GALILEO INTERNATIONAL ACQUIRES AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZE ALAND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY

Galileo International, Inc. (NYSE: GLC), a leading provider of electronic global distribution services (GDS) for the travel industry, has announced it had acquired Southern Cross Distribution Systems Pty Limited (Galileo Southern Cross), from Travel Industries Automated Systems Pty Limited (TIAS), the owners of which are the Qantas Airways group, Ansett Airlines and Air New Zealand. Based in Sydney, Australia, Galileo Southern Cross distributes the Galileo® computer reservation system to travel agency locations across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. Galileo is the market share leader in the region. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

“Acquiring distributors in mature, highly automated markets is central to our GDS strategy,” said James E. Barlett, chairman, president and CEO of Galileo International. “We are proud of our leading position in the highly competitive Australian and New Zealand region, and look forward to serving our customers there even more effectively, while at the same time creating operational cost efficiencies.”

With this acquisition, Galileo Southern Cross’ in-depth understanding of these markets and localized product offerings will be further integrated with Galileo’s leading technology and global products. According to Babetta Gray, Galileo’s executive vice president, Subscriber Sales and Service, Galileo is well positioned to facilitate swifter responses to changing customer requirements and market dynamics, leveraging existing regional relationships and market intimacy. “The purchase of Galileo Southern Cross gives us an even more united presence in the market,” Gray said. “In addition, we see an attractive opportunity in Australia and New Zealand for the provision of state-of-the-art, enterprise networking services – both within the travel industry and beyond – through our subsidiary, Quantitude, Inc.”

Australia and New Zealand is the fifth largest market for Galileo. Galileo Southern Cross provides an extensive array of travel technology solutions, serving nearly half of all travel agents in the Australian and New Zealand market. It also provides technical service and customer support.