INTERVIEW: Amadeus North America President and CEO Scott Gutz

Scott Gutz became president and CEO of Amadeus North America in April 2011 and has since overseen an expansive period for the Spain-based IT company and global distribution system operator in the region. "What's happened in the last four years is we've grown in every major sector in which Amadeus offers solutions," Gutz said in a recent interview. Indeed, its GDS market share has increased in North America, as agency bookings spiked on growth among online travel agencies, its airline IT portfolio gained its first significant U.S carrier in Southwest Airlines and the company expanded in its emerging hotel IT and airport IT segments. "In addition, we've just about doubled the number of people that we have in the market over a four-year period, both from an organic perspective and from an acquisition perspective," he said. "It feels to me like a much bigger, much more complex, much more exciting organization that has grown up over the past four years." Gutz recently spoke with The Beat's Jay Boehmer about airline merchandizing, the Amadeus e-Travel Management online booking system and other North America initiatives. An edited transcript follows.