Free from legacy onsite infrastructure or vested

interest in selling network communication services,

Amadeus has the liberty to bring new technologies to

the market that disrupt existing models to benefit the

aviation business. This is evidenced by the fact that

airports only need to leverage internet connectivity to

realise the full financial benefits of the cloud.

Designed using contemporary cloud architecture, we

have seen increasing adoption of our cloud-based

ACUS solution by our airport customers. Since its

launch in March 2014, 19 airports around the world -

including Innsbruck and Perth - have contracted for

ACUS, reaping benefits such as anywhere location

operational flexibility, reduced passenger

processing costs for airlines and reduced

CO2 emissions.

We believe the future of common use

will be similar to the mobile revolution

that is being experienced all around the

globe. If we look at the Android, Amazon

or Apple app stores, there is a common

infrastructure base for developers, which enables

an ecosystem of applications, services and hardware

to be developed to work harmoniously together. By

centralising airport technology, a common use

marketplace can be developed to enhance not just

the airport, but the global aviation ecosystem.

Based on our work with airports, we’ve come up with

some key questions that we recommend airports

should consider when planning common use system

projects. I very much hope you enjoy this collection of

discussion points and encourage you to engage

with our team to discuss them further.

Choosing a common use system is an important strategic

technology decision for an airport. Due consideration

should be given to not just current requirements but also

to the longer-term passenger service and business

transformation objectives of the airport.

The growth of ‘cloud-based’ common use solutions is

revolutionising the check-in process and creating new

opportunities for all stakeholders within the airport

environment. However, the true benefits of having a

cloud-based common use solution o�en aren’t technical

in nature or immediately apparent. The cloud is not an

end goal, but rather an enabler, allowing the airport

to explore innovative solutions to the business

challenges of operating in today’s increasingly

competitive environment.

Within Amadeus we believe that ACUS

(Airport Common Use Service) is the only

true cloud common use model present

in the industry. This is a bold

statement and we stand behind

it for two important reasons.

Firstly, competing common use vendors are in effect

providing off-site hosting services only, while the

management of the common use environment at the

airport is still done in the traditional way. This means that

the flexibility and agility that a true cloud model enables

is not fully realised.

Secondly, Amadeus’ core business is not linked to network

communication revenues, unlike other providers whose

business models are tightly linked to the onsite

infrastructure and point-to-point communications

required to enable their solutions.

“The cloud isn’t an end goal,but rather

an enabler”

John Jarrell,

Head of Airport IT,Amadeus IT Group, S.A.

Traditional CUTE infrastructure

Airport 1 Airport 2 Airport 3 Airport N...

Airline Airline Airline Airline

Amadeus Data Centre

ACUS Platform

Altéa DCS CUPPS DCS / Applications

Native DCS / Applications

A i r l i n e A i r l i n e A i r l i n e A i r l i n e

A i r l i n e A i r l i n e A i r l i n e A i r l i n e

Airport Core Room: CUTE Infrastructure, CUTE/CUPPS Certified

Applications

Airport Core Room: CUTE Infrastructure, CUTE/CUPPS Certified

Applications

Airport Core Room: CUTE Infrastructure, CUTE/CUPPS Certified

Applications

Airport Core Room: CUTE Infrastructure, CUTE/CUPPS Certified

Applications

Airport 1 Airport 2 Airport 3 Airport N...

NETWORK

NETWORK

Amadeus is a so�ware provider - not a network

vendor. Amadeus Airport Common Use Service (ACUS)

technology enables a much simpler network

connectivity model. With ACUS, only a single

connection is required between the airline DCS and

the ACUS cloud platform. Airlines connect to one of

the Amadeus data centres, rather than the local

airport, and Amadeus takes care of connecting the

airline’s DCS to those airports deploying ACUS.

From the airport’s perspective, all that is

required is a single network connection

between the airport’s LAN and the ACUS

platform. The same connection between

the airport and Amadeus can also be

utilised for self-service devices such as

bag drops, CUSS kiosks and e-Gates.

Airports with multiple airline Wide Area Network

(WAN) connections under the traditional common use

model are arguably less resilient than cloud-based

solutions because they have to manage more

complexity and face greater risk.

Should the connectivity between the airport and

Amadeus be disrupted, ACUS can be securely accessed

via any internet connection (e.g., via Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G

mobile telecommunications) so extra resilience is

available via any additional internet provider.

If the answer is ‘yes’, your common use vendor is very

likely to be benefiting from providing the network

connectivity solutions between airlines and airports.

The model of ‘typical’ common use solutions requires

that an airline provision and maintain DCS connectivity

directly at each airport they operate from. This model

forces airlines to purchase dedicated, costly,

international circuits for each airport location.

Depending on the vendor, additional services like

bag drop devices, CUSS kiosks and e-Gates

deployed at the airport can require an

airline to install and maintain additional

network circuits between the airline’s DCS

and the airport core room or data centre,

or in other cases to increase the bandwidth

of the existing connectivity.

This situation leads to high operating costs and

complexity for both the airport and airlines.

This model, where the common use provider also

benefits financially from the complexity of the airline

connectivity required to enable the local, on airport

solution, has resulted in little innovation within the

common use solutions and airline network connectivity

for some time. With little incentive to change this legacy

common use/airline network connectivity model, the

incumbent providers continue to sell solutions without

the need to innovate or substantially differentiate.

1 ARE YOU A NETWORK PROVIDER? IF YES, IT IS VERY LIKELY HIGH COSTS ARE BEING PAID TO PROVIDE NETWORK CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS

Additionally, whereas a fully managed WAN comes with a

significant price tag, cloud-based common use systems can

o�en be run over the internet – providing further savings.

This price difference becomes particularly apparent when

airlines are looking to connect to remote locations,

especially in under-served and/or

emerging economies.

Having ACUS in place allows airports to

pass on immediate operational savings to

airlines and therefore adds competitive

advantage for the airport.

In summary, if your common use and network provider

advocates that with their model airlines and airports pay

for a single connection, make sure to ask for the details

and consider if a costly international circuit is part

of the architecture or if they are able to offer

internet-based connectivity.

This question follows naturally from the previous

one. With the majority of airport common use

systems, airlines have to connect the DCS directly to

each airport they serve, which could mean hundreds

of 1:1 WAN connections. WAN connections are a

costly business, especially in remote areas of the

world where telecoms infrastructure is

scarce. For example, in African markets a

WAN link connecting the airport and the

airline can cost many thousands of

euros each month.

ACUS redefines the network and delivery

model for common use infrastructure at airports.

Replacing this mesh of point-to-point networks with

a single connection delivers immediate operational

savings to airlines. With airlines only needing one

connection to the Amadeus ACUS platform there is

a cost reduction in terms of network cost for both

the airlines and the overall industry.

DOES YOUR COMMON USE SOLUTION CUT NETWORKING COST? IF YOUR COMMON USE AND NETWORK PROVIDER ADVOCATES THAT AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS PAY FOR A SINGLE CONNECTION WITH THEIR MODEL, MAKE SURE TO ASK FOR THE DETAILS

2

This means airline deployment is still slow and

adds complexity in terms of administration and

troubleshooting. The underlying problem is that

you still need configuration for each airport,

which will still have its own set of common use

servers hosted remotely by the vendor and each

airport will be potentially running on a

different version of CUTE/CUPPS.

One of the key distinguishing features

of ACUS is that there is no need to

manage any dedicated common use

servers for an airport. ACUS does not

require any server deployment, or local

site administration, as airline applications are

no longer deployed to local airport workstations.

With ACUS, airline applications are individually

hosted as virtualised applications in separate

containers within a centralised server

environment and there is no concept of a

physical or virtual desktop.

When ACUS users access and launch applications

via a web browser, there is no airline-specific

so�ware installed on the airport workstation.

To be “in the cloud” is actually very simple: you can

easily host an application off-site and call it a

“cloud-based” solution. There are plenty of cloud

common use offerings available which essentially

consist of moving their current common use

system from the servers at the airport’s core room

to a server away from the airport.

This Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

model brings benefits, such as saving

space at the airport building and

outsourcing host maintenance.

However, it still requires an entire

common use infrastructure to be set-up

and maintained for each airport.

IaaS enables servers to be placed away from the

airport but does not remove the need to have an

entire common use infrastructure requiring the

deployment of airline applications to each airport

server - remote or local - and to each workstation

at the airport. Some vendors talk about a ‘single

connection’. Whilst this is true to a degree, they will

nevertheless need to configure the network for each

airport or group of airports for each airline.

DOES YOUR CLOUD SOLUTIONREQUIRE A LOCAL COMMON USE INFRASTRUCTURE? INFRASTRUCTURE-AS-A-SERVICE (IAAS) AND SHIFTING ON-SITE SERVERS TO AN OFF-SITE LOCATION DOES NOT BRING ALL THE BENEFITS OF CLOUD COMPUTING

3

Amadeus ACUS uses application virtualisation and runs

all applications from the servers in one of the Amadeus

data centres. As a consequence, Amadeus can host and

run any combination of applications within the one user

Citrix Session with limited constraints on the actual

workstation or device.

With ACUS any number of applications from

different airlines can be run at the same time

by a single user. Airline and ground handler

agents just access applications through an

internet browser - which is delivered on

very light end user devices like thin clients

and portable devices.

Ground handlers generally do not need to log off from

one airline and log on to another when switching airlines.

Multiple airlines can be handled at the same time; ACUS

makes sure that each airline’s printing format is

managed separately to make this possible.

With traditional common use infrastructure,

airline applications have to coexist with

other airline applications as they are loaded

on the same workstation.

This constrains the interoperability between

applications on the platform and leads to common

use providers having to cater for the lowest

common denominator or least advanced

application. This architecture limits

the whole industry and prevents

airlines from rolling out new DCS user

interfaces, with a knock-on impact for

productivity and innovation.

Common use vendors can hardly claim to be at the

forefront of innovation if they are constrained to

using old versions of browsers. In addition, the need

to install applications on the workstation limits what

can be achieved in terms of mobility.

4

ACUS CAN RUN ANY NUMBER OR COMBINATION OF APPLICATIONS WITH LIMITED CONSTRAINTS ON THE ACTUAL WORKSTATION OR DEVICE

IS THERE A LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS YOU CAN UPLOAD AT COMMON USE WORKSTATIONS?

Because operations can easily be moved

elsewhere, it mitigates business continuity risk

from unplanned disruption. Airports can

deploy mobile workstations to provide

additional, on-demand passenger

processing capacity inside the

terminal (at the gate or check-in

area for example) to address

seasonal peaks or a heavy influx in

airline or passenger demand.

Airports can also extend their service beyond the

physical boundaries of the airport terminal,

solving any capacity-related issues. Airports and

airlines can set up dedicated processes to deal

with special events such as large sporting

events, religious celebrations or business

conferences, avoiding a bottleneck of passengers

coming from the same event at the same time.

For passengers, this new solution not only

creates a seamless travel experience by reducing

annoying check-in or baggage drop queues, but

also means they ultimately spend more time

air-side, where they contribute the greatest

revenue for the ecosystem.

Cost, geographic, environmental and regulatory

restrictions are holding back physical expansion

for many airports, so it is essential to

consider how technology can optimise

the use of existing terminal space and

manage capacity growth without the

need for large capital investment.

ACUS opens up the future possibility of

limitless off-site and mobile opportunities

for solution deployment, including potentially

pure mobile-based airports without conventional

workstations at all. Thanks to its virtualised

cloud computing DNA, the common use

computing of ACUS does not happen on local

devices, it happens back at the data centre and

therefore the centrally managed service can be

accessed from any location. All that is needed

for airline and ground handler staff to provide

passenger processing services is

a connection to the internet via Wi-Fi,

3G or 4G mobile telecommunications.

The capability of processing passengers

anywhere has huge benefits for airports, airlines,

ground handlers and passengers.

DOES YOUR COMMON USE SYSTEM ALLOW AIRPORTSTO CHECK-IN PASSENGERSFROM ANYWHERE?

5

ACUS ENABLES CHECK-IN ANYTIME, ANYWHERE YOU GET AN INTERNET CONNECTION

With Amadeus ACUS’ architecture, once an

airline has connected their DCS to Amadeus,

only a connection and a thin client or other

device such as a laptop is required

to begin processing passengers

at any ACUS airport.

ACUS eliminates the need for direct

point-to-point connectivity between

airports and the airline DCS.

One of the most significant cost and time

impediments to an airline commencing

operations at a new airport is the

requirement for WAN connectivity

between the airport’s local common

use solution and the airline’s DCS.

Airlines routinely report lead times in

excess of 6 months for establishing

operations in a new airport, and this

can be even longer in a remote area.

6

ONCE AN AIRLINE HAS CONNECTED THEIR DCS TO AMADEUS, THEY ARE READY TO LAUNCHAT ANY ACUS AIRPORT

HOW FAST CAN YOUDEPLOY A NEW ROUTEFOR AN AIRLINE?

DOES YOUR COMMON USE SYSTEM ALLOW AIRPORTS TO TRIAL NEW PREMIUM SERVICES?

Not only does this provide a premium service to

passengers that airport providers can charge a

fee for, but it also provides a differentiator from

off-airport low-cost car parks that are taking

away potential revenue from the airport.

And it doesn’t have to be a car park;

the ease at which ACUS can

potentially be redeployed to enable

such services means that the airport

can rapidly introduce (or remove) other

services such as dedicated fast track lanes for

families or premium travellers, valet services at

the kerb-side, or off-airport check-in services at

hotels and other transport hubs. All of which

help to ease capacity on-site, improve the

end-to-end passenger journey and help

operators in their quest to become service

providers in their own right.

Non-aeronautical revenue streams, with their

potential for high profit margins, are becoming

increasingly vital to the financial success of an airport.

Personalised and premium services present a

huge opportunity for airports to generate

additional income.

The freedom, agility and rapid

deployment time of ACUS enables

airports, airlines and ground handlers to

experiment with and employ new services to

cater for various market demographics such as VIPs,

business travellers or families. Imagine checking-in

passengers and handling baggage off-site in a

long-term car park. This means passengers can

quickly go through the hassle of checking-in at the

same time as parking their vehicles, before jumping

on a bus to the terminal and going through fast track,

thereby avoiding the check-in area completely.

7

ECONOMY CLASS CAN MEAN FIRST CLASS THANKS TO ACUS, WITH PASSENGER CHECK-IN TAKING PLACE OUTSIDE OFTHE BUSY CHECK-IN AREA INSIDE THE AIRPORT

IS YOUR SOLUTION SUITABLE FOR AIRPORTS OF ANY SIZE?

Compared to other solutions, ACUS requires very

little bandwidth per workstation. Other industry

solutions can require up to ten times the

bandwidth of ACUS for each workstation.

This means that Amadeus can easily

accommodate any number of

workstations and doesn’t encounter

issues of scale in terms

of bandwidth cost.

Such scalability results in ACUS not only being

suitable for airports of any size, but it also

provides flexibility for airports that want to scale

their operations up or down to deal with

seasonal fluctuations or changing passenger

demand, without worrying about the

potential cost or scalability implications

of the common use system.

When choosing a common use system, an

important consideration is the number of

workstations that can be deployed with a

provider’s cloud-based solution.

There has been some noise from

traditional providers that cloud-based

common use systems are only suitable

for smaller airports. The logic given by

some providers is that if an airport

requires more than 65 workstations, it will

be cheaper to host the common use system

on-site rather than making use of the cloud.

However, this reasoning hides a different truth that

might be due to a technical limitation that no other

vendor has been able to overcome.

With ACUS, there is no limitation on the number of

workstations that can be deployed.

8

WITH ACUS THERE IS NO TECHNICAL LIMITATION TO CONNECT ANY NUMBER OF WORKSTATIONS OR DEVICES AND IS SUITABLE FOR USE BY AIRPORTS OF ANY SIZE

Find out more by:

Emailing airport@amadeus.com

Visiting our website here

Just because your vendor offers you common use in the cloud, doesn’t mean you are benefitingfrom being in the cloud.