SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 9, 2004–GetThere(R) today announced that it set a new booking record in the third quarter with more than 3.1 million bookings, confirming a rapid shift toward online booking by corporations.
GetThere, the world’s leading provider of online corporate travel technology, continued to strengthen its customer base, with renewals and new customer signings totaling approximately $700 million in annual air travel. Customer agreements included Bank of America, Black and Veatch, and Mellon Financial. GetThere signed up several top European corporations in the quarter, and its European booking volume in the third quarter grew 144 percent over the quarter last year.
GetThere online technology is used by more than 3,000 companies worldwide, including half of the Fortune 200. The continued growth in booking maps closely to the results of a GetThere survey released in June in which a sample of customers said that 60 percent of their bookings are now online, a number that was only 24 percent in the same survey just three years ago.
“We believe that these numbers show that online booking is successfully managing corporate travel programs,” said Bev Heinritz, general manager of GetThere. “What is less understood outside of the corporate travel industry is that GetThere continues to help more corporate travelers book trips online than any other company in the world. These online bookings are helping corporate America save hundreds of millions of dollars, and we are rapidly expanding our global capabilities to help companies in Europe and the rest of the world achieve the same level of savings.”
GetThere’s online booking technology is helping companies secure lower average trip costs by helping travelers find and choose fares 15 percent lower than when they book with an agent on the phone, and helping corporations cut agency fees in half.
In addition to setting a record number of bookings during the quarter, GetThere rolled out several industry firsts in its product, including:
-- First corporate online travel system to make online meeting
planning a standard component;
-- First fully-automated online ticket exchange;
-- GetThere also implemented a modify search option that allows
travelers to change their trip parameters in the middle of a
booking; and
-- Rail booking on Amtrak in the U.S., British rail through The
Trainline, and an agreement with French rail provider SNCF.
About GetThere
GetThere is the world’s leading online corporate travel reservation technology, and is one of the key solutions offered to the corporate marketplace by Sabre Holdings Corporation. GetThere enables global corporations and government agencies to provide a convenient way for employees to book travel and plan meetings while significantly reducing costs. GetThere’s advanced technology works with all major global distribution systems (GDS) and all travel management companies. More than 3,000 corporations, including 60 percent of the Fortune 200 companies that have online booking sites, use GetThere. More information is available at www.getthere.com.
Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE:TSG) is a world leader in travel commerce, 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.
Statements in this release which are not purely historical facts, including statements about growth in online bookings by corporations, GetThere’s global expansion, or other statements about anticipations, beliefs, expectations, hopes, intentions or strategies for the future, may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based upon information available to us on the date this release was issued. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Any forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the events or results described in the forward-looking statements, including risks or uncertainties related to Sabre Holdings revenues being highly dependent on the travel and transportation industries, competition from established and emerging travel distribution channels, consolidation in the travel agency industry, risks inherent in international operations, and geopolitical developments, such as the possibility of additional terrorist attacks. Sabre Holdings may not succeed in addressing these and other risks. Further information regarding factors that could affect our financial and other results can be found in the risk factors section of Sabre Holdings’ most recent filing on Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
CONTACT: Vollmer Public Relations
Mary Kate Smither, 972-488-4790
marykate@vollmerpr.com
or
Lisa Pollack, 972-488-4790
lisa@vollmerpr.com
SOURCE: GetThere
