Stop, collaborate, and listen: The benefits of an open ecosystem for airline retailing

In a recent article – a deep dive into modularity – we noted that modularity goes hand-in-hand with the concept of an open tech ecosystem. The principles of openness and modularity (integral to the next-gen SabreMosaic retailing platform) are ideally suited to airline retailing. They point towards airlines being in control of their tech platform and being able to collaborate with whomever they choose to build solutions that best meet their needs.

Openness and modularity don’t just deliver benefits for airlines either; they also support a competitive marketplace and align with the drive towards greater traveler-centricity, a concept explored in this blog.

Creating an open environment – whether in technology or business more broadly – fosters an open flow of communication, adaptability to change, and a commitment to collaboration. Many great leaders embody this principle with an ‘open door’ or ‘open calendar’ policy. They are approachable and supportive, always willing to find time in their busy schedule for a conversation.

When it comes to achieving shared goals, exceptional leaders understand the value of collaborating with co-workers to solve problems and strategize. They appreciate that openness creates more diverse business ideas and opportunities which ultimately translate into long-term success.

The same is true of an open tech ecosystem. Such an ecosystem supports and encourages integrations with other technologies, services and platforms. Conversely, a closed system only interacts with tools that are inside or compatible with that platform. Closed systems dictate a single vendor solution from end to end, which runs contrary to the goal of becoming a modern retailer.

Being open to innovation and new opportunities is the optimal approach for travelers, airlines and the wider industry. Here are three ways in which SabreMosaic is ‘open’ and the benefits that result:

1. Open for flexibility of choice

SabreMosaic is technically open and accessible, ensuring flexibility of choice and faster speed to market for our airline partners.

Airlines can pick and choose not just at the module level but also at the individual product and capability level – a big differentiator for Sabre. Unlike some of our competitors, we believe airlines should be free to curate the solutions that best meet their needs, which means having the ability to integrate Sabre solutions, in-house capabilities and third-party offerings. Airlines have access to the same APIs for offers and orders regardless of the modules used.

While we believe there are added benefits from adopting complementary modules, technical openness means Sabre can better meet airline needs by enabling them to select the best-suited (or best-in-class) functionalities, even if they are not proprietary to Sabre.

2. Open for retailing diverse content from third parties

The ability to source and display content from a wide range of third-party vendors with offer APIs holds the key to long term retailing success for airlines.

Airlines have become increasingly sophisticated in the way they market and sell first-party ancillaries, such as preferred seat allocation, baggage, in-flight Wi-Fi and meals or drinks. Now, Sabre’s open platform enables airlines to extend their offering to include everything from hotels and car hire to ground transportation, event tickets and other experiences.

Let’s take a look at the Distribution & Partnerships product suite of SabreMosaic. This suite is open by design and exists to maximize partner reach and revenue potential for airlines. The API-first products, like SabreMosaic Third-Party Content Management, offer comprehensive channel and partner content management so you have greater control of the attributes, applicability rules, and how you differentiate your offers. Working with partners who are not quite on offers and orders? Sabre has designed a legacy translation layer to connect back to third-party providers still using traditional technology, so you can continue to run your business seamlessly.

Until now, airlines have operated with a ‘flight first’ or ‘flight + air ancillary’ approach. As third-party ancillaries become core to airline offerings (as is the case with many OTAs today), they’ll be positioned to offer the ‘total trip’ concept that better aligns with the needs of travelers while opening up new revenue opportunities for airlines.

3. Open for applying advanced data and intelligence

The newest applications of advanced AI/ML have the potential to accelerate airline retailing, and SabreMosaic is open to incorporating the latest developments in this field – whether they are developed in-house by airlines, built by Sabre or sourced from third-party providers.

This ‘bring-your-own-science’ concept is made possible by our open ecosystem and will enable airlines to optimize revenue opportunities and deliver a more tailored, traveler-centric experience. Our airline partners will remain in control of their customer data at all times, with the ability to manage it externally and bring it into Sabre’s ecosystem to build offers and fulfil orders.

Let’s take a look at the Data Intelligence suite of SabreMosaic. This centralized data platform is a Google cloud-native warehouse that supports real-time and event driven updates from multiple internal and external sources, providing you with a complete view of your ecosystem. Want to take advantage of dynamic retailing? Sabre’s IQ products are complimented with a real-time feedback loop with ML-driven insights that are applied throughout SabreMosaic so you can make the most of your retailing strategies.

SabreMosaic’s Data Intelligence suite brings to market an advanced experimentation framework using advanced AI and machine learning algorithms. Incorporate your full ecosystem view to test multiple retailing variables in a live shopping environment. Airlines who take advantage of the experimentation product will learn which products are most relevant to buyers, at what stage to sell them, at what price, and how to bundle them for highest conversion.

Airlines can also develop their own ML models in all points of sale to power more intelligent recommendations (for better forecasting and predictions) which better meet traveler needs and are therefore more likely to convert into revenue opportunities.

In case you’re wondering, yes, the title of this blog was deliberate. Sabre is building a retail travel marketplace that intelligently enables airlines to dynamically retail and distribute a broad choice of tailored offers across any channel and fulfil them as orders with ease via an open, flexible, and cloud-native platform. With a strategy built around the concepts of intelligence, choice and ease (or ICE) the throwback reference to a certain 1990 song by Dallas native Vanilla Ice proved hard to resist.