Wednesday, July 17, 2024
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Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), a leading software and technology provider powering the global travel industry, and Air Canada, Canada’s largest airline, have announced the launch of Air Canada’s full content via NDC (New Distribution Capability) in Sabre’s travel marketplace. This initiative enables travel agencies to access Air Canada’s expanded New Distribution Capability offers and services, providing a more personalized travel experience for customers.
As of July 17, 2024, travel agents and other travel sellers can shop, book, and service Air Canada New Distribution Capabilityoffers alongside traditional EDIFACT content and low-cost and ancillary XML options. New Distribution Capability is now available in markets including Canada, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Additional markets will be activated based on demand.
“This partnership with Sabre marks a significant step forward in Air Canada’s NDC program,” said Mark Nasr, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Digital, Air Canada. “Our travel trade partners are crucial to Air Canada’s commercial success. We are committed to working collaboratively to ensure a smooth transition, enabling the trade to connect with Air Canada using their preferred methods. Sabre’s marketplace plays a vital role in the travel ecosystem, making New Distribution Capability content readily available to travel agents and buyers worldwide.”
Air Canada and Sabre are both dedicated to advancing travel retailing to create more personalized experiences for travelers. New Distribution Capability provides the technology infrastructure to expand offer-and order-based retailing from airlines to third-party travel sellers, such as travel agencies and online booking tools. By activating New Distribution Capability through Sabre, travel sellers can maintain their competitive edge by maximizing access to Air Canada’s content.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Air Canada on this New Distribution Capability launch,” said Kathy Morgan, Vice President, Product Management – Distribution Experience, Sabre Travel Solutions. “Since the very beginning of our New Distribution Capability efforts, Sabre has prioritized operational efficiency and workflow integrity to offer a superior value proposition for travel agencies. Our robust technology ensures scalability, allowing agents to seamlessly access Air Canada’s latest pricing and bundled offerings without compromising service levels. Additionally, our comprehensive end-to-end booking management streamlines the process, reducing the burden on agency resources.”
Currently, over 30,000 Sabre-connected travel agencies in more than 150 countries use Sabre’s solutions to shop, book, and service New Distribution Capability content. These solutions include the Sabre Offer and Order APIs, agency booking solution Sabre Red 360, and online booking tool GetThere. Additionally, Sabre empowers New Distribution Capability functionality for a growing list of third-party travel booking applications, including Atriis, SAP Concur, Serko, and Wooba. With this launch, these companies will also gain access to Air Canada’s New Distribution Capability offerings.
About Sabre
Sabre Corporation is a software and technology company addressing the biggest opportunities and solving the most complex challenges in travel. The company connects travel suppliers and buyers worldwide through innovative products and next-generation technology solutions. Sabre leverages speed, scale, and insights to build tomorrow’s technology today – empowering airlines, hoteliers, agencies, and other partners to retail, distribute, and fulfill travel globally. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries.
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada’s largest airline, the country’s flag carrier, and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada provides scheduled service to over 180 airports in Canada, the United States, and internationally on six continents. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air Canada’s Aeroplan program is Canada’s premier travel loyalty program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world’s largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, and through an extensive range of merchandise, hotel, and car rental partners. Air Canada Vacations offers more travel choices than any other Canadian tour operator to hundreds of destinations worldwide, with a wide selection of hotels, flights, cruises, day tours, and car rentals. Air Canada Cargo provides air freight lift and connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents using Air Canada’s passenger and freighter aircraft. Air Canada aims to achieve a net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050. Air Canada shares are publicly traded on the TSX in Canada and the OTCQX in the US.