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SkyEurope Airlines runs on Microsoft Dynamics NAV | ||
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SkyEurope Airlines implemented Microsoft Dynamics NAV to maintain economic agenda and integrated it with its air ticket reservation system. The company thus increased its automation, reflected by improved efficiency and quality of work of the entire airline. SkyEurope Airlines is a leading low-cost airline in the Central Europe. With its bases in Slovakia (Bratislava and Košice), Czech Republic (Prague), Hungary (Budapest) and Poland (Krakow and Warsaw), it is also the first airline with several bases in the Central European region. It operates a fleet of 16 airplanes in a network of 37 destinations in 19 countries. The head office is located in Bratislava. SituationThe company uses a special reservation system, outsourced from an American company. The original ERP system did not provide a link with this reservation system and the reservations needed to be inserted twice. This process was labor intensive and error prone. Bank account movement data was input into the system manually and no automated pairing of payments and reservations existed. When accounting for reservations, revenue related to confirmation of reservations could not be monitored. The creation of reports was rigid and did not meet modern requirements for document creation. The creation of reports was not updated automatically from the economic system; rather, reports were generated manually in Microsoft Excel. From the security viewpoint, the system was unsuitable, access to applications was secured only by user login and no restrictions of rights to parts of applications was provided. Already at the beginning of 2003, this system of management of the company failed to satisfy the planned activities of the company. To enable expansion of the company, a solution allowing for flexibility and efficiency of SkyEurope Airlines was necessary. Business AimsThe main motivation of the customer in selection of a new information system was the business aim for the coming period, based on:
Optimization of business processes with the newest information technologies was to intended to strengthen the competitiveness of the company. From the viewpoint of information technologies, the main aims of the solution were in the following areas:
SolutionIn spring 2003, Gratex International performed a detailed analysis of the then-current situation in SkyEurope, which brought a proposed solution presented in June 2003. The solution was based on the Microsoft Dynamics NAV complex information system. Already on October 1, 2003, the development and implementation were completed and the entire information system was put into hot operation. The implementation included setup of the system, adjustments, testing of standard and added functionalities, and preparing for operation. User training began during the phase of development and implementation of the solution and all users were trained before the start of hot operation of the system. Similarly to other projects implemented by Gratex International, this one, too, was managed by the OnTarget methodology, standard for implementing ERP systems. The implemented solution is based on the standard functionality of Microsoft Dynamics NAV in the areas of finance, purchasing, liabilities, fixed assets and inventory. The standard application has been expanded by extra functionality specific for an airline – airline ticket reservation module (used for overviews and reports of financial indicators of the reservation system), bank and cash. A demanding part of the implementation was the linking of the financial management over the internet to the existing airline reservation system, installed and operated by an independent company in the U.S.A. For this, we have developed a .NET application that enabled the sharing of data from the reservation information system over the web service in XML format, subsequently stored them on a Microsoft SQL server and by Microsoft MQ, communicated with the application server. Then, data was processed in the NAV database. Synchronization management and setup was implemented in the NAV database. Thanks to the unique adaptability of the system and the opportunities for modifications thereof according to customer specific requirements, we met the expectations in the area of connectivity. The complex information system automated previously manual operations in the area of sales of airline tickets, the activities of the call center and the cooperating travel agencies. Operating costs were also decreased significantly by improved efficiency of use of internal capacity in the area of internal reporting and controlling. The solution is currently used and implemented in two subsidiary companies - Sky HUNGARY, kft. and GroundEurope, kft. in Hungary. The implementation in these branches was done in the fall of 2005 and in the spring of 2006. The employees in these branches connect to the central server by Terminal Services. SkyEurope Airlines obtained a modern corporate solution, creating conditions for the dynamic growth of the company and growth of turnover. The system is implemented in the following areas:
BenefitsThe benefits of the solution are visible in many areas. The transfer of data from the reservation system to the economic system has been automated. The company works more efficiently and the system provides a sufficient quantity of information for decision-making and management activities. The advantages of an open system are used for dynamic changes in the development of the company. The solution allows for reaction to modifications of corporate processes by the integration thereof into the overall solution and immediately supports there changes. Due to the rigidity of the entire solution, there is no risk of reaching system threshold levels. Other benefits of the solution include:
Products and Technologies
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