SABRE Holdings Corporation announced yesterday that Air Jamaica has upgraded its participation level in Sabre to Direct Connect Availability (DCA) to a three-year option.
Through the DCA Three-Year Option, Air Jamaica agrees to provide all published fares with the exception of opaque fares (those where the supplier's identity is not disclosed until after the sale). This includes all fares that the airline sells through any third-party Web site and through their own web site and reservation offices. Additionally, the airline agrees to provide Sabre Connected agencies access to promotions that the airline may make available through other channels, including competing reservation systems and third-party Web sites.
"Sabre's new offering was a clear choice for Air Jamaica as DCA is the highest of Sabre's connectivity levels. This level provides our airline with a wide range of services to market and sell our flight and fare information to approximately 60,000 Sabre Connected travel agencies around the world," explained Keith Smith, Air Jamaica's Vice President of Information Technology Services.
Air Jamaica will also benefit from their participation in Sabre's Direct Connect Availability Three-Year Option by receiving a booking fee reduction of approximately 10 per cent, which represents an average of $0.40 per booking. The booking fee rate will be guaranteed for three years, as will the fee for cancellations.
"We welcome Air Jamaica as the first Caribbean Airline to sign our Direct Connect Availability Three-Year Option. This is a tremendous benefit to Air Jamaica and travel agents, which reduces distribution costs for the airline and ensures effective access of best fares and content to Sabre Connected travel agents around the world," explained Jay Jones, Senior Vice President, Sabre Latin America, the Caribbean and Mexico.
Last year, Air Jamaica selected Sabre to modernise its technology systems driving reservations, airport check-in and departure control operations. Under that agreement, valued at over US$10 million, Sabre is currently implementing technologically advanced airline systems designed to enhance productivity and reduce costs for Air Jamaica worldwide.
Air Jamaica provides more non-stop flights from its North American gateways to the Caribbean than any other carrier serving the region. Sabre Holdings, an S&P 500 company, is the leading provider of technology, distribution and marketing services for the travel industry. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the company has approximately 6,500 employees in 45 countries. Sabre reported 2002 revenues of US$2 billion. Sabre owns Travelocity.com, the most popular travel site on the Web, and GetThere, the world's leading provider of Web-based travel reservation systems for corporations and travel suppliers. Sabre is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Under this new option, Air Jamaica makes available full content, fares, services, and support to more than 60,000 Sabre connected travel agencies in 114 countries around the world.
