CALGARY, Alberta and PARSIPPANY, N.J., Feb. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- WestJet,
Canada's low-fare airline, and Galileo International, a leading global
distribution services (GDS) company, today announced that WestJet has signed a
"Global Airline Distribution Agreement" to begin using Galileo's systems to
widen its travel agent distribution.
Galileo will provide access to WestJet flights and booking information to
47,000 travel agencies in 116 countries around the world. WestJet will
continue to operate its own call centre as well as offer bookings over its
Internet site at http://www.westjet.com. WestJet plans to be completely available on
Galileo's distribution network early in the second quarter of 2003.
Bill Lamberton, WestJet's Vice President of Marketing and Sales, said
today: "This Global Airline Distribution Agreement is another positive step in
our growth, and a chance for WestJet to increase our market presence through
thousands of travel agents who previously did not have access to our friendly,
low-fare service. We are pleased with our new partnership with Galileo, and
anticipate healthy returns for our company and shareholders as a result of the
value Galileo will add to the distribution of our seats."
"This agreement gives both WestJet and Galileo an excellent opportunity to
grow their businesses," adds Robert Lange, general manager and vice president,
Galileo Canada. "Together, we bring new content and streamlined booking
processes to not only our Canadian subscribers, but also to Galileo
subscribers around the world."
Galileo International (http://www.galileo.com) is a global technology
leader. Its core business is providing electronic global distribution services
for the travel industry through its computerized reservation systems,
leading-edge products and innovative Internet-based solutions. Galileo is a
value-added distributor of travel inventory dedicated to supporting its travel
supplier, agency and corporate customers and, through them, expanding traveler
choice. A subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NYSE: CD) and part of Cendant's
Travel Distribution Services Division, Galileo is headquartered in Parsippany,
N.J., and has offices worldwide.
WestJet serves the 23 Canadian cities of Victoria, Comox, Vancouver,
Abbotsford/Fraser Valley, Prince George, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Grande
Prairie, Fort McMurray, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Sudbury, Sault Ste.
Marie, Thunder Bay, London, Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto, Windsor (beginning
April 1), Moncton, and Halifax (beginning February 27). WestJet is publicly
traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol WJA.
SOURCE WestJet; Galileo International
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Related links:
http://www.westjet.com
http://www.galileo.com
CONTACT:
Siobhan Vinish, Director, Public Relations &
Communications, WestJet, +1-403-444-2615, svinish@westjet.com; or
Deborah Bernstein of Galileo International, +1-973-496-4127,
Deborah.Bernstein@cendant.com
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