Sabre has enhanced its ELGAR rail solution by introducing a Satellite Ticket Printer (STP) capability. 
From next month (April), Sabre ConnectedSM travel agents in the UK will be able to print tickets for domestic and Eurostar rail journeys from STPs in their offices or at their corporate customers?f premises.

The number of ELGAR bookings made by agents in Sabre during 2001 increased by 100 percent over the previous year.  Eurostar bookings were up 36 percent year-on-year.

Sabre ConnectedSM travel agents in the UK can now make bookings on the Heathrow and Gatwick Expresses, Norwegian Railways and Swedish Railways, as well as the inbound rail operator, BritRail.  Reservations are made using standard Sabre formats, ticketing is on standard IATA stock and all accounting is performed through the Billing and Settlement Plan, as with airline bookings. 

Agents can view these rail services alongside airline services in the primary Sabre screens.  The company pioneered this feature when it released its product for VIARail Canada several years ago.

The connectivity is provided through a partnership with AccesRail, a specialist in the distribution and marketing of rail inventory.  It complements Sabre?fs traditional rail offering, comprising ELGAR UK Rail and Eurostar, Rail Europe and SNCF French Railways, SNCB Belgian Railways, FS Italian Railways, DB German Railways, AMTRAK and VIARail Canada.

Sabre has implemented Individual Ticket functionality for Amtrak bookings.  Agents ticketing Amtrak bookings are now able to print tickets for individual travellers instead of coupons, which until now have had to be exchanged for tickets at the station.  This is one of a number of enhancements implemented for Amtrak?fs new Acela Express service, which links Washington and New York.

www.sabre.com

Related stories on ITN:

(09/10/2001) Improved Amtrak Online Access From e-Travel.

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