This new revenue management system is designed for the international ferry industry and a major UK ferry company is first customer.

Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, today launches Amadeus Revenue Management System (RMS) for Ferries. A sophisticated pricing and revenue management system, Amadeus RMS for ferries helps operators achieve the best possible profit on each of their crossings.

It makes capacity and inventory recommendations based on analysis of historical, "on the books" and forecast reservations. It has been implemented for the first time by a ferry company in the UK, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.

'Amadeus RMS for ferries,' is able to manage multiple departures on multiple routes and optimises vehicle and passenger inventory to achieve the best mix. The system provides data analysis on areas ranging from route efficiency to seasonal trends, booking behaviour and passenger contribution.

It also can be used to generate a series of recommendations including booking targets and optimal selling strategy; the best customer mix taking into account all onboard revenue sources; and a ranking order of the most profitable customers. The system is also able to monitor the effectiveness of its own performance by calculating the estimated additional revenue generated from implementing the proposed recommendations.

The first ferry operator to use the system is the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in the UK, which provides crossings between England, Northern Ireland and Ireland. The company is the oldest continually operating passenger shipping company in the world.

Darren Crawford, Yield Analyst of the Isle Of Man Steam Packet Company said: "The main benefit of the system is its ability to offer more accurate solutions in a time frame that could not be achieved using manual methods. Statistical information can be viewed with ease and in varying formats; and the product is extremely user friendly. The Steam Packet Company has found Amadeus' technical support to be innovative, flexible, thorough and friendly."

Bernard Rannou, Head of RMS, Amadeus Hospitality Business Group said: "We believe the Amadeus RMS for ferries enables operators to optimise their sailings and sales. The Amadeus solution enables ferry operators to stay ahead of the game by better anticipating future demand and optimising all available revenue opportunities."