Atlas Travel Technologies Inc. API Product Provides Internet, Multi-CRS Connectivity for Travel, Tour Operators.

MOORESTOWN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 16, 1998--Atlas Travel Technologies Inc.(R) (ATTI), a global travel business providing electronic distribution, outsource facilities and systems for retail and wholesale travel operators and travel agencies, has published a Standard Application Programming Interface (API) that will have a tremendous impact on the future of product distribution in the travel industry, the company announced today.

Using API, any tour operator or travel supplier can have full Internet and multi-CRS connectivity through a single connection to the Atlas 2000 system. It also enables them to reduce the substantial up-front costs for CRS connections and Internet front-end systems.

"Technology can open the door for small, medium and large travel operators to compete on equal footing with regard to travel distribution," said Dean S. Sivley, president and chief executive officer of Atlas Travel Technologies Inc.

The API is a ready-made application platform for tour operators and travel suppliers, regardless of their size. By linking their systems to the API, it provides distribution opportunities that typically were cost justified by only the largest tour operators. The API in turn interfaces to the Atlas 2000 Tour Management System (TMS) running on a fault-tolerant Tandem computer. The interface from their systems to the API need only be written once by the tour operator or travel supplier.

Once connected through the API to Atlas 2000, they receive connectivity to the Internet and the Computerized Reservation Services (CRS), avoiding the huge up-front costs for each CRS connection and the additional cost of building an Internet front-end to their system. Travel packages are then distributed to agents worldwide, and the suppliers pay only a small transaction fee after they sell one of a package through the system.

Until now, the packaged holiday travel market consisting of all the travel wholesalers, suppliers, operators and agents did not have a central repository providing inventory and pricing information through a common interface. Suppliers and wholesalers had only two choices to distribute their product: connect their existing internal system to a CRS, or develop brochures to market their products. In many cases these brochures were used by other agents, who in turn called their internal agents to book the travel.

"Atlas 2000 offers much more than just traditional CRS distribution. It lets agents and suppliers track inventory, book packages and pull accounting reports from one system." Sivley said. "We wanted to develop a one-stop, turn-key travel distribution solution, and we did."

ATTI operates its own travel agency Web site, TravelRes Direct (www.travelresdirect.com), which includes its tour operator partners of Collette Tours, GoGo Worldwide Vacations, Vacation Express and Matterhorn Holidays. The company will be partnering with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, America West Vacations, Apple Vacations, Pleasant Holidays and Air Canada in the near future, Sivley said.

Atlas Travel Technologies Inc. (ATTI) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlas Travel Technologies Pty. Ltd., a joint venture between Telstra, the Australian national telecommunications company; Jetset, one of Australia's largest travel organizations; and Amadeus, the world's leading global distribution system (GDS).

    CONTACT:  The Silver Company
               Jolene Murphy, 206/624-0388
                    or
               Atlas Travel Technologies Inc.
               Colin Knell, 609/642-6704