Sabre and Worldspan have joined together to introduce a system designed to reduce interline electronic ticketing activation times for airlines.
They claim the technology will halve the time it takes for airlines to activate interline e-ticketing.
This is because airlines hosted by Sabre will no longer have to go through such a complicated process if they want to begin interline e-ticketing with an airline hosted by Worldspan.
The move is designed to help airlines meet the IATA mandate for 100% e-ticketing by the end of 2007.
Faster activation will allow carriers to join with more interline partners as they move to e-ticketing.
“This in turn will make life easier for agents,” said a spokesman for Sabre Airline Solutions, the division of Sabre responsible for the new technology.
“The development makes it easier for airlines to introduce interline e-ticketing, which makes it easier for agents to book e-ticket trips on different airlines and put together e-ticket itineraries that involve different airlines.”
Earlier this year Sabre signed a surprise deal with rival Amadeus under which they will provide each other with airline inventory should a carrier pull out of one of the systems. But the Sabre Airlines Solutions spokesman said this latest agreement was nothing to do with the GDS side of the business.
“This isn’t a GDS deal. It’s between Sabre Airline Solutions and Worldspan – both leading providers of interline e-ticket hubs,” he said.
He refused to say whether a similar agreement would be made with Amadeus, also a provider of interline e-ticket solutions.
“This will give Sabre and Worldspan a competitive advantage,” he added.
By Bev Fearis
