Sabre Travel Network last month unveiled plans to align its Sabre global distribution system and GetThere online booking tool, which would standardize traveler information through each step of the booking process. Expected to be available in about 12 months, the offering also would streamline reporting processes and benefit those who make a long-term commitment to use both tools.
Sabre designed the Better Together program from client feedback and the practices of such large travel programs as Oracle, Wal-Mart, Cisco and General Electric, which standardized their booking processes with the Sabre GDS and GetThere, said Sabre Travel Network senior vice president of North America Chris Kroeger.
He added the combination also would target small and midmarket corporate programs and travel management companies. Kroeger would not disclose details of potential benefits.
GetThere general manager and Sabre Travel Network senior vice president Bev Heinritz said there are no plans for proprietary exclusivity, "but there might be times when we have exclusive capabilities or we may categorize others as unique, where we might decide for a while that they are special to each other, but the market may say this is a broader capability that really belongs in the core group."
Meanwhile, Galileo by Travelport's new Traversa corporate booking tool, which will replace Travelport Classic
(BTN, July 9), works exclusively with the Galileo GDS and provides a shared profile since the user is on the same system, said Michael Ihle, Galileo by Travelport vice president of product development for the Americas. Traversa is available to all TMCs and buyers following the completion of a 16-country rollout with IBM as the initial launch user.
There are some potential pitfalls to aligning global distribution systems and online booking tools, said Tom Wilkinson, president of Pennington, N.J.-based TRW Travel Consulting and a former Travelocity Business executive. "GDSs need to evolve their economic models, and from that perspective it makes sense. It costs money to keep functions in an online booking tool compatible with all GDSs," he said. "The risk for corporate buyers is, if they want to use a different GDS, some functions may be limited or new enhancements be slower to develop on multiple GDS platforms."