SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 28, 2005–Sabre Airline Solutions, the industry leader in airline operations technology, reported sales through SabreSonic Web for the period Jan. 1 to May 31 totaling more than US$1.5 billion in revenue. Activity transacted on the powerful airline Internet booking engine averaged more than US$340 million per month for this five-month period. May revenue alone marks a 36 percent increase over revenue booked through the Web component during the same period of 2004.
The Web component has also delivered a dramatic increase in the number of passenger bookings over the same period last year. May showed a strong increase with 48 percent growth over last year and the first five months of 2005 mark a greater than 50 percent increase over the same period in 2004 as the popularity of the Web component, and online booking in general, continues to increase.
“Booking numbers and revenues continue to escalate because of the flexibility and ease of use of the Web component,” said Gianni Marostica, president of Airline Passenger Solutions for Sabre Airline Solutions. “Since its launch in January of 2004, the customer-centric shopping and booking method has provided a true and unique value to travelers everywhere. Travel consumers are clearly choosing air travel with carriers that offer the best options for booking, check-in and exchanges. The Web component does all that.”
The benefits of the SabreSonic solutions led 10 new customers to select the Web component during the last 18 months.
The Web component offers airlines and their customers a variety of features from basic booking capability to connecting consumers with their hotel and car partners, providing added value to self-service travelers at an airline’s Web site. Other enhancements include customer-executed ticket exchanges online, support of airline promotional offers, support of eight languages and an airline-branded Web site that can integrate a customer’s existing bookings and frequent traveler account information.
The Web component air search page offers travelers the ability to book by itinerary or price; request nonstop flights; and select from one-way, round trip or multiple destination searches. The Web component can also be configured to provide separate storefronts for specific airline needs, such as corporations and travel agents, helping carriers better serve the specific needs of various customer segments.
Sabre Airline Solutions has also introduced various configurable options within its Site Manager administration tool. The highly flexible tool streamlines booking processes and provides a customized look and feel that promotes the airline brand identity. Other configurable options of the Site Manager tool include:
-- Dynamic origin and destination drop-down menus
-- Dynamic language capabilities
-- The ability to preview changes made in Site Manager prior to
production release, eliminating the need for a test site.
“Self-service, particularly online, is becoming a foundation of travel ease in the airline industry, and even a measure of an airline’s level of customer-friendliness,” added Marostica. “The Web component has proven itself in the marketplace as a smart solution that directly responds to the travel consumer’s demonstrated desire to drive the shopping and booking process. The component provides the necessary tools and technology to address customer self service online by integrating the SabreSonic solutions in an integrated method that provides a true ‘B2C’ online offering.”
Majors, regionals, and low-cost carriers worldwide are using the open-systems technology of the SabreSonic solutions for its customer-oriented functionality, flexibility, speed and ease of use. The Web component can be purchased as part of the full lineup of SabreSonic solutions or purchased on a stand-alone basis, enabling carriers to take advantage of the Web component regardless of the existing reservations system.
About Sabre Airline Solutions
Sabre Airline Solutions, a Sabre Holdings company, is the world’s largest provider of software products, reservations and departure control systems and other passenger management systems, and consulting services that help airlines simplify operations and lower costs. Sabre Airline Solutions’ proven leadership is demonstrated by the growing number of airlines that leverage the technology and services: More than 200 airlines worldwide use Sabre Airline Solutions’ broad portfolio of smart solutions for decision-support tools to increase revenues and improve operations. More than 100 airlines worldwide rely on Sabre Airline Solutions for passenger management solutions, with eight new carriers choosing SabreSonic, the first new generation reservations system offered in the market, in 2004 and six carrier renewals. In addition, more than 100 clients worldwide have turned to the Sabre Airline Solutions consulting group for strategic, commercial and operational consulting. More than 500 contracts worldwide were signed in 2004 across the breadth of Sabre Airline Solutions’ leading technology solutions.
Sabre Holdings Corp. (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/.
Sabre Airline Solutions, the Sabre Airline Solutions logo and SabreSonic are trademarks and/or service marks of an affiliate of Sabre Holdings Corporation. All other trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners. (C) Sabre Inc. All rights reserved.
CONTACT: Sabre Airline Solutions, Southlake
Media Contact:
Kathryn Hayden, 682-605-2252
kathryn.hayden@sabre-holdings.com
SOURCE: Sabre Airline Solutions
