ANA Moving to Customer-Centric Unisys Airline Solution to Streamline Passenger Operations

May 23, 2006

Leading Japanese airline chooses Unisys AirCore to replace legacy systems and reduce costs

BLUE BELL, Pa., – ANA (All Nippon Airways), the seventh largest airline in the world, has chosen the Unisys (NYSE: UIS) AirCore reservation and departure control solution suite to propel its business operations into a new, open, Web-based environment. Under the terms of agreement, Nihon Unisys, Ltd. (NUL) will implement the solution and provide application support for ANA. Migration to the new system is scheduled to begin in 2007 and it is expected to be in full production for ANA by 2012.



The AirCore system is flexible enough to support the high level of Japanese domestic market customization that ANA requires. Furthermore, the system is expected to further enhance ANA’s customer satisfaction because AirCore focuses on the buying and servicing needs of travelers, while still supporting the traditional Passenger Name Record (PNR) business processes.



“By implementing AirCore by Unisys, ANA expects significant reductions in the total cost of ownership of our reservation and boarding management system, which is the heart of any airline,” said Mr. Toru Sato, senior vice president, Information Technology Services for ANA. “It will also allow us to implement Internet technology-based new business models in an agile manner, and in response to changing market trends. To ensure the most efficient, economical and smoothest possible migration to AirCore, ANA decided to conclude an agreement with Nihon Unisys, Ltd. -- a partner with a profound knowledge of ANA’s systems environment and business processes.”



AirCore is a next-generation marketing, sales and service solution suite designed to replace conventional airline reservations, inventory and departure control systems. Unisys AirCore allows airlines to drive productivity and facilitate the move from a transaction-centric to a customer-centric view of the business. AirCore enables airlines to make better real-time, operational decisions because it delivers consolidated information to airline staff about passengers, including customer interests and preferences. Regardless of their specific business models, airlines need solutions for secure business operations.



AirCore is built on Unisys 3D-Visible Enterprise methodology, which aligns a company’s vision and business operations with the information technology systems that support them. It is a Web-based, platform-independent, open, modular system that uses object technology and plug-and-play adaptability.



“ANA has used Unisys systems for more than 25 years, so we are very proud to continue as their technology provider into the future,” said Olivier Houri, president, Unisys Global Transportation. “ANA’s decision to implement the AirCore solution signifies that major carriers are ready to move away from legacy systems and platforms, and as a result, ANA will be able to experience flexible and efficient business operations that will be passed on to its customers.”



At the heart of the AirCore solution is the Operational Customer Database that gives true visibility into data that reflects the value of the customer. The database provides a customer record for all value- and journey-based automated decisions. NUL will also be implementing AirCore modules for ANA’s key functions such as seat allocation, inventory management, passenger check-in, reaccomodation services, flight booking, ticketing, flight scheduling, and routing selections. With AirCore, airline functions are streamlined to help reduce costs and the time required to perform necessary processes, while providing continual visibility into key actions such as flight status and boarding status.



NUL, the sole distributor of Unisys products in Japan, has supported ANA’s system development needs for more than 25 years as a true IT partner. NUL has been working closely with ANA to develop a comprehensive plan for migrating its existing legacy system to the chosen AirCore solution.



“Nihon Unisys Ltd. has been responsible for the development of the Japanese domestic flight reservation system of ANA for many years, and as its IT partner has succeeded in developing innovative systems based on the Unisys Standard Airline Services (USAS) solution,” said Mr. Toshihiko Kato, senior corporate officer of Nihon Unisys, Ltd. “We are proud to participate in the development of the mission critical system that supports ANA’s sources of revenue using a leading-edge airline solution, AirCore. We are determined to lead this important project to success with a serious sense of mission and resolution.”



ANA is a member of Star Alliance. Based in Tokyo, the carrier has approximately 900 daily fights to more than 51 cities in Japan and 22 worldwide, carrying almost 50 million passengers per year.


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