TCS Airlines Solutions

Travel, Transportation and Hospitality

Airlines worldwide have started appreciating the need for a technology revamp to
ensure a better alignment between their business aspirations and technology
capabilities. This evolution is further driven by the large-scale adoption of a community
model for core Passenger Service Systems (PSS). As a result, the IT services associated
with PSS have been commoditized. In these circumstances, your airline will have to
explore avenues to differentiate, stay relevant, and at the same time improve
operational efficiencies. This requires a measured approach that balances both your
short-term and long-term business considerations.
As an enterprise that understands the airlines industry, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
has helped leading global airlines transform their IT and business operations. Our
extensive airline domain and technology expertise, full-range of service offerings,
products, and experienced domain consultants can accelerate this journey and ensure
you thrive in the challenging environment.

Overview
With advancements in the distribution technology, there
is an increasing shift of power away from the airlines.
The commoditization of core systems has further enabled
every airline to offer similar services in a relatively short
time frame. Together, these support global airlines in
continuously innovating to create differentiation and
retain their valuable customers. In addition, emerging
consumer technologies and technology savvy customers
compel airlines relook at customer engagement channels.
This means, there is a need to transform existing business
processes and IT architecture to cope with changing
customer expectations. At the same time, accumulating
losses have forced airlines to explore ways to reduce the
cost of business operations.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) understands the world
of airlines and its requirements. By working closely with
the worlds leading airline brands over the years, we have
acquired in-depth knowledge of the airlines business
across the complete spectrum of functional areas. We
have worked on four major PSSs in the travel industry,
helping them in the areas of application development and
support.
We look at technology as a business enabler that can
enable new service offerings, reduce costs, and help reach
and engage customers. We bring several advanced
solutions and ideas in areas such as new generation
passenger solutions, airline MRO, mobility, and
ecommerce for business agility and improved customer
experience.
Our assets portfolio includes a variety of frameworks
and products ranging from airline operations to
customer-centered technologies. These are:
n
SWIFT MRO. SWIFT MRO is a proven, fully integrated,

preconfigured business process transformation

solution for end-to-end airline MRO operations.
Developed in collaboration with British Airways, it is
based on the latest SAP ECC 6.0 platform and fully
certified by SAP AG as adhering to NetWeaver
standards

Travel Services Platform (TSP). TSP is an enterprise

n
enablement platform. It comprises enterprise
architecture principles, in-built airline-specific
components, and other solution accelerators like
frameworks, operating models, templates, and KPIs
to realize these architecture principles. TSP helps IT
transformation and creates and sustains differentiation,
resulting in an IT infrastructure that is flexible and agile
enough to meet the changing needs of the airline
business.

Our solutions
With a view to help the airlines in their journey towards
customer experience management, enterprise
intelligence, and transformation, TCS continuously invests
in its asset portfolio and provides a wide range of service
offerings. We provide comprehensive solutions and
services for customers across varying levels of relationship
maturity. These include:
Transformational Services such as enterprise
n
architecture consulting, IT strategy formulation,
process transformation, and innovation
Application Services such as application
n
development, support, and quality assurance services
across technology spanning the airline IT landscape
Infrastructure Services such as remote management,
n
help desk, desktop and Network Management, EUCS,
and hosting
Airline BPO for best-in-class back-office services across
n
both the vertical and horizontal business processes.
Airline-specific BPO service areas include airline
revenue accounting (both passenger and cargo),
revenue management, fare filing and distribution,
loyalty bonus program management, customs
clearance, crew management, GDS database
management, etc. In addition, we also provide
horizontal BPO services in the areas of HR
management, supply chain management,
finance and accounting, and customer interaction
management/KPO (analytics)

Back Office
Revenue
n
accounting
Fare filling &
n
distribution
Revenue Mgmt
n
GDS Database
n
Mgmt
Loyalty bonus
n
program
Finance &
n
accounting
HR Management
n
SCM
n

Planning
Route Mgmt
n
Revenue Mgmt
n
Revenue Mgmt
n
n
Interline & code
share
n
Product &
Services
Fleet
n
Maintenance
Meal Planning
n
Flight Planning
n

Enterprise
Process/service
n
transformation
Enterprise
n
architecture

Airline operations
Passenger
n
processing
Ground Handling
n
Catering
n
Cargo operations
n
Engineering
n
Flight operations
n
Crew Operations
n

Sales & Services

Customer
n
services
Self service
n
channels
Sales & Marketing
n
In-flight
n
Services/Sales
Cargo
n
Reservation
Passenger
n
Reservations

Saas

Craft (Crew Planing)

I Air BIDS

Travel Services
Platform

SWIFT MRO I Airport

Assistant

Crew Power I
Listening Platform I
Intelligent Booking
Engine I Air Buddy I
Cubuzz

Assets

Experience Areas

Experience Areas & Assest Portfolio

Service Offerings
Service Stack

IT Optimization & Business Transformation Services

Infrastructure Services
Business Process Outsourcing & Knowledge Process Outsourcing
Domain & Technology Consulting
Application Development and Support and Assurance
Global Network Delivery

The TCS Advantage

TCS was among the pioneering companies that enabled
airlines BPO and provided offshore support and
development for core PSS. We have over 20 years of
experience in the airline domain. We work with seven
of the top 10 global airlines and two of the three airline
alliances this makes us a leading IT service provider
for the global airline industry. Partnering with TCS offers:
n
Domain and technology expertise. TCS has a focused

business unit and a dedicated travel practice to cater

to the specific needs of the airlines industry. We have
extensive experience in airlines systems across the
entire travel enterprise value chain: from PSS to
planning and operations to customer centered
technologies like mobile, check-in, and social media.
There are assets and offerings for each of these areas,
developed using our technology expertise and domain
understanding. We have industry-specific technology
expertise across platforms such as teletypes, electronic
commerce, communications (SNA, LU6.2, HTH,
EDIFACT, MATIP, TCP/IP), integration platforms, and
shared infrastructure platforms like CUSS & CUTE. We
serve as a strategic partner, advising you on IT strategy
and providing enterprise architecture consulting
amidst other IT services

n
A Travel Innovation Lab. TCS has invested in

a dedicated Innovation Lab for the travel industry

to incubate futuristic ideas, co-innovate, and develop
frameworks and prototypes of game-changing
solutions. The Lab is equipped with best-in-class
infrastructure, and is well networked with external
academia and industry experts to provide an
environment that is conducive to experiment, and
develop next generation solutions. Some of the
solutions developed in our Lab have been successfully
deployed at customer environments
Global delivery expertise and full-service offerings.
n
By leveraging our quality models, such as CMMi,
PCMM, Six Sigma, ISO, and BS7799, we ensure absolute
service maturity. In addition, our Global Network
Delivery Model and various delivery assurance groups
ensure cost competitiveness. TCS has a range of service
offerings and an asset portfolio that covers the entire
airline enterprise value chain
Strategic relationships. We have partnerships with
n
global technology leaders like IBM, Oracle, SAP,
Microsoft, BEA, etc. We also work closely with specific
domain solution providers and hosting providers like
TCL this gives us a leading edge to provide an end-toend solution, with TCS as a single point of contact. In
addition, we offer a joint product solution with British
Airways for the airline MRO industry

Today, airlines need to effectively exploit IT more than ever to be successful in a very
competitive marketplace, Thanks to our ongoing partnership with TCS we have the
right partner to enable this.
Mike Cope,
IT Director, Virgin Atlantic

Case studies
Enabling an integrated view of customer information for a leading UK based airline. TCS
streamlined the airline's centralized customer information system. This receives information from
seven sources, and validates and processes it before passing it on the company's marketing
professionals. It gives the marketing team a single and coherent view of the customer information
gained from various sources.
New messaging hub for a leading airline alliance. A leading airline alliance wanted to create a new
messaging hub for hosting, maintenance, and service desk setup for the Inter Airline Through Check-In
(IATCI) application for about 40 departure control systems. TCS helped them plan, design, and
implement the new cloud infrastructure. TCS also performed data center migration and constructed
the IATCI functional solution into the TCS managed cloud platform. TCS deployed the Mon-IT tool to
monitor end-to-end infrastructure and application component availability. The service desk was fully
managed from offshore using the ICC shared support model. These improved the through check-in
success rates, enabled multi-host check-in, decreased maintenance cost for member airlines, and
improved agility to provide support services to member airlines
Improved efficiency for a leading US-based airline. TCS' combined IT, IS, and BPO services are
helping the airline focus on their core competencies and experience quicker time-to-market for
solutions. Our Global Network Delivery Model and onsite-offshore methodology are bringing in
process standardization and productivity improvements, while our domain knowledge and expertise
are supporting revenue accounting, ecommerce, and passenger reservation processes.

Contact
To know more about TCS Airlines Solutions, contact [email protected]

About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS)

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that
delivers real results to global business, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match.
TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT and IT-enabled infrastructure, engineering
and assurance services. This is delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery ModelTM,
recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata Group,
Indias largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has a global footprint and is listed on the National
Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange in India.

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