Amadeus Vs Sabre: Feature Comparison for Largest GDSs

When comparing travel technology, one often encounters the debate of the two largest GDPs, Amadeus and Sabre. These companies are 2 major players in the sector of Global Distribution Systems (GDS). GDS plays a crucial role in connecting travel agents and service providers, such as airlines and hotels, to facilitate bookings and reservations. Industry experts frequently analyze the performance and features of Amadeus vs Sabre.

In this blog, we will compare the features and offerings of these 2 platforms so that you can can understand whether to choose Amadeus or Sabre.

Amadeus vs Sabre Comparison

Both Amadeus and Sabre are established companies with a long history in the travel technology industry.

Amadeus

Amadeus was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain. It was established by four leading European airlines – Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia, and SAS. Since its inception, Amadeus has expanded its presence globally, now operating in 190 markets with over a hundred offices worldwide.

Sabre

Sabre traces its origins back to a computer reservation system developed by American Airlines in the 1960s. Today, Sabre is headquartered in Texas, USA, and serves over 400,000 travel agencies in more than 160 countries worldwide. While Sabre is widely used in the Americas, it also has a significant presence in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific regions.

Inventory Comparison: Amadeus or Sabre

Comparing the inventory provided by Amadeus vs Sabre gives insights into their respective offerings.

Flights

• Amadeus: Covers 82% of the world’s scheduled flights, consolidating over 400 airlines, including 130+ hybrid and low-cost carriers. Offers access to over 400 airlines via interline agreements.
• Sabre: Links travel agencies to over 400 full-service and low-cost carriers. Runs its passenger service system, SabreSonic. Provides access to flights from various carriers, including those offering ancillaries and branded fares.

Hotels

• Amadeus: Offers access to over a million unique properties derived from leading bed banks and 350 hotel chains. Provides access to thousands of alternative accommodations partnering with short-term rental aggregators.
• Sabre: Provides access to over 1.6 million lodging options. Selected as a central reservation system provider for certain hotel chains, such as Hyatt hotels.

Car Rentals

• Amadeus: Offers access to car hire services from 44 brands across about 42,000 locations worldwide.
• Sabre: Provides access to car rental services from 38 brands across 160 countries.

Cruises

• Amadeus: Offers access to over 30 bookable and over 100 searchable cruise companies and ferry lines.
• Sabre: Offers access to cruise packages from 20 ocean and river cruise lines.

Notable Differences: Amadeus vs Sabre

• Amadeus boasts a slightly larger coverage in terms of scheduled flights, covering 82% compared to Sabre’s extensive coverage of 400,000 travel agencies.
• Sabre’s hotel inventory is slightly larger, with access to over 1.6 million lodging options compared to Amadeus.
• Amadeus provides access to a broader range of alternative accommodations through partnerships with short-term rental aggregators.
• Both GDS systems offer access to a variety of car rental brands, but Amadeus has a slight edge in terms of the number of locations covered.
• Amadeus provides access to a wider range of cruise companies and ferry lines than Sabre.
• Sabre offers content from a slightly larger number of car rental brands and covers a wider range of countries for car rental services.

New Distribution Capability Support

NDC is an industry initiative introduced by IATA to modernize airline distribution by enabling airlines to provide richer, more personalized offers and content to customers through various channels. Understand the NDC support provided by Amadeus vs Sabre.

NDC Support Provided by Amadeus

• Amadeus delivers NDC content from 19 airlines as part of their Enterprise subscription, catering to large travel players.
• Airlines supported by Amadeus for NDC include major carriers such as American Airlines, United, Singapore Airlines, Air France-KLM, Qantas, and others.

NDC Support Provided by Sabre

• Sabre maintains access to NDC offers from several airlines, including Avianca Group, Qatar Airways, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, and American Airlines.
• Sabre offers REST/JSON Offer and Order APIs to support NDC, providing functionalities for shopping, booking, fulfillment, and servicing features.
• The GDS has verified 22 ARM capabilities as a system provider for sellers and 18 capabilities as a system provider for airlines.

Top Features: Amadeus and Sabre Comparison

In the feature comparison, Amadeus vs Sabre shows distinct strengths, making the decision between the two a strategic choice for travel agencies.

Amadeus

• Comprehensive Inventory: Amadeus offers access to a wide range of travel inventory, including flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, tours, activities, and insurance providers.
• Alternative Accommodations: Amadeus provides access to alternative lodging options through partnerships with short-term rental aggregators. They offer vacation rentals and homestays alongside traditional hotel accommodations.
• Ancillary Services: Amadeus allows travel agencies to book ancillary services such as seat upgrades, baggage allowances, and meal preferences directly through its platform, enhancing the overall travel experience for customers.
• Real-Time Deals: Amadeus offers access to real-time deals and promotions from airlines, hotels, and other travel suppliers, enabling travel agencies to provide competitive pricing and value-added services to their customers.
• Integration with Leading Providers: Amadeus integrates with leading travel service providers to offer seamless booking experiences and ensure access to updated inventory and pricing information for travel agencies and their customers.
• Self-Service APIs: Amadeus provides self-service APIs based on modern REST architecture, offering flexibility and scalability for integrating travel content into third-party platforms and customizing booking engines and travel applications.

Sabre

• SabreSonic: Sabre offers the SabreSonic passenger service system, providing airlines with a comprehensive suite of solutions for flight management, including booking, reservation management, and ancillary services.
• Efficient Workflow: Sabre’s booking system is known for its robust features and efficient workflow, enabling travel agencies to manage reservations and access comprehensive travel content efficiently.
• Sabre Red 360: Sabre Red 360 is a marketplace connecting sellers to suppliers. It covers content accessible via APIs, including NDC offers, and provides carbon offset data to identify sustainable travel options.
• GetThere: Sabre’s offering for corporate clients, GetThere, covers travel booking and reporting functionality for global enterprises, available on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
• Conferma Pay: Sabre owns Conferma Pay, a B2B payment platform linking travel businesses with over 50 banks capable of releasing virtual credit cards in multiple currencies.
• Orchestrated APIs: Sabre offers orchestrated APIs that join multiple operations into a single call, streamlining processes such as flight booking, availability checks, and reservation management.

Final Word: Amadeus vs Sabre Comparison

In conclusion, whether it is Amadeus or Sabre, they stand as leading Global Distribution Systems (GDS) in the travel industry.  They offer a wide array of features and services to cater to the needs of travel agencies, airlines, and other travel service providers. While the choice between Amadeus vs Sabre can significantly impact a company’s operations and bottom line, each platform has its unique strengths and capabilities. This makes both of them valuable assets in the travel ecosystem.

itilite corporate travel management software collaborates with prominent GDS systems like Amadeus and Sabre, alongside leading airline companies, hotels, and car rental services. As a result, we deliver the most competitively priced flight and hotel tickets through a robust corporate booking platform.

To know more, book a free demo today.

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