Sabre Switching Subscribers To New Virtually There Platform

Sabre Travel Network on Thursday will switch 30,000 agency subscribers to its new Web-based Virtually There travel information and itinerary management platform.

While all of the core functions of the current Virtually There will carry over, the new system eliminates the need for users to know their reservation codes for access, provides segmented views into the itinerary and uses a Sabre-hosted mobile platform that mirrors the user interface of the desktop site.

Sabre also has partnered with British Airways to access their online checkin system through the Virtually There desktop version. The company is in discussions with U.S. carriers as part of a later online checkin rollout phase, according to product marketing manager Bobby Thoms.

Mobile capabilities are not available for the BA offering yet, but Thoms said, "It's a natural extension that, with the mobile capabilities, we would have checkin via the barcode. Those discussions now include the online aspect and also extend to mobile."

In the new version, travelers now have more control over their profiles and such preferences as language, flight notification and modes of communication through a single screen. Travelers also now can access security wait times through a direct data feed from the Transportation Security Administration.

Other enhancements include a MyTrip section that serves as a central entry point for travelers to manage their current and past trip itineraries. MyTrip also houses e-invoices for 90 days and e-ticket information for 13 months after trip completion.

Among Virtually There users are some of the largest global corporations and the four mega travel management companies. The Web site receives about 30 million page views monthly. It is available in 17 languages. The current version has been in use since 1999.