Sabre has launched its next generation air shopping platform, which has been proven to find the lowest fares and provide more fare choices for travellers. 

The platform is based on a specially developed algorithm that searches, evaluates and ranks more than a billion fare combinations providing the shopper with a comprehensive list of the lowest fare options. The enhanced shopping platform meets the needs of evolving consumer shopping behaviors and the growing number of airfare options. In addition, it allows for new features such as the ability to return multiple prices for the same itinerary, letting travellers easily shop and compare the different fares and services offered by airlines.

“Not only is air shopping more complex today, mobile and social trends are changing how travellers discover, shop and buy travel,” said Harald Eisenaecher, senior vice president for Sabre Travel Network in Europe, Middle East and Africa. “In the next few years, personalisation will really take off, exploding the number of ways to search and filter fares, but the desire to find the lowest fare will never go away. The enhancements we’ve made to our system prepare us for the next phase of travel commerce in this region.”

To test its system, Sabre commissioned a third party, independent study comparing the efficacy of its shopping system to other providers.

Conducted by Fried & Partner, a well-established marketing and management consulting company, the Sabre system also finds more of the itineraries that travellers want to buy, both in terms of time of day and length of travel times.

“While consumers expect more convenience in travel shopping, price is a key driver in purchase decisions,” said Eisenaecher. “In many cases, travellers do not buy the lowest fare option due to schedule, convenience or personal preferences. However, showing the lowest fare sets a baseline and builds trust with the traveller. This is critical for OTAs and other shopping services that need to capture interest and increase conversion rates.”

The enhanced shopping platform will also allow Sabre to add new services such as expanded calendar search and an enhanced “alternate city” search to its existing capabilities without compromising performance.