A computer reservations system CRS is a computerized system used to

store and retrieve information and conduct transactions related to air

travel. Originally designed and operated by airlines, CRSes were later
extended for the use of travel agencies; major CRS operations that
book and sell tickets for multiple airlines are known as global
distribution systems (GDS).

Apollo reservation system was developed by United Airlines in 1976, it

was then acquired by Galileo International Inc. in 1997 and now it is
owned by Travel Port as of December 2006. This system holds
information on all airlines in a single database and also allows a single
booking record to be created. This system is an advanced technology
that can provide any travel agency with various features and will
inevitably increase revenue, reduce labor and improve all round
efficiency. This system connects approximately 52,000 travel agency
locations, 425 airlines as well as other hotels, car rentals and cruise
operators.

Galileo is a computer reservation system (CRS) owned by Travelport.

As of 2002, it had a 26.4% share of worldwide CRS airline bookings. In
addition to airline reservation, the Galileo CRS is also used to book
train travel, cruises, car rentals and hotel rooms. Galileo is a member
of IATA, OTA, and SITA. It was founded in 1971 by United Airlines under
the name Apollo Reservation System.

Galileo, a Travelport platform, is one of the world’s largest

providers of travel content and a technology leader serving travel
companies worldwide. Its global distribution services and commitment
to partnership reduce operating costs whilst increasing efficiency and
revenues for travel agencies, corporations, and travel suppliers.

Galileo provides global distribution system (GDS) services for the

travel industry through its computerized reservations systems, leading-
edge products and innovative, Internet-based solutions. Galileo is a
value-added aggregator of travel inventory, dedicated to supporting its
customers and, through them, expanding choices for travelers
worldwide.

Abacus is the result of 20 years' experience and 10 years'

development. It has been designed by accountants and developed by a
core specialised team.
Based on Microsoft SQL and .NET, Abacus OneWorld integrates all data
processing, financial management and client services into one efficient
microfinance management information system. Abacus OneWorld is
the most advanced system available and will handle: savings, loans,
management information (reporting), administration, marketing,
consolidation, accounting and client relations. Design your own savings
and loan products, email any report to clients or to management,
output to mobile phone, full financial reports.
Released in 2004, Abacus was introduced both in Europe to Credit
Unions and Microfinance Institutions in Africa.

Abacus is designed for large and mid-sized innovative institutions.

Abacus runs on a Microsoft SQL database, which offers easy scalability
security of data. The "One World" concept stems from the ability of
Abacus to offer additional modules, including:
• Internet Banking
• Mobile Banking
• SMS reports and mini-statements
• ATM connectivity
• A full and expanding range of other services (for more
information please contact your closest Fern Software
representative)

Sabre is a computer reservations system/global distribution system

(GDS) used by airlines, railways, hotels, travel agents and other travel
companies. Sabre GDS is a unit of Sabre Holdings' Sabre Travel
Network division.

Sabre was developed in order to help American Airlines improve the

way in which the airline booked reservations. By the 1950s, American
Airlines was facing a serious challenge in its ability to quickly handle
airline reservations in an era that witnessed high growth in passenger
volumes in the airline industry. Before the introduction of Sabre, the
airline's system for booking flights was entirely manual, having
developed from the techniques originally developed at its Little Rock,
Arkansas reservations center in the 1920s. In this manual system, a
team of eight operators would sort through a rotating file with cards for
every flight. When a seat was booked, the operators would place a
mark on the side of the card, and knew visually whether it was full.
This part of the process was not all that slow, at least when there were
not that many planes, but the entire end-to-end task of looking for a
flight, reserving a seat and then writing up the ticket could take up to
three hours in some cases, and 90 minutes on average. The system
also had limited room to scale. It was limited to about eight operators
because that was the maximum that could fit around the file, so in
order to handle more queries the only solution was to add more layers
of hierarchy to filter down requests into batches.

Amadeus is a computer reservations system (or global distribution

system, since it sells tickets for multiple airlines) owned by the
Amadeus IT Group with headquarters in Madrid, Spain. The central
database is located at Erding, Germany. The development center is
located at Sophia Antipolis, France. In addition to airlines, the CRS is
also used to book train travel, cruises, car rental, ferry reservations,
and hotel rooms. Amadeus also provides New Generation departure
control systems to airlines.

Amadeus is a member of IATA, OTA and SITA, and its IATA

airline designator code is 1A. Amadeus was formed in 1987 by an
alliance between Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia Airlines and
Scandinavian Airlines System. Today, it is the leader in terms of
number of bookings worldwide.

History

Amadeus was originally created as a neutral global distribution

system (GDS) by Air France, Iberia, Lufthansa and SAS in 1987 in order
to connect providers' content with travel agencies and consumers in
real time. The creation of Amadeus was intended to offer a European
alternative to Sabre, the American GDS. The first Amadeus system was
built from core reservation system code coming from System One, an
American GDS that competed with Sabre but went bankrupt, and a
copy of the Air France pricing engine.

At the beginning of Amadeus, the Amadeus systems were functionally

dedicated to airline reservation and centered on the PNR (Passenger
Name Record), the passenger's travel file. Throughout the years, the
PNR was opened up to additional travel industries (hotels, rail, cars,
cruises, ferries, insurance, etc).

Although established initially as a private partnership. Amadeus

went public in October 1999, becoming listed on the Paris, Frankfurt
and Madrid stock exchanges. Progressively and in line with industry
evolution, Amadeus diversified its operations by focusing on
information technologies (IT) to deliver services spanning beyond sales
and reservation functionalities, centred on streamlining the operational
and distribution requirements of its customer base.

In 2000, Amadeus received an ISO 9001:2000 quality

certification – the first GDS company to do so.. Since 2004, the
company has invested EUR 1 billion in R&D and Amadeus's technology
has increasingly embraced open systems which provide clients with
more flexibility and features, as well as other benefits. Today, 85% of
its software portfolio is open system based. In 2005, Amadeus was
delisted from the Paris, Frankfurt and Madrid stock exchanges when BC
Partners and Cinven bought their stake from three of the four founding
airlines and the rest of the capital floated from institutional and
minority shareholders. The transition from distribution system to
technology provider was reflected by the change in its corporate name
in 2006, when the company name was changed to Amadeus IT Group.
In 2009, Amadeus invested about EUR 257 million in R&D. Amadeus is
again listed at the Spanish Stock Exchanges as of 29 April 2010 [AMS].