Getting Started in Travel
New to the travel industry and trying to figure out if it’s right for you?
We're excited to introduce you to Sabre Dev Studio® and the Sabre® travel marketplace. Below you'll find answers to some frequently asked questions and a guide for things to consider as you’re getting started in the travel industry.
Where does Sabre fit in?
The Sabre ecosystem connects travel suppliers with travel buyers by leveraging our global marketplace and IT solutions.
B2C
If your solution will purchase tickets/make reservations, you'll be an Online Travel Agency (OTA):
- If you’re selling tickets in the U.S., do you have ARC certification?
- If you’re selling tickets outside the U.S., do you have IATA BSP certification?
- If you’re based in the U.S., does your state require additional legal accreditations? For example, in California, you must register as a Seller of Travel before you begin business operations.
- Will you have your own call center to support post-booking needs (refunds, exchanges) or will you outsource the fulfillment and servicing of bookings?
If not, you'll be a Meta Search Engine or Non-Booking App:
- Have you established media or affiliate partnerships?
- Have you developed your referral strategy? For example, a consumer shops on your app, but is then linked to an OTA to process payment and complete the booking.
- Do you have a projected API volume forecast?
B2B
If you plan to sell your solution to Travel Agencies or Corporations:
- Will the IP rights of your solution belong to your travel agency partner 100%?
If so, you may access our APIs as their contractor as long as they are a Sabre Connected agency. Have the travel agency contact their existing Sabre Account Director or sign a subscriber agreement to become a Sabre Connected agency. - Do you plan to resell your solution to other travel agencies or corporations?
If so, you may be a candidate for our Sabre Authorized Developer Program. Fill out a questionnaire to be contacted. - Do you plan to sell your solution as an app for travel agents to download and use within their point of sale? (i.e. Sabre Red Workspace)
If so, you may be a candidate to be a Sabre Red App Provider. Fill out an application to be contacted.
If you plan to sell your solution to Travel Suppliers (Airlines, Hoteliers, Car rental Companies, etc):
Suppliers (airlines, hoteliers, car rental companies, etc) typically initiate the relationship with Sabre in order to gain access to our APIs. They can later assign a Sabre Authorized Developer to work on a project on their behalf.
What about Sabre Airline Solutions® and Sabre Hospitality Solutions®?
- Sabre Airline Solutions does not have an environment for 3rd parties to test in, so you must work directly with the airline in order to gain access to their partition. For more information about this process for a Sabre-hosted carrier, please submit a contact form.
- Sabre Hospitality Solutions does not have an environment for 3rd parties to test in, but we hope to make various hotel APIs publicly available for testing in the future. For more information, please submit a contact form.
Sabre Developer Partner Network
Sabre Developer Partner Network is an open platform that enables the intersection of supply and demand between Sabre Developer Partners and Sabre-connected agencies. Through it, agencies can easily find Developer Partners which support their specific business needs and requirements. For Sabre Developer Partners, the Developer Partner Network provides an opportunity to promote themselves and offer personalized services, increasing revenue and business opportunities.
Visit Developer Partner Network today to access a marketplace of developers ready to work with you.
Looking for a partner?
If you’re an agency or corporation exploring partnership options for other areas of your business such as:
- Front End Development
- Mid Office & Automation
- Back Office
- CRM & Profile Management
Check out Sabre Travel Solutions to learn about existing Sabre products or the Sabre Authorized Developer Directory for a full list of our global technology partners.
Sabre Authorized Developers
- INNFINITY Software Systems - provides a white-label corporate booking tool for travel agencies or corporations that supports remote workforce management features
- Zoom And Go - provides a travel agency desktop/point of sale hotel booking tool
- Cornerstone Information Systems - provides travel agencies mid-office automation and data analytics
Sabre Red App Providers
- Voyenbus - provides travel agencies a point of sale Red App for scheduled bus service
- Blue Ribbon Bags - provides travel agencies a point of sale Red App for insurance on checked baggage
- Events 365 by Ticket Evolution - provides travel agencies a point of sale Red App for event tickets
Seeking funding?
Try following Skift and Tnooz to keep up with the latest investments and news for startups in the travel industry like you.
Here are a few incubators and accelerators Sabre customers have worked with before:
- 1871 in Chicago, IL
- Capital Factory in Austin, TX
- Plug and Play in Silicon Valley, CA
- Traveltech Lab in London, UK
Other great news sources for startups are TechCrunch and Springwise.
Next steps
Create an account and get a free key to start calling our REST APIs. We also recommend that you take a peek at the sample code and documentation, and watch example demos of solutions made possible by our travel APIs.