Sabre and Southwest Reach New Distribution Agreement

Sabre and Southwest Airlines last week announced that they have reached a new multi-year distribution agreement that will give users continued access to Southwest content on the Sabre platform.

Southwest had been planning on ending its agreement with Sabre at the end of 2020, a basic-level agreement that allowed users to see Southwest content in Sabre but made it difficult to service bookings. Southwest had been operating under that basic-level agreement with Sabre since the 1990s, and the new agreement not only secures Southwest content inside of Sabre just as it was about to expire, but also expands the content for Sabre users.

According to Sabre, the agreement, announced on Dec. 31, will keep the regular Southwest content on Sabre and will also guarantee users access to expanded content in Q2. Details of that content will be rolled out and communicated when they are available, Sabre said.

“Sabre is pleased to expand our partnership with Southwest in providing broad access to Southwest content, especially as companies evaluate their travel needs in 2021. We recognize the importance of having Southwest content in our marketplace, and by reaching this mutually beneficial agreement before year end, we will continue to deliver uninterrupted access for our customers,” Sabre CCO Roshan Mendis said in a statement announcing the news.

The news completes a busy year for Southwest and its distribution partners. Earlier in the summer, Southwest went live in Travelport’s Galileo GDS and, prior to that, it also went live in Travelport’s Apollo and Worldspan GDSs.