FORT WORTH, Texas -- Sabre is upgrading and repackaging its CRS and
related services for travel agencies under the name eVoya.
The company is calling it a "new line of e-products" that
emphasizes flexibility and choice. Sabre agents already have a
choice of graphical or traditional display formats.
Soon they will be able to choose from additional connectivity
options, including what Sabre calls a "National Service Provider
solution" that combines the low cost of dial-up Internet access
with the reliability of dedicated lines.
In addition, everything in the new suite of products is -- or
will be -- Internet-enabled, allowing agents to go on line for
software upgrades, support and training.
Sabre's soon-to-be-revamped tour booking tools will also be
promoted under the eVoya banner.
Earlier this year, Sabre took a minority interest in Logibro, a
Montreal-based software developer that is creating a new
browser-based tour booking system.
Sabre has no date yet for the new product, but is promising
"more content and functionality than any other CRS."
Other agency management services, such as Sabre's Web-hosting
and back-office products, are also being packaged under the eVoya
name.
That name, by the way, was selected to combine the "E" of
"e-commerce" with that of the "evolution" that is sweeping the
agency industry.
Sam Gilliland, Sabre's senior vice president for product
marketing, put it this way: "Agents are on a voyage; eVoya is about
embracing change."