Sabre, BA Extend Content Pact, Fees For U.K., Ireland Subscribers

Sabre Travel Network and British Airways today announced a three-year global distribution agreement that gives Sabre subscribers access to the carrier's "full content," while maintaining opt-in fees initiated in 2007 for agencies in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The deal went into effect on April 1 and concludes this round of BA content agreements with the major GDSs until 2013. Like the Travelport deal it inked last November and an Amadeus deal signed a month later, the BA opt-in clause in the Sabre agreement means subscribers in the United Kingdom and Ireland will continue to pay fees from £0.50 to £1 per segment, based on fare class, or otherwise be subject to BA's £3 per-segment surcharges for full content.

British Airways and Sabre, meanwhile, also said they would embark on initiatives to sell a la carte goods and services through the GDS channel based on electronic miscellaneous document technology, which gradually is being adopted by agencies, GDSs and airlines as a standard for selling and tracking a la carte transactions.

"Our new agreement with British Airways meets the evolving needs of our agency customers," said Martin Cowley, Sabre senior vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa. "Agents can be assured of receiving full content and inventory via our GDS, as well as our commitment to work with them on an easy way to pay for and settle new ancillary services."