EL AL, Sabre to Form Company Catering to Travel Agencies in Israel
EL AL Israel Airlines and technology provider Sabre said yesterday that they are forming a joint venture company named Sabre Israel Travel Technologies Ltd.The 10-year agreement calls for Sabre, a provider of technology, distribution and marketing for the travel industry, to migrate more than 600 travel agencies in Israel that use the country's current system, EL AL Carmel, to a direct connection to Sabre's global distribution system.
The travel agencies will be connected through an Internet Protocol network.
The deal aims to provide the Israeli travel agencies access to other airlines and travel providers by directly linking to the Sabre system.
"Sabre has been in Israel since 1995, but it was never apparent, since you had to go through a link that was on the EL AL Carmel reservation system before being able to link to our system," said Kathryn Hayden, senior manager of media relations at Sabre, Fort Worth, TX. "It was a bit cumbersome, and not the most streamline way to do it. Plus, you really didn't get the full access of all the Sabre products."
The deal is expected to close in 90 days, Hayden said.
