PRA Solutions is Now Navitaire
Global Leader Expands Role in Helping Airlines Enhance Profitability
Minneapolis; January 8, 2001: PRA Solutions Inc., a leading provider of software and services that enhance airline operating profits, today announced that the company has changed its name to Navitaire Inc.
"The change reflects the company's expanded role within the airline industry, based on our growth, the development of additional products and Navitaire's commitment to provide the world's first comprehensive information technology platform for the industry," according to Tom McClain, CEO of Navitaire.
"As PRA Solutions we became the dominant provider of passenger revenue accounting services, serving more than 30 airlines and enhancing their revenues by over $300 million during the last year," said McClain. "We now provide much more than revenue accounting and created a new name and identity to reflect our broader vision for our customers."
McClain said Navitaire's customers include six of the top 10 carriers as well as many mid-sized and small airline customers. More than one third of the world's airline tickets are processed through the company's revenue accounting and revenue protection software. "In addition, our via World Network® affiliate has been providing the industry's leading direct-connect ticket-distribution channel for the last three years; and with our acquisition of Hewlett Packard Company's Open Skies, Inc. subsidiary in November 2000, we added an innovative airline reservation and revenue management system." McClain said the Open Skies brand will continue to be used.
"Our expanded capabilities lay the foundation for Navitaire's goal to allow airline management to focus on their core functions, while we provide comprehensive solutions and integration of decision-making data, based upon our offering the first comprehensive menu of fully integrated IT solutions for the airline industry," he said. "To achieve that important goal we need to do two things: first, enhance each of our offerings to cover the full range of airline sizes; second, integrate the offerings on a common platform. The benefits will be enormous for the growth potential of our customers and Navitaire itself." McClain said no other vendor is in as advantageous a position to deliver a comprehensive IT platform.
Navitaire used Lumina Marketing, St. Paul, Minnesota, for the identity work.
About Navitaire Inc.
Navitaire creates and delivers the information systems that liberate the world's leading airlines to be more efficient and profitable. Navitaire Inc., a pioneer in the applications service provider (ASP) industry, began hosting passenger revenue accounting technology for airline customers in 1993. Navitaire provides application management, data center management, and network management services. The ASP delivery model makes it possible to offer industry-leading applications with reduced implementation time and risk, assured reliability and a cost-effective fee structure.
Navitaire's customer base consists of about 50 airlines, including nine of the world's 25 largest and a growing base of smaller airlines. Navitaire is headquartered in Minneapolis, with offices in Phoenix, Sydney (Australia) and Manila (Philippines). Open Skies is one of the fastest-growing providers of hosted airline reservation solutions. More than 20 airlines use Open Skies services, ranging from innovative new entrants to larger, established carriers. Accenture Technology Ventures, the venture capital unit of Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting), is the majority investor in Navitaire.
Contact:
Susan Adelman
Navitaire Inc.
+1 (612) 317-7284
Steve Conway
Conway Communications
651-592-7441
sttico@aol.com