SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 7, 2006–Sabre Travel
Network, the world’s largest and most rewarding marketplace for the
buying and selling of travel, today announced the launch of the
Efficient Access Solution as a foundation for the company’s new
portfolio of customizable end-to-end solutions for travel agents
serving the corporate and leisure travel segments.
The Efficient Access Solution provides a balanced approach for
addressing travel agents’ requirements for full content and airlines’
desire to reduce costs. Program carriers receive a discounted booking
fee for reservations made by agencies enrolled in the program. In
return the airline agrees to provide key benefits and protections to
travel agencies participating in the program.
Travel agencies participating in the Efficient Access Solution
agree to certain financial terms in exchange for the significant
benefits and protections afforded by the new agreements, which include
full content and protection from airline service fees that may be
levied by airlines in the program. In addition, the program provides
for continuing agency incentives for all program members.
The Efficient Access Solution also sets the stage for the next
phase of Sabre’s Efficient Marketplace with end-to-end solutions that
during the next 18 months will bring together travel reservation and
client management tools, training resources, and community interaction
into easily configurable and innovative new options to manage and grow
business for corporate and leisure agencies.
To date, the carriers covered under the Efficient Access Solution
include: Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Continental Airlines, US
Airways, Northwest Airlines and AirTran Airways. Each of these
agreements includes a minimum five-year commitment to providing full
content, helping to assure stability for the travel marketplace.
Beginning August 1, full benefits of the Efficient Access Solution
will be made available to travel agency customers in the United
States, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
“As a travel management company, access to comprehensive air
content via the most efficient methods possible is critical,” said
Jean McDonnell Covelli, president, The Travel Team, Inc. “We
understand the economics for long-term full content commitments have
changed, and we believe Sabre’s new program represents a balanced
solution.”
One of the primary goals of the Efficient Access Solution is to
combat travel content fragmentation. A recent Sabre study reveals that
disaggregating a small portion of today’s travel distribution model
would cost the entire travel industry a staggering $1.5 billion or
more per year.
“The assurance of full content for the long term is in the best
interests of our customers, and doing so through an economic
contribution without implementing additional systems throughout our
organization is certainly preferable,” said Bob Chaiken, chief
operating officer of Adelman Travel Group. “Fragmentation and service
fees from the airlines would significantly increase costs and impair
our ability to provide the high level of service our customers
expect.”
In addition to ensuring full content, the Efficient Access
Solution protects agencies from any service fees program carriers may
introduce into the marketplace. According to a recent survey conducted
by the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) research department on
behalf of Sabre Holdings:
-- 84% of agents are "very concerned" about the introduction of
service fees by airlines
-- 83% are "very concerned" about airlines withholding content
-- 69% noted that their customers are best served with full
content through a single source
“Sabre worked hard to develop a multilateral approach that
balances the needs of all industry players,” said Chris Kroeger, Sabre
Travel Network senior vice president, North America. “Our goal has
always been to provide agents a one-stop-shop for full travel content
while accommodating the cost pressures experienced by airlines in
today’s market. Full content is just the foundation, however. What we
are announcing today is a clear pathway to new end-to-end suites
tailored specifically to the needs of both the corporate and leisure
travel community. Bottom line: we’re not just preserving the Efficient
Marketplace – we’re providing new tools and services for agents so
they can get the most out of this marketplace to enhance their value
as marketers and travel counselors.”
The enhanced offerings for the corporate and leisure travel
segments include programs that are targeted to create new
revenue-generation opportunities from dynamic travel products, improve
customer service through advanced customer data management, and
streamline operations through new mid-office workflow automation
capabilities. Also included are opportunities for travel agents to
expand their knowledge base with new ways to gain insight on
destinations or vendors.
“It’s not just about ensuring content,” said Kroeger. “It’s also
about what we can do to help agents make maximum use of that content
to their full advantage. We’ve had a team of people working to make
sure connectivity to full content and protection from service fees is
a given. But while this team was focused on content – what we see as
the foundation of doing business in the travel industry – we have
dedicated even more significant resources to developing entirely new
ways to make the most of this content. The result is an incredibly
dynamic way of doing business that benefits everyone – travel
agencies, airlines, corporations, the GDS, and the ultimate customer
— the travel consumer.”
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.
Sabre Travel Network and Efficient Access Solution 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.
Statements in this release which are not purely historical facts
or which necessarily depend upon future events, including statements
about future benefits, protections and offerings of the Efficient
Access Solution, airline participation in the program, or Sabre Travel
Network’s 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 Sabre Holdings
Corporation on the date this release was issued. Sabre Holdings
Corporation undertakes 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 Corporation revenues being subject to adverse changes to our
relationships with travel supplier and travel agencies. Sabre Holdings
Corporation 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 Corporation’s most recent filing on Form 10-K with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
CONTACT: Sabre Holdings, Southlake
Media Contact
Kathryn Hayden, 682-605-2252
Kathryn.hayden@sabre-holdings.com
SOURCE: Sabre Travel Network