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