London – 8 March 2010 – Hitachi Consulting United Kingdom today announced that it has completed the redevelopment of easyJet’s new web site, working in close collaboration with easyJet’s internal technical team. The new web site, which accounts for 98 percent of the low-fares airline’s revenue bookings, was redeveloped using Microsoft’s .NET architecture and Web 2.0 technology to deliver a robust, extensible framework, increasing ease of use and visibility for customers, enabling greater integration with its retail partners, such as insurance providers, car hire and hotels, reducing third-party maintenance and support costs, and providing a platform for future service-based delivery.

easyJet pioneered the use of the Internet for travel and now serves more than 46 million passengers through 500 routes. The company has 182 aircraft in 29 countries and employs more than 6,500 people. As the main booking funnel for the company’s revenue, the easyJet web site is one of the top 10 web sites in the UK.

Hitachi Consulting UK and Microsoft worked collaboratively with easyJet’s technical team, moving the web site from a Classic ASP architecture to a services-based .NET architecture. Initial development work was completed in February 2009 with easyJet gradually moving customers over to the new site throughout the year. At the end of November 2009, 100 percent of all traffic has been channeled through the new web site.

“We are heavily driven by IT as a company and are continually trying to upgrade our systems,” said Colin Rees, Head of Software Delivery for easyJet. “I had worked with Hitachi Consulting previously and was impressed by how much intellectual property they have in our industry, particularly with regards to working practices and procedures. They also have a deep technical understanding of Microsoft technologies and worked with our team on a collaborative basis. This project is the first of many step changes in our online offerings, and the .NET architecture gives us greater scope to develop more functionality moving forward.”

David Kilpatrick, Managing Vice President at Hitachi Consulting UK, commented, “As a company with a business model based so heavily on technology, easyJet’s implementation is a great example of how Microsoft’s .NET architecture and Web 2.0 technology can transform business performance. We look forward to supporting easyJet in its future projects.”

“This significant technology implementation reaffirms the exceptionally strong relationship we have with both easyJet and Hitachi Consulting as one of our Solution System Integration partners,” says Alex Cresswell, Business Manager for Travel & Transport at Microsoft UK. “We are proud to form such a fundamental part of easyJet’s business plan and strategy and we are pleased to have been able to support them in offering an improved customer experience to the 50 million customers worldwide who will fly with the airline in the coming year.”

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About Hitachi Consulting Corporation
As Hitachi, Ltd.'s (NYSE: HIT) global consulting company, with operations in the United States, Europe and Asia, Hitachi Consulting is a recognized leader in delivering proven business and IT strategies and solutions to Global 2000 companies across many industries. With a balanced view of strategy, people, process and technology, we work with companies to understand their unique business needs, and to develop and implement practical business strategies and technology solutions. From business strategy development through application deployment, our consultants are committed to helping clients quickly realize measurable business value and achieve sustainable ROI. Hitachi Consulting's client base includes 25 percent of the Global 100 as well as many leading mid-market companies. We offer a client-focused, collaborative approach and transfer knowledge throughout each engagement.
For more information, call 1.877.664.0010 or visit www.hitachiconsulting.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501) is a leading global technological and industrial company with total revenues of ¥10,000 billion ($102.0 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2009. Hitachi’s business is highly diversified, encompassing operations in the following seven segments: Information & Telecommunication Systems; Electronic Devices; Power & Industrial Systems; Digital Media & Consumer Products; High Functional Materials & Components; Logistics, Services & Others; and Financial Services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit Hitachi's website at http://www.hitachi.com.
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For further information, please contact:
Kim Lynch
Devonshire Marketing
kim[at]devonshiremarketing[dot]com
Tel: 0870 7000 166

Distributed on behalf of Hitachi Consulting UK by NeonDrum (http://www.neondrum.com)
Nicky Denovan
Tel: +44 7747 017654
nicky[at]neondrum[dot]com