Finnair and Sabre Renew Distribution Agreement

Helsinki, Finland, June 16, 2020 / travelindex.com / Finnair, the Finnish flag carrier focused on connecting Europe and Asia, and Sabre Corporation, the leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, today announced a new worldwide distribution partnership.

Under the new agreement, Sabre will resume distributing competitive global Finnair content to hundreds of thousands of travel agents and thousands of corporations worldwide through its travel marketplace.

“We are delighted to promote our products and services through Sabre’s extraordinary network of travel agents worldwide as we rebuild our network and operations following the COVID-19 pandemic”, said Ole Orvér, Chief Commercial Officer, Finnair. “Travel agents continue to play a key role in the travel industry value chain and, together with Sabre, we will work to deliver the benefits of NDC technology. Ultimately, travel agents and their customers will enjoy more relevant and comprehensive travel solutions.

“As we ramp up our operations globally, it is imperative that customers have choice and flexibility in booking through their preferred direct or indirect channel. Travel agents contribute significantly to helping people regain the confidence to travel, which is absolutely essential for our industry. We truly value the commitment of our travel agency partners and are happy that we can connect to them through Sabre’s marketplace.”

Sabre plays an important role in facilitating the marketing and sale of airfares, hotel rooms, rental cars, rail tickets and other types of travel to hundreds of thousands of travel agents and thousands of corporations and online travel agencies (OTAs) who use it to shop, book and manage travel. It is one of the world’s largest marketplaces, processing over US $120 billion in estimated travel spend.

“We are fortunate to enter this unprecedented period with new opportunities that will drive incremental revenue for both agencies and airlines”, said Wade Jones, President, Sabre Travel Network. “Consumers want the best offers, agencies want to present the most relevant content to their customers, and airlines want to distribute their fares and products so that travellers can access them wherever they choose to shop. Sabre remains committed to helping all parties achieve their goals. We are confident that our content serves the needs of travel agents in a truly optimal way.”

Finnair, which specialises in connecting Europe and Asia through the short Northern route via its Helsinki hub, has invested heavily in enabling the benefits of New Distribution Capability across the travel industry value chain. As a leading Global Distribution System (GDS) in the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region, Sabre provides the carrier with the opportunity to sell its high-margin long-haul products through the large agency community in these important source markets.