New distribution agreement between SAS and Sabre fairly balances agency and airline interests
LONDON and STOCKHOLM, Aug 28, 2020 - SAS, Scandinavia’s leading airline, and Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), the leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, today announced a new multi-year distribution agreement. Under the new agreement, Sabre-connected agencies can access competitive SAS content through Sabre’s marketplace, while SAS will benefit from extensive global reach.
SAS is the main aviation service provider to, from and within Scandinavia, and is a vital part of Scandinavia’s infrastructure. The distribution agreement with Sabre allows SAS more control of distribution costs while effectively selling products and services, including ancillaries, to hundreds of thousands of travel agents worldwide.
Sabre’s global distribution system (GDS) presents a highly efficient way for airlines to market their fares and offers through a network of agencies and corporations across the world. As consumers are increasingly expecting more personalized, flexible experiences, Sabre’s marketplace is continuously evolving to provide airlines with more sophisticated ways to present diverse offers – including branded fares, a la carte ancillaries, bundles, and NDC offers – in an easily comparable way at indirect points of sale.
“In an increasingly fragmented industry, travellers are faced with billions of fare combinations per ticket searched, through a huge variety of sources,” said Darren Rickey, SVP Regional Sales and Account Management, Sabre. “For the foreseeable future, the various health regulations related to COVID-19 – which may differ between destinations and airlines – will add another layer of complexity.. We are very pleased that SAS recognises the value delivered by our global community of travel agents and buyers. We are looking forward to further improving travellers’ experiences while unlocking incremental value for the travel ecosystem.”
Sabre recently announced a strategic realignment of its airline and agency-focused businesses, which will further enable the company to deliver on its promise to retail, distribute and fulfil travel by serving its customers through a collective lens. The technology provider also reaffirmed its commitment to building a marketplace for personalised travel that delivers a better experience to consumers, enables travel intermediaries to provide just the right offers to their customers, and increases value for travel suppliers.
About Sabre Corporation
Sabre Corporation is a leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, serving a wide range of travel companies including airlines, hoteliers, travel agencies and other suppliers. The company provides retailing, distribution and fulfilment solutions that help its customers operate more efficiently, drive revenue and offer personalized traveler experiences. Through its leading travel marketplace, Sabre connects travel suppliers with buyers from around the globe. Sabre’s technology platform manages more than $260B worth of global travel spend annually. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries around the world.
For more information, visit www.sabre.com.
About SAS
SAS, Scandinavia’s leading airline, flies 30 million passengers to, from and within Scandinavia each year. The airline has three main hubs – Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm – with more than 125 destinations in Europe, USA and Asia. Spurred by a Scandinavian heritage and sustainable values, SAS aims to be the global leader in sustainable aviation. We will reduce total carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2025, for example by using more sustainable aviation fuel and our modern aircraft. In addition to flight operations, SAS offers ground handling services, technical maintenance and air cargo services. SAS is a founder member of the Star Alliance™, and together with its partner airlines offers around 19,000 daily flights to over 1,300 destinations worldwide.
Learn more at https://www.sasgroup.net
