Amadeus and Sabre Sign Up for New Approach to Flight Selling

Two deals announced Wednesday will have slow-reaching implications for airlines, travel agents, and online travel agencies when it comes to how they sell flights. But the immediate impact of the deals is that it’s a flashing signal to the industry that airlines have finally reached an inflection point in how they distribute airfares and related products and services. Amadeus and Sabre, the world’s two largest travel technology companies, have signed a deal with ATPCO, the airfare clearinghouse formerly known as the Airline Tariff Publishing Company, to use airlines’ so-called rich content — such as photos of, say, first-class seats. Besides providing photos and videos, airlines can also call out how much legroom will come with any given ticket and list other fare benefits and restrictions, such as how much baggage is included.