Lufthansa Group, Sabre sign new distribution agreement

The Lufthansa Group airlines and Sabre Corporation have signed a new distribution agreement that the companies say will enable “modern airline retailing as well as technology innovation.”

The news follows a May announcement that Lufthansa Group airlines would be pulled from the Sabre distribution system starting at the end of June.

The agreement calls for Sabre to continue to distribute Lufthansa Group airlines’ content through its global distribution system and adds distribution beginning next year via the New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard in the Sabre travel marketplace.  

The agreements covers Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, Air Dolomiti and Brussels Airlines.

“Our agreement with Sabre is a landmark deal for airline distribution. I am very excited to shape our joint path towards modern airline retailing and innovate by introducing a diversified NDC program with associated commercial models, – enabling agencies to agree bilaterally on NDC with Lufthansa Group airlines,” says Tamur Goudarzi Pour, senior vice president revenue management and distribution for Lufthansa Group Network Airlines and chief commercial officer of SWISS. 

“Sabre and Lufthansa Group airlines share an ambition to innovate at the forefront of our industry. Through this new level of flexibility, we jointly enable a diverse distribution ecosystem, extend the reach of NDC and allow for differentiated commercial models. With this customer-oriented agreement, Sabre and the Lufthansa Group airlines team up to put the interests of our travel agency partners and our joint clients at center stage.”

The companies say the go-live plan for NDC will be shared in the first half of 2021.

“Today maybe more than ever, we are looking to engage creatively with our airline and agency partners to deliver outcomes that provide added value to all players in the travel ecosystem,” says Dave Shirk, president of Sabre Travel Solutions. 

“Sabre is committed to finding flexible, sustainable solutions that address traveler expectations, deliver against airlines’ strategies, ensure scalability, and safeguard efficient agency workflows. I’m proud that we have signed a sustainable agreement with our partners at Lufthansa Group and one that provides both companies a new level of flexibility to drive a new generation of retailing.”

See an interview with Sabre boss Sean Menke below.