Sabre has launched a new shopping display with "shelves" to compare airline content across various fare types and features.
The display mimics the columned display used by many airlines in direct channels, grouping fares by such attributes as baggage allowances and seat selection and whether the tickets are refundable or exchangeable for side-by-side comparisons. Those sorts of comparisons are difficult in traditional third-party booking tools, Sabre VP of offer sourcing Kathy Morgan said.
"In many booking tools, airline products look the same," Morgan said in a virtual meeting with media outlets on Tuesday. "It can be easy to understand the cost but more difficult to understand what the experience will be: Will I be up front in priority placement, or will I have an opportunity to put a bag in the overhead bin?"
The shelves' attributes will adapt over time to keep up with market dynamics, she said.
Sabre planned to make the new storefront available on Wednesday via API, with which developers can create their own customised storefronts for users. Sabre also is making it available in a limited release to agencies via its Sabre Red 360 platform, with plans to fully launch in the second quarter, Morgan said.
Later this year or early next year, the display will be available in Sabre's GetThere corporate booking tool, she said. It first will be tested with a few users before wider rollout.
"The most interesting part of this phase, if you think about corporate policies, so much of it is anchored to lowest prices," Morgan said. "What we're talking about here is a shift to be able to see the best value for the overall price."
In the nearer term, Sabre is working to incorporate New Distribution Capability content that will be categorised into the shelves as well, Sabre product management principal Lukasz Wolak said. Sabre also will add additional functionality, including "shop by" features, with which travelers can indicate preferences in their upfront requests and customise the display of shelves based on specific needs, Morgan said.