excited to have teamed up with Farelogix – a major player in the travel technology field – to work on the implementation of this ACAP solution for Star Alliance,” said Dr. Anselm Eggert, Senior Vice President Passenger Airline Solutions at Lufthansa Systems.
On the basis of this agreement, individual Star Alliance member carriers will conclude their own contracts for solutions which are tailored specifically to their requirements and markets. Lufthansa Systems will support its customers in achieving the highest flexibility and cost-effectiveness in selecting the mix of distribution channels most appropriate for the target markets and business goals.
Lufthansa Systems is one of the leading IT service providers for the airline and aviation industries worldwide. As systems integrator, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group covers the entire range of IT services, including consulting, development, implementation and operation. Lufthansa Systems provides its IT infrastructure and operations services to a variety of industries. Headquartered in Kelsterbach near Frankfurt/Main, Germany, the company has branches in Germany and 17 countries and employs about 4,500 people worldwide. In business year 2004, Lufthansa Systems recorded sales of EUR 628 million. For more details, see www.LHsystems.com.
Star Alliance was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach and a smooth travel experience. Star Alliance was voted Best Airline Alliance by Skytrax in 2003 and 2005. The members are Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Spanair, TAP Portugal, THAI, United, US Airways and VARIG Brazilian Airlines. South African Airways and SWISS will be integrated during the first half of 2006. Regional member carriers Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland) and Croatia Airlines enhance the global network. Overall, Star Alliance offers more than 15,000 daily flights to 790 destinations in 138 countries.
