Qantas's premium seats now available in Sabre

The electronic miscellaneous document (EMD) standard allows an agent to efficiently purchase an airline's ancillary products on behalf of travelers in the same way they would a base airfare. This helps airlines generate revenue by making their ancillary products broadly available and easy to buy in all channels.

Hans Belle, Sabre Travel Network vice president, APAC, said the sale of ancillaries, such as pre-reserved seats continue to be a valuable revenue stream for airlines and provides travelers with more choices for their flight experience.

"Sabre has been investing in technology to support airlines' merchandising strategies for many years," Belle said. "The Sabre travel marketplace provides an invaluable platform for airlines to market and sell their products, and for agents to capture buying data for their corporate customers."

The sale of ancillaries through the Sabre travel marketplace generates important cost savings for both agencies and airlines. By using one platform to sell multiple products, an airline can significantly reduce its IT costs. Additionally, front-line travel consultants can improve their efficiency and customer service levels by shopping and booking airline ancillaries within the Sabre Red Workspace.

Belle said Qantas's decision to merchandise its ancillaries in Sabre shows the airline's long-term commitment to an open marketplace for air travel, which benefits airlines, agencies, travel managers and travelers, ensuring travel shopping remains competitive, transparent and easy.

Qantas joins a long list of airlines, including Air France-KLM, Finnair, Air New Zealand, Alitalia, Brussels Airlines, Aegean, Aeromexico, EL AL, easyJet, Lufthansa and US Airways, that have chosen to offer ancillary services and bundled fares through Sabre's travel marketplace and travel agencies.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews