Gulf Air

and Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE: TSG) announced an agreement to provide Sabre Inform notification technology to launch a new customer service initiative that will facilitate customers flying on Gulf Air to receive real- time information about their trip 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The solution, the latest product of Gulf Air`s enhanced customer-focused strategy, will be provided by SMS to customers` mobile phones and e-mail.

Sabre

Inform is a powerful customer service tool that proactively provides flight information such as schedule changes or delays, terminal and gate changes and cancellations as well as airport, airline, city and country security updates.

“Travelers can register for a trip reminder service that provides real- time flight status from 72 hours up to one hour prior to departure,” explains Tariq Sultan, assistant vice president, information technology for Gulf Air. “Services offered will include: schedule inquiries—providing information on the number of flights to destinations worldwide; flight inquiries—providing information on individual flights. For example, flight arrivals and departures; and ticketing confirmation—providing information to remind customers to ticket their initial bookings.”

“Customers merely have to give their mobile numbers to the booking agent, call centre or travel agent, in order to obtain the service,” adds Sultan.

Through its partnership with Sabre, Gulf Air is demonstrating that using the right technologies can make a difference to an airline`s image and bottom line.

“This is an important proactive service capability for our customers and it will make our operations more efficient by automating manual processes and reducing service impact on our valued customers,” adds Sultan.

“Our goal at Sabre is to simplify airline industry operations,” said Gianni Marostica, president of Reservations at Sabre. “One in three flyers experience unplanned trip changes. The introduction by Gulf Air of this new technology solution, increases mobility, improves efficiency for both the traveler and the airline and minimizes inconvenience by providing the highest level of service to customers.”

Sabre Inform is the industry`s first low-cost, end-to-end branded notification service for airlines.

Gulf Air will be the first airline in the Middle East to introduce such technology.

Related stories on ITN:

(27/06/2000) Gulf Air Renews Contract for Sabre(R) Passenger Reservation System

 

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