Southwest Airlines and Sabre Corp. have announced a deal to put the carrier's content on Sabre's Global Distribution System (GDS), concluding two years of negotiations.
Southwest content will be available on Sabre's GDS for travel management companies, corporations and government agencies beginning in 2021, according to our sister publication Travel Weekly.
The new full participation distribution agreement enables the two companies to continue offering business customers access to the carrier's low fares.
"Providing our content in Sabre GDS with industry-standard capabilities has continued to be a top priority of our customers," Southwest Airlines Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Watterson said in a statement. "While we've been in discussions with Sabre for well over two years, we had not made much progress until recently on an agreement that balances the health of all our channels. We are thrilled to come to terms that are mutually beneficial for our customers and continue our long-standing partnership with Sabre."
Under the agreement, Sabre will distribute Southwest Airlines flights and services through its travel marketplace, providing Sabre connected-agencies and other travel buyers with uninterrupted access to Southwest Airlines content.
The two entities said this agreement reflects a broader relationship between the two companies and will deliver richer capabilities to travel buyers, including improved schedule and inventory accuracy; last seat availability; and real-time booking functionality and the ability to modify Southwest bookings within Sabre.
"Sabre is pleased to expand our partnership with Southwest in providing broad access to Southwest content, especially as companies evaluate their travel needs in 2021," said Chief Commercial Officer for Sabre Travel Solutions, Roshan Mendis. "We recognize the importance of having Southwest content in our marketplace, and by reaching this mutually beneficial agreement before year end, we will continue to deliver uninterrupted access for our customers. At Sabre, we are committed to partnering with airlines and agencies in creative ways to deliver the retailing and distribution solutions that meet customer needs on both sides of the travel marketplace."
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