Amadeus, MasterCard Team For Better Int'l Data

MasterCard yesterday announced an alliance with Madrid-based Amadeus that will deliver to MasterCard's corporate card users "greater access to sophisticated airline and rail itinerary data--including costs, travel dates, destinations, authorization codes and coupon numbers--from any Amadeus travel agent or service provider."

According to MasterCard, the arrangement will provide "a unique central data feed solution," producing "unparalleled" travel data for its corporate card cardholders. MasterCard said the solution will benefit multinational organizations "that struggle with the disparate travel reporting systems of different nations in which their employees conduct business."

"The changing economy challenges more and more organizations to search for ways to streamline operations and cut costs, particularly in the area of business travel," said Steve Abrams, senior vice president of MasterCard Corporate Payment Solutions. "By leveraging Amadeus' advanced data and MasterCard's leading-edge reporting system, we will help our corporate card-using organizations better understand how funds are being spent, both domestically and globally, to enable them to evaluate key spending areas and to base critical business decisions."