GetThere is launching a combined air and rail availability display.  The development follows GetThere’s introduction in December of pan-European rail booking capabilities through French rail operator SNCF.  The new feature will put air and a wide range of rail travel options together on the same screen for all relevant trips, such as Nice-Strasbourg or London-Paris. 

GetThere is demonstrating the combined display at the Business Travel Show in London at the end of January.  It expects the feature to be available during February for any corporation or travel management company that holds an SNCF licence or Rail Europe agreement.

When a user requests seat availability for a journey serviced by rail operators SNCF, Eurostar, Thalys or Lyria, these travel options and the price will appear alongside the availability and fares for air services.

The same capability will be available on GetThere’s Lower Fare Search pricing display - for users who want to make their booking according to cost - by the end of the first quarter this year.

“This is true multi-modal capability,” said Floyd Widener, vice president of GetThere and corporate travel at Sabre Travel Network.  “The system now displays every transport option for each leg of a journey, and all bookings are fully integrated with the PNR (passenger name record), the itinerary, and back-office reporting.

GetThere unveiled continental European rail booking capability in December through SNCF, the French national rail operator, for all GetThere customers in countries in which SNCF subsidiary Rail Europe has distribution agreements.

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