ATPCO has purchased SITA’s fare
management system, Airfare Insight (AFI).
The deal enables product
consolidation with the integration of AFI into Architect, ATPCO’s
new pricing tool.
Both companies have committed to supporting
airlines during the migration period, which will see SITA
customers adopting Architect.
The majority of AFI customers – including
Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, and Xiamen Air –
agreed to the transfer prior to the deal closing on 1 January
2021.
SITA will continue to operate AFI in 2021, while ATPCO and
SITA collaborate with airlines on a timeline for the transition to
Architect. The companies will also
work together on knowledge transfers throughout 2021, leveraging
their combined expertise in pricing tools for the benefit of the
industry.
Barbara Dalibard, CEO of SITA, said, “For the
last few years we have focused on simplifying our portfolio to
deliver more value for customers and this deal represents the
latest step in that journey. Being at the heart of the air
transport community, SITA has been committed to working with
customers throughout the pandemic to keep operations running and
offer solutions that respect the challenging economic environment.
By consolidating the expertise and market reach of both companies
in the fares management space, this move will be highly beneficial
to SITA AFI employees, customers, and the airline industry as a
whole.”
ATPCO launched Architect in November 2020. The
pricing tool re-imagines traditional fare management processes and
was designed to enable each airline to unlock the full value of
their pricing strategies. It provides more efficient automation,
reduces the complexity of integrating multiple systems, normalizes
the display of web fares, and accelerates the distribution of all
content to the marketplace.
ATPCO has seen strong interest from
the market since Architect was announced with launch customers
LATAM and Icelandair, and a growing list of global airline
partners are now engaging in trials with ATPCO to improve their
pricing effectiveness.
“Providing value and efficiency to the industry
sits at the core of what we do. After a lengthy review, we feel
this deal will be a big win for airlines in a time where they need
our support the most. We are already the home for fare
distribution, and Architect is well positioned to serve the
airlines’ needs moving forward,” said Alex Zoghlin, CEO of ATPCO.
“Industry consolidation and simplification is in the best interest
of all, and this was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
ATPCO and SITA will continue securing further
airline support of the deal in the coming weeks, and SITA will
continue to operate and support AFI through 1 January 2022.
Financial details of the acquisition have not been
disclosed.
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