SABRE Travel Network has opened the virtual doors to its Sabre Red App Centre, the world’s first B2B online application store for the travel industry. The Sabre Red App Centre is the first online marketplace to connect travel buyers, including travel agencies, travel management companies and leisure operators, with application providers from around the world. Travel buyers can access the Sabre Red App Centre and shop more than 60 Red Apps currently in the marketplace, with that number expected to grow significantly in the coming months. After identifying the desired Red App, customers can complete the check-out process and then download and provision the app to the individual user.
Examples of Red Apps currently in the Sabre Red App Centre include: Quick Trip Quote, Event Finder, Flight Explorer Express Edition, Carbon Emission Calculator and To Do List. Several third-party developers are already working with Sabre to bring their applications to this global marketplace, including apps for flight and preferred seat monitoring, events-based travel planning, shopping and booking of ground transportation, and apps that leverage natural language technology.
The Bahrain-based technology company also announced the launch of an online booking engine for travel agencies to establish and grow their online business. The Sabre Web Booking Engine, which was developed in conjunction with UK-based Billian IT Solutions, will provide agencies in Middle East and Africa (MEA), with advanced online website capabilities such as quick search, calendar shopping, branding options, and access to Sabre’s popular low-fare search Bargain Finder Max. The result is a modern look and feel website that will help agents be competitive in the online marketplace.
Darren Wickham, managing director Customer Services, Sabre Travel Network Middle East says, “Many years ago the Internet was considered a threat to the survival of the travel industry. Today, online travel accounts for around one fifth of all travel bookings in EMEA, and is forecast to grow to a quarter of all bookings in the next four years.”
The engine gives consumers access to real-time fares, allowing them to book air (including low-cost carriers), hotel and car hire. The technology can sit behind an agency’s branded website, providing new functionality such as access to airline seat maps, fare rules and transaction reporting. The company hopes that about 2,000 travel agencies in the region will implement the solution to provide a better service to their customers. It gives the local agencies an opportunity to reach the global market,” adds Wickham.