(GDS), Sabre Travel Network, have reached a new three-year full
content agreement that awards the GDS with preferred provider status
and will see the airline’s fares and inventory made available to all
Sabre Connected travel agents worldwide.
British Airways has guaranteed its full range of fares to Sabre
Connected customers, including published fares that the airline sells
through its own web site, any third-party web site, and its own
reservation offices. Sabre Connected agents in the UK and Ireland will
be required to join a new opt-in program to access these fares.
Tiffany Hall, British Airways’ head of marketing and distribution,
said: “The Sabre GDS is an important part of our overall marketing
strategy. We are delighted to have reached an agreement with Sabre
Travel Network that meets the needs of all parties involved and we
look forward to working with them over the next three years.”
Richard Adams, Sabre Travel Network’s senior vice-president, EMEA,
said: “Our travel agency customers have repeatedly told us that their
priority requirements from us are full content, access to the lowest
basic fares, and long-term airline deals that guarantee stability in
terms of preserving the efficiency of the GDS. We are very pleased to
have reached an agreement that ensures these priorities are addressed
and that provides continued access to British Airways’ full content,
which is so important for our customers to remain competitive and
provide the service their customers expect.”
Sabre Travel Network becomes the last GDS operator to introduce an
opt-in program in the UK. The new Sabre opt-in program guarantees
travel agents in the UK and Ireland, through adjusted financial terms
with Sabre Travel Network, full access to the current British Airways
content in Sabre, including the complete range of published fares that
British Airways sells through its own web site, any third-party web
site, and its own reservation offices.
More details of the opt-in program will be made available shortly
by Sabre Travel Network, directly to its UK and Ireland travel agency
customers.
The agreement between the two companies continues a broad
relationship between British Airways and the wider Sabre Holdings
organization. In addition to participation in the Sabre GDS, British
Airways also uses decision-support technology from Sabre Airline
Solutions to optimize its flight scheduling, resource management and
daily flight operations.
About Sabre Travel Network
Sabre Travel Network, a Sabre Holdings company, provides access to
the world’s leading global distribution system (GDS). The Sabre GDS is
a ready-built efficient marketplace that connects suppliers, including
hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotels, with more than 50,000
travel agency locations. Suppliers get access through one single
connection; travel agents get real time access to thousands of travel
products from multiple suppliers through one source integrated into
their businesses; consumers get access to a global supermarket of the
world’s greatest travel possibilities
Key brands of Sabre Travel Network include GetThere, the leading
Web-based corporate travel reservation technology, and Jurni Network,
the unique leisure travel agency consortium that enables members to
sell more products from preferred travel suppliers using sophisticated
market intelligence.
Sabre Holdings (NYSE:TSG) connects people with the world’s
greatest travel possibilities by retailing travel products and
providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel
industry. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at
http://www.sabre-holdings.com.
SOURCE: Sabre Travel Network & British Airways
Sabre Travel Network
UK queries:
TextWrite
Peter Heath, 01844-350099; 07788-456354 (mob)
peter@textwrite.org
or
TextWrite
Sally Brown, 020-8871 0536; 07917-091782 (mob)
sally@textwrite.org
or
US queries:
Sabre Travel Network
Kathryn Hayden, +1 682.605.2252; 817.296.7693 (mob)
kathryn.hayden@sabre-holdings.com
or
British Airways
UK queries:
British Airways
Anna Martin, 020 8738 7330; 07789 610 410
anna.martin@ba.com
or
US queries
British Airways
John Lampl, +1 347 418 4729
john.lampl@ba.com