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Sabre Airline Solutions Moves Into Canada’s Low-Fare Carrier Market With Resource Management Solutions Implementation for WestJet

Sabre Airline Solutions to Provide Cost Containment and Expanded Customer Service Capabilities for Canada’s National Low-Fare Carrier

SOUTHLAKE, Texas and CALGARY, Alberta, Feb 2, 2004 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Sabre Airline Solutions, the industry leader in airline operations technology, and WestJet (Toronto: WJA), Canada’s national low-fare carrier, announced today a five-year agreement to implement for WestJet the Sabre Resource Management suite — software solutions that include the Sabre StaffPlan, Roster Maker, StaffAdmin and StaffManager offerings. This implementation marks the debut of Sabre Airline Solution’s Resource Management suite into the low-fare carrier market.

Under the agreement, the Resource Management technology will help WestJet manage staffing solutions in all airport locations, including Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Our primary goal in choosing a technology partner is to join forces with an industry provider that is knowledgeable, flexible and adaptable and will align its solutions with our business goals,” said Dale Tinevez, WestJet Director, Airports. “From the very beginning, Sabre Airline Solutions has been concerned not only with our current needs, but how these resource management technologies will fit with our future expansion.”

About Resource Management technology

Nowhere is constant motion more visible than at an airport. Sabre Airline Solutions’ Resource Management suite can improve airport day-to-day operations with better gate management, more efficient staffing levels and ground support equipment optimization. The components of the suite employed by WestJet and the benefits of those systems include:

     Tool          Function                            Benefits
     StaffPlan     -- Provides sophisticated staff     -- Will make it
                      forecasting and planning            possible for WestJet
                      models to significantly             to achieve
                      reduce the time and effort          consistent airport
                      required for planning and           staffing levels
                      budgeting airport personnel.        and to identify
                   -- Provides the ability to             and understand the
                      determine quick responses to        variations in
                      change by its "what-if"             staffing levels
                      analysis that evaluates the         required to support
                      potential effect of any             a given schedule
                      operational changes before          for the various
                      implementing new staffing           seasons throughout
                      strategies.                         the year.
                                                       -- Reduces staffing
                                                          requirements by up
                                                          to 25 percent
                                                          through improved
                                                          shift schedules,
                                                          and improves staff
                                                          utilization by up
                                                          to seven percent
                                                          through increased
                                                          cross-utilization.

     Roster Maker  -- Allows users to create           -- Allows users to
                      rotating rosters that               create more than
                      define scheduling patterns          one roster period
                      beyond seven days.                  within a roster
                   -- Ensures complete compliance         duration, so
                      with all current                    employees can work
                      international work                  every possible
                      regulations.                        schedule making the
                                                          work assignments
                                                          fair to all.

     StaffAdmin    -- Provides a flexible platform     -- Provides yields
                      for tracking employee               of up to five
                      outages, leaves of absence,         percent staff
                      attendance and scheduling           utilization
                      issues.                             improvement through
                   -- Presents data that depicts          improved rostering.
                      scheduled coverage versus        -- Improves
                      required coverage necessary         administrative
                      to maintain service levels.         staff productivity
                                                          by up to 20 percent.

     StaffManager  -- Dramatically enhances airport-   -- Reduces flight delay
                      handling operations by              costs by up to five
                      facilitating real-time staff        percent.
                      planning and management,         -- Improves utilization
                      specifically those events that      of staff and
                      may disrupt the scheduled daily     resources by up
                      assignments.                        to 25 percent.

Holding a cornerstone in airline technology solutions, Sabre Airline Solutions has been able to adapt these resource management solutions for large enterprise companies, like the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA), medium-sized organizations like Vinci Airports/Worldwide Flight Services and now smaller, low-fare carriers like WestJet.

Sabre Airline Solutions serves over 17 low-cost carriers worldwide, more than any other airline solution provider, including Southwest Airlines. Sabre Airline Solutions’ integrated product solutions support a full spectrum of operations, including reservations and departure control systems, airports, cargo, crew management, dining and cabin solutions, finance, flight operations, loyalty, maintenance and engineering, planning and scheduling, pricing and revenue management, and sales and marketing. These technologies are designed not only to assist low-cost carriers with current cost-savings goals, but also to provide the flexibility and support for aggressive growth strategies. WestJet is already a customer of Sabre Airline Solutions’ FlightTrac system.

“At Sabre Airline Solutions, our primary concern is how quickly we can make an impact on the bottom line for our customers,” explains Stephen M. Clampett, president of Airline Products and Services at Sabre Airline Solutions. “In fact, we implemented the Resource Management solutions for the TSA less than one year ago and already this organization has achieved 17 percent in cost savings. We are looking forward to making a similar impact for WestJet in 2004.”

About WestJet

WestJet serves the 24 Canadian cities of Victoria, Comox, Vancouver, Abbotsford/Fraser Valley, Prince George, Kelowna, Grande Prairie, Calgary, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Windsor, London, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Moncton, Halifax, Gander and St. John’s. WestJet is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol WJA.

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 consulting services to help airlines simplify operations and lower costs. Over 200 airlines worldwide use Sabre Airline Solution’s broad portfolio of software solutions for decision-support tools to increase revenues and improve operations. Over 100 airlines worldwide rely on Sabre Airline Solutions for passenger management solutions, with 15 new carriers added and nine carrier renewals for the SabreSonic advanced reservations and departure control systems 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, StaffPlan, StaffAdmin, StaffManager and SabreSonic 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.

SOURCE Sabre Airline Solutions; WestJet

Kathryn Hayden of Sabre Airline Solutions, +1-682-605-2252, or
kathryn.hayden@sabre-holdings.com ; or Siobhan Vinish [Pronounced Sha-von],
Director, Public Relations & Communications of WestJet, +1-403-444-2615, or
+1-403-444-2261
http://www.sabre-holdings.com

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