Air Italy Signs $3.1 Million Deal with Sabre Airline Solutions
October 18 2006 - 3:30AM
Business Wire
Air Italy has signed a $3.1 million USD, five-year deal with Sabre
Airline Solutions, the global leader of software and services for
the airline industry from planning to execution. The contract
covers reservations, check-in, ticketing and online booking
components of the SabreSonic Passenger Solutions suite of passenger
management products. It also comprises customer relationship,
codeshare and fares management products, as well as an automated
tool that will help streamline the collection of ticketing fees
arising from itinerary changes and upgrades. Air Italy�s investment
in technology follows recent news that it had impressed Italian
lenders sufficiently to secure �30 million ($37.6 million USD) of
capital expenditure funding. The SabreSonic Ticket component will
give Air Italy full electronic ticketing capabilities ahead of the
IATA-mandated 2007 e-ticketing deadline, by which time paper
tickets are due to be phased out completely. Air Italy will use the
SabreSonic Web online booking component to drive two Web sites �
one for the general public and the other for its travel agency
partners. These will display and sell Air Italy�s own products, as
well as those of its partner airlines, hotels and car hire
companies. The Sabre AirPrice fares management system will allow
the airline to manage its fares more tactically. The airline�s
pricing analysts will use it to examine all market developments and
data, including competitor fare changes, and make fare-based
decisions quickly and effectively. Air Italy is changing its
business model from a charter airline to scheduled services and
therefore intends to place more emphasis on effective customer
relationship management (CRM). It will use Sabre Airline Solutions�
Customer Insight CRM database to ensure that customer profile data
is collected, displayed and updated wherever the traveler comes
into contact with the airline � be it through online booking, call
centers or check-in. This will lead to more effective relationship
development and direct marketing. Air Italy�s decision to use the
SabreSonic suite of products was due, in part, to the products�
integrated PNR (passenger name record) technology. The airline
concluded that there was significant competitive advantage in the
fact that reservations, inventory and departure control systems all
use the same core data, regardless of when or where that
information is updated. Any PNR update made by one travel agent or
airline staff member is instantly available to anyone looking at
the PNR elsewhere in the system, resulting in the best possible
service for every passenger at each stage of the booking and travel
process. �It goes almost without saying that we liked Sabre Airline
Solutions� technology,� said Air Italy CEO Captain Giuseppe
Gentile. �But what is less obvious, unless one has previously
undertaken a major IT implementation project, is the importance of
a diligent migration process on the part of your supplier, as well
as dedicated assistance from that organization before, during and
afterwards. Sabre Airline Solutions� European track record in both
these areas is stellar, and helped differentiate them
significantly.� Another differentiation, according to Gentile, was
the breadth of Sabre Airline Solutions� range of operational and
decision-support technology. �We are keen to use single suppliers
wherever possible and we found that Sabre Airline Solutions is able
to help us in every area of our business development � something
few other IT suppliers could do,� he said. �Air Italy is planning
on significant growth in their scheduled operations in the
increasingly competitive Italian market� said Murray Smyth, Sabre
Airline Solutions� senior vice-president for the EMEA region. �New
generation, �open systems solutions� such as the SabreSonic
solutions, combined with selected services from our airline
consulting group, will help Air Italy clearly establish the
competitiveness of their brand, product and customer services.�
Airlines are increasingly turning to Sabre Airline Solutions for
operational and decision-support technology above and beyond the
traditional sales, marketing and distribution products from sister
business and GDS operator, Sabre Travel Network. More than 200
airlines use Sabre Airline Solutions� broad portfolio of
decision-support tools to increase revenues and improve operations.
Customers include British Airways, KLM, Cathay Pacific, Qantas,
United and Northwest Airlines. In Italy alone Sabre Airline
Solutions� customers include Alitalia, Air One, Alpi Eagles and now
Air Italy. About the SabreSonic suite of passenger management
products specifically: Some 110 airlines use the SabreSonic suite
of passenger management products, including Aeroflot, Aerolineas
Argentinas, American Airlines, all-business start-up EOS, Gulf Air,
Jet Airways, Oman Air, PIA and Southwest Airlines. Sabre Airline
Solutions activated 353 SabreSonic products and components with
these airlines during 2005. Two years after their launch the
SabreSonic solutions had helped airlines board more than 350
million passengers - over 40,000 passengers an hour. The suite�s
SabreSonic Inventory offering enabled carriers to manage more than
100 million requests for seat availability, and issue tickets worth
US$4 billion, in 2005. Airlines used the SabreSonic solutions to
complete more than 275 million check-ins About Sabre Airline
Solutions Sabre Airline Solutions, a Sabre Holdings company, is the
world's largest provider of products to help airlines market, sell,
serve and operate from planning to execution. More than 200
airlines use its broad portfolio of decision-support tools to
increase revenues and improve operations. More than 100 airlines
rely on Sabre Airline Solutions for passenger management solutions,
while a similar number have turned to the company�s consulting
group for strategic, commercial and operational advice. Sabre
Holdings (NYSE: TSG) connects people with the world�s greatest
travel possibilities by retailing travel products and providing
distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. More
information about Sabre Holdings is available at
http://www.sabre-holdings.com. Sabre Airline Solutions, the Sabre
Airline Solutions logo, SabreSonic, CargoMax, AirFlite, AirMax,
AirOps, AirServ, AirCrews and Sabre Travel Network are trademarks
and/or service marks of an affiliate of Sabre Holdings Corp. All
other trademarks, service marks and trade names are the property of
their respective owners. (C) 2006 Sabre Inc. All rights reserved.
Air Italy has signed a $3.1 million USD, five-year deal with Sabre
Airline Solutions, the global leader of software and services for
the airline industry from planning to execution. The contract
covers reservations, check-in, ticketing and online booking
components of the SabreSonic Passenger Solutions suite of passenger
management products. It also comprises customer relationship,
codeshare and fares management products, as well as an automated
tool that will help streamline the collection of ticketing fees
arising from itinerary changes and upgrades. Air Italy's investment
in technology follows recent news that it had impressed Italian
lenders sufficiently to secure EUR 30 million ($37.6 million USD)
of capital expenditure funding. The SabreSonic Ticket component
will give Air Italy full electronic ticketing capabilities ahead of
the IATA-mandated 2007 e-ticketing deadline, by which time paper
tickets are due to be phased out completely. Air Italy will use the
SabreSonic Web online booking component to drive two Web sites -
one for the general public and the other for its travel agency
partners. These will display and sell Air Italy's own products, as
well as those of its partner airlines, hotels and car hire
companies. The Sabre AirPrice fares management system will allow
the airline to manage its fares more tactically. The airline's
pricing analysts will use it to examine all market developments and
data, including competitor fare changes, and make fare-based
decisions quickly and effectively. Air Italy is changing its
business model from a charter airline to scheduled services and
therefore intends to place more emphasis on effective customer
relationship management (CRM). It will use Sabre Airline Solutions'
Customer Insight CRM database to ensure that customer profile data
is collected, displayed and updated wherever the traveler comes
into contact with the airline - be it through online booking, call
centers or check-in. This will lead to more effective relationship
development and direct marketing. Air Italy's decision to use the
SabreSonic suite of products was due, in part, to the products'
integrated PNR (passenger name record) technology. The airline
concluded that there was significant competitive advantage in the
fact that reservations, inventory and departure control systems all
use the same core data, regardless of when or where that
information is updated. Any PNR update made by one travel agent or
airline staff member is instantly available to anyone looking at
the PNR elsewhere in the system, resulting in the best possible
service for every passenger at each stage of the booking and travel
process. "It goes almost without saying that we liked Sabre Airline
Solutions' technology," said Air Italy CEO Captain Giuseppe
Gentile. "But what is less obvious, unless one has previously
undertaken a major IT implementation project, is the importance of
a diligent migration process on the part of your supplier, as well
as dedicated assistance from that organization before, during and
afterwards. Sabre Airline Solutions' European track record in both
these areas is stellar, and helped differentiate them
significantly." Another differentiation, according to Gentile, was
the breadth of Sabre Airline Solutions' range of operational and
decision-support technology. "We are keen to use single suppliers
wherever possible and we found that Sabre Airline Solutions is able
to help us in every area of our business development - something
few other IT suppliers could do," he said. "Air Italy is planning
on significant growth in their scheduled operations in the
increasingly competitive Italian market" said Murray Smyth, Sabre
Airline Solutions' senior vice-president for the EMEA region. "New
generation, 'open systems solutions' such as the SabreSonic
solutions, combined with selected services from our airline
consulting group, will help Air Italy clearly establish the
competitiveness of their brand, product and customer services."
Airlines are increasingly turning to Sabre Airline Solutions for
operational and decision-support technology above and beyond the
traditional sales, marketing and distribution products from sister
business and GDS operator, Sabre Travel Network. More than 200
airlines use Sabre Airline Solutions' broad portfolio of
decision-support tools to increase revenues and improve operations.
Customers include British Airways, KLM, Cathay Pacific, Qantas,
United and Northwest Airlines. In Italy alone Sabre Airline
Solutions' customers include Alitalia, Air One, Alpi Eagles and now
Air Italy. About the SabreSonic suite of passenger management
products specifically: -- Some 110 airlines use the SabreSonic
suite of passenger management products, including Aeroflot,
Aerolineas Argentinas, American Airlines, all-business start-up
EOS, Gulf Air, Jet Airways, Oman Air, PIA and Southwest Airlines.
-- Sabre Airline Solutions activated 353 SabreSonic products and
components with these airlines during 2005. -- Two years after
their launch the SabreSonic solutions had helped airlines board
more than 350 million passengers - over 40,000 passengers an hour.
-- The suite's SabreSonic Inventory offering enabled carriers to
manage more than 100 million requests for seat availability, and
issue tickets worth US$4 billion, in 2005. -- Airlines used the
SabreSonic solutions to complete more than 275 million check-ins
About Sabre Airline Solutions Sabre Airline Solutions, a Sabre
Holdings company, is the world's largest provider of products to
help airlines market, sell, serve and operate from planning to
execution. More than 200 airlines use its broad portfolio of
decision-support tools to increase revenues and improve operations.
More than 100 airlines rely on Sabre Airline Solutions for
passenger management solutions, while a similar number have turned
to the company's consulting group for strategic, commercial and
operational advice. Sabre Holdings (NYSE: TSG) connects people with
the world's greatest travel possibilities by retailing travel
products and providing distribution and technology solutions for
the travel industry. More information about Sabre Holdings is
available at http://www.sabre-holdings.com. Sabre Airline
Solutions, the Sabre Airline Solutions logo, SabreSonic, CargoMax,
AirFlite, AirMax, AirOps, AirServ, AirCrews and Sabre Travel
Network are trademarks and/or service marks of an affiliate of
Sabre Holdings Corp. All other trademarks, service marks and trade
names are the property of their respective owners. (C) 2006 Sabre
Inc. All rights reserved.
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