Agreement Provides One of Europe’s Fastest Growing Airlines Flexible, Performance Based Technology to acommodate Growth Plans
ROME & SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 6, 2004– Air One, Italy’s second largest and fastest growing airline, and Sabre Airline Solutions, the industry leader in airline operations technology, announced today a multi-year, 10 million plus dollar agreement deploying the SabreSonic new generation passenger suite to power Air One’s reservations, check-in and web capabilities. Air One also benefits from an integrated package of performance-enhancing Sabre Airline Solutions products and decision-support tools along with an enhanced agreement for its global distribution system (GDS) participation.
Under the agreement, Air One will deploy Sabre Airline Solutions’ full suite of flexible, open-systems passenger management technology needed to manage the carrier’s rapid growth, improve reliability and performance ratios including turnaround times, and reduce operating costs in an aggressive growth environment. The carrier selected Sabre Airline Solutions’ SabreSonic passenger solution along with its powerful Web booking engine and a bundled package of decision support technology to optimize its operation. The decision support technology package includes planning and scheduling, flight operation, revenue management and fares management solutions.
“Our growth goals are aggressive, and we need an aggressive technology partner,” said Lino Bergonzi, CEO of Air One. “Our business strategy is based on offering convenient and efficient service and the agreement with Sabre Airline Solutions is a key element of our strategy. The SabreSonic suite has the technology we need now and provides the flexibility we need to quickly adapt to growth and new business models in the future. This technology integrates with their decision support software to keep a keen focus on operational excellence while driving out costs and improving our revenues, all in a rapid growth environment. During the course of our evaluation, there was no other company that could provide the power of this combination.”
Air One expects to carry over 5.5 million passengers during 2004 with plans for up to 10 million passengers boarded within the next five years. Full implementation of the SabreSonic system is scheduled for completion in the first half of 2005 to help facilitate the growth and includes four core modules:
-- SabreSonic Res, which forms the core selling function and
provides advanced reservations management capabilities that
manage every channel of distribution. SabreSonic Res includes
the industry's leading online booking engine along with
shopping and pricing, ticketing and codeshare capabilities all
managed from a single, easy-to-use graphical user interface
(GUI).
-- SabreSonic Check-In, which will provide Air One a more
efficient and customer-friendly process for e-ticketing and
other paperless solutions. With e-tickets, passengers can
print their boarding passes from home before they leave for
the airport, or choose to check in at Air One's airport
kiosks, at curbside, at the ticket counter or through a roving
agent utilizing a hand-held system for times when check-in
lines are longer. In the event of a delay or cancellation, an
automated system will help get passengers rebooked to their
final destination. This easy-to-use check-in system leverages
real-time data at all customer touch points so the
reservations agent, the ticket counter or the passenger
checking in from home all have access to the same information.
-- SabreSonic Command, which provides Air One the only Web-based
tool available in the industry that can adapt to evolving
industry trends quickly and easily by managing Air One's
complete passenger solution system from one central location.
-- SabreSonic Inventory, which leverages open systems technology
to ensure revenue integrity through real-time application of
inventory controls, while addressing the dramatic growth of
flight availability requests. While this provides airlines a
huge advantage in their inventory management, it also provides
travelers with more itinerary options and the industry's best
real-time availability information.
Air One also will implement additional operational solutions from Sabre Airline Solutions as part of the agreement, including an integrated set of tools to enable a seamless flow of information through Air One’s operations.
The specific products within the decision support technology package for Air One includes:
-- Planning and Scheduling: the Sabre PC AirFlite flight
scheduling system
-- Flight Operations: Sabre AirOps Dispatch Manager
-- Flight Control: the Sabre FliteTrac system
-- Revenue Management: Sabre AirMax Revenue Manager
-- Fares Management: Sabre AirPrice fares management system
“We are confident that the integrated approach taken by Sabre Airline Solutions will address our needs across all of these areas,” continued Lino Bergonzi. “A key issue has been the integration of technology and the distribution network; Sabre Travel Network is the GDS used by 30% of Italian travel agencies, and we are sure therefore that this relationship will generate many advantages for Air One and the passengers we serve. We look forward to having Sabre Airline Solutions as our technology partner.”
“This important agreement with Air One is further evidence of the acknowledgement of SabreSonic as the preferred new generation solution,” said Gianni Marostica, president of Airline Passenger Solutions for Sabre Airline Solutions. “In the past few weeks, multiple carriers across several continents have come on board with our new generation approach. This validates the research and development assumptions that led us to create the powerful SabreSonic suite — in time to make the technology available to our customers today when they need it. We look forward to working with Air One to help them realize the full potential of their rapidly emerging leadership position in Italy and across the European Union.”
About Air One
Air One is the leading all-Italian private airline. The company operates scheduled passenger flights with a fleet of 28 Boeing 737’s and is based in Rome. The Air One network covers 26 cities, comprising the main economic and industrial areas in Italy such as Rome, Milan, Turin, Venice, Triest, Naples, Genoa, Alghero, Cagliari, Bari, Palermo and Catania. Other destinations include Pescara, Reggio Calabria, Brindisi and Lamezia Terme.
About Sabre Airline Solutions
Sabre Airline Solutions, a Sabre Holdings company, is the world’s largest provider of software products, reservations and departure control systems and other passenger management systems, and consulting services that help airlines simplify operations and lower costs. Sabre Airline Solutions’ proven leadership is demonstrated by the growing number of airlines that leverage the technology and services: More than 200 airlines worldwide use Sabre Airline Solutions’ broad portfolio of smart solutions for decision-support tools to increase revenues and improve operations. More than 100 airlines worldwide rely on Sabre Airline Solutions for passenger management solutions, with 15 new carriers added and nine carrier renewals for SabreSonic Res advanced reservations in 2003. In addition, more than 100 clients worldwide have turned to Sabre Airline Solutions consulting group for strategic, commercial and operational consulting. More than 500 contracts worldwide were signed in 2003 within Sabre Airline Solutions.
Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE:TSG) is a world leader in travel commerce, 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 and SabreSonic, PC AirFlite, AirOps Dispatch Manager, FliteTrac, AirMax and AirPrice are trademarks and/or service marks of an affiliate of Sabre Holdings Corporation. All other trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Sabre Airline Solutions, Southlake
Kathryn Hayden, 682-605-2252
kathryn.hayden@sabre-holdings.com
or
Air One, Rome
Nick Brough, +39-06-4824731
n.brough@interazione.it
SOURCE: Sabre Airline Solutions
