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
