SAS, Scandinavia’s leading airline, and Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), the leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, today announced a new multi-year distribution agreement. Under the new agreement, Sabre-connected agencies can access competitive SAS content through Sabre’s marketplace, while SAS will benefit from extensive global reach.

 SAS is the main aviation service provider to, from and within Scandinavia, and is a vital part of Scandinavia’s infrastructure. The distribution agreement with Sabre allows SAS more control of distribution costs while effectively selling products and services, including ancillaries, to hundreds of thousands of travel agents worldwide. 

Sabre’s global distribution system (GDS) presents a highly efficient way for airlines to market their fares and offers through a network of agencies and corporations across the world. As consumers are increasingly expecting more personalized, flexible experiences, Sabre’s marketplace is continuously evolving to provide airlines with more sophisticated ways to present diverse offers – including branded fares, a la carte ancillaries, bundles, and NDC offers – in an easily comparable way at indirect points of sale.

 “In an increasingly fragmented industry, travellers are faced with billions of fare combinations per ticket searched, through a huge variety of sources,” said Darren Rickey, SVP Regional Sales and Account Management, Sabre.  “For the foreseeable future, the various health regulations related to COVID-19 – which may differ between destinations and airlines – will add another layer of complexity.. We are very pleased that SAS recognises the value delivered by our global community of travel agents and buyers. We are looking forward to further improving travellers’ experiences while unlocking incremental value for the travel ecosystem.”

Sabre recently announced a strategic realignment of its airline and agency-focused businesses, which will further enable the company to deliver on its promise to retail, distribute and fulfil travel by serving its customers through a collective lens. The technology provider also reaffirmed its commitment to building a marketplace for personalised travel that delivers a better experience to consumers, enables travel intermediaries to provide just the right offers to their customers, and increases value for travel suppliers.