Sabre signs consultancy pact with AFRAA members

Apr 06, 2017: The global technology provider in travel and tourism industry Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), has signed an agreement with the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) members to provide consultancy services.

The ten carriers that will take part in Sabre consulting programme – including Rwandair, South African Airways and Royal Air Maroc – which will include a comprehensive analysis of the airlines’ brands and customer satisfaction and will provide each airline with a Net Promoter Score (NPS). Airlines taking part in Sabre’s new NPS study will undergo a comprehensive survey that will seek to provide them with a greater understanding of their customers’ pain points and experiences, as well as the desires and motivations of the African air traveller.

The programme will also include access to complementary best practice workshops and recommendations on how technology can enhance revenue, decrease costs and improve the passenger experience throughout the year.

“Demand for air travel in Africa could rise by as much as 24 percent after the introduction of the new pan-African passport in 2018,” said Dino Gelmetti, vice president EMEA, Airline Solutions at Sabre. “However, recent research by Sabre identified common pain points of African consumers and barriers to travel such as difficulty booking, confusing check-in procedures and a lack of flights to chosen destinations. As air travel becomes more accessible to African citizens, it is important that African carriers gain a deeper understanding of their customers, and equip themselves with robust, reliable and flexible technology. This will enable them to win market share from their international counterparts, which currently operate more than 80 percent of flights in African airspace.”

The results of the NPS study will be presented to participating carriers at AFRAA’s Annual Stakeholders Convention in Tunisia on May 7–9.

Elijah Chingosho, AFRAA Secretary General, said, “Sabre, one of AFRAA’s esteemed partners, has experience in helping many of the world’s leading airlines to stay competitive and address their business challenges. It was, therefore, a natural choice to enter into this new agreement with Sabre, and we look forward to offering our members access to its expertise to improve their own operations and compete with some of the world’s most successful carriers.”

Sabre provides technology and consultancy services to more than 225 airlines, including most of the world’s largest carriers. Sabre’s broad suite of flexible and scalable software solutions allows airlines to operate how they want to and adapt their business to changing needs and requirements. Many of Africa’s top carriers – including South African Airways, Kulula, Ethiopian Airlines already use Sabre’s technology to address their biggest challenges increasing revenue, minimising costs and providing an enhanced travel experience.