Technology such as Web 2.0 is essential to shape and support airline industry growth, according to experts speaking at the 14th Amadeus airline e-commerce forum in Osaka, Japan.

Amadeus, a leading global technology partner for the travel and tourism industry, today stated that airlines in Asia Pacific must take advantage of new technologies in order to keep up with the changing travel environment, with technologies such as Web 2.0 set to play a pivotal role in the travel industry of the future.

This was part of a discussion held at the 14th Amadeus E-Commerce Forum hosted in Osaka, Japan. The conference attracted more than 100 delegates from across the Asia Pacific region, who shared their experiences in utilising technology to maximize profits and better service their customers.

Guest speaker Philippe Der Arslanian, Global Director, Airline Direct Channel, Airline Business Group, Amadeus IT Group, said, "This event provides a great platform for airlines to increase their understanding of new technologies and learn from other airlines' experiences.

We at Amadeus see technologies such as Web 2.0 playing a major part in airline business growth, facilitating their expansion into new markets globally and providing more opportunity for interaction with their customers."

"Amadeus, as the leading e-commerce provider to the airline industry, offers carriers a comprehensive range of solutions that helps them maximize efficiency, online yield and revenue. With this conference, we welcome a further opportunity to support the industry through the sharing of knowledge and expertise."

Damian Hickey, Vice President for the Amadeus Airline Business Group in Asia Pacific spoke about future trends in the industry, and how airlines in this region can start to prepare now for these changes.

"Amadeus is continually investing in research to ensure we remain at the forefront of travel industry trends," said Damian. "In future, we believe that travellers will want travel services that are more customised to their individual needs, and highly interactive.

This means that new technologies will need to be developed for airlines to access information about their regular customers and their preferences. Amadeus is well positioned to continue its leadership in anticipating the needs of the travel industry and developing technology solutions to help our customers address these issues," he said.

The Amadeus airline e-commerce forum is an annual event to share the latest thought-leadership on airline technologies among key industry players. The event gathers airline representatives together at a regional level and comprises an audience ranging from full service & legacy carriers, low cost airlines and regional operators as well.