Sabre believes its $360 million acquisition of Farelogix,
announced Wednesday, will make it the industry leader in offering New
Distribution Capability (NDC) solutions.
Farelogix offers airlines solutions to create and
deliver personalized, differentiated offers across sales channels. Its
acquisition by Sabre, subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close later
this year or early in 2019.
Speaking on a media call, Dave Shirk, executive
vice president and president of Sabre Travel Solutions, said Sabre is
already NDC Level 3 certified by IATA as both an IT provider and an aggregator.
Level 3 is the highest level of certification IATA offers.
The Farelogix acquisition "ultimately
accelerates and propels us forward, and we believe it will make us the leader
in NDC-based offer and order management solutions,” Shirk said.
Travelport is Level 2 certified as an IT provider and Level
3 certified as an aggregator, and claimed last month it was the first GDS to
manage a flight booking using the NDC standard. Amadeus, like Sabre, holds
dual Level 3 certifications as an IT provider and an aggregator.
Shirk called Farelogix the "industry leader" in NDC-based
offer and order capabilities. NDC was "a very significant part" of the decision to acquire
the company, he said.
Farelogix has around 225 employees that Shirk said are among
the foremost NDC experts in the world.
Until closing the acquisition, Sabre said it and Farelogix
will operate as separate businesses. Sabre is funding the purchase with cash on
hand and revolver borrowing.