The future of travel will be shaped by players who possess robust cloud computing capabilities, advanced AI expertise: Sabre

MUMBAI: The global travel industry has witnessed remarkable shifts over the past few years, shaped by the pandemic, technological advancements, and evolving consumer preferences.As travel demand rebounds and new distribution models take center stage, the role of technology in optimizing airline operations, revenue management, and customer experiences has never been more critical.
In an exclusive interview to the Times of India, Roshan Mendis, Executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Sabre, shared insights on the future of airline retailing, the impact of AI and cloud computing, and Sabre’s expansion plans in India and the Asia-Pacific region.
Mendis:Post-pandemic, the market and demand have been strong. We have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and the demand outlook remains positive. Indications are that demand will continue to be robust. While there have been single digit growth rates around the world, India has been an exception to that. Corporate travel is making a comeback as there are people to meet, business meetings to conduct, and relationships to rebuild.Everyone is seeking steady, predictable growth in the corporate segment, which also happens to be the segment that purchases premium travel, books premium tickets, and stays in premium hotels. Overall, it all sounds positive and promising for the travel sector as long as the world economy and the geo-political situation around the world stays relatively stable. There are supply chain constraints on the airline side, along with some factors hindering growth, such as airline engine issues. However, when adjusted for these challenges, growth remains strong and is expected to stay robust. Considering the significant number of aircraft orders with India at the forefront, this points to sustained growth in the country - likely outpacing the growth seen globally.
TOI:
Mendis: We are very pleased to partner with Air India. With Air India now under the Tata Group’s management, it’s poised for significant growth both within India and internationally. We greatly value this partnership and are committed to expanding it further. We launched NDC distribution for Air India in November 2024, and globally, we launched our NDC offering many years ago. Our experience so far shows that NDC penetration in the indirect channel - through GDSs and agencies, has been low.While there are several reasons for this, adoption is growing rapidly. We have factored NDC growth into our plans, and as airlines become better equipped to offer differentiated products through the NDC channel, these offerings will become increasingly attractive to both corporate and leisure customers. Additionally, as NDC becomes more efficient in terms of both booking and servicing, we anticipate broader adoption of NDC worldwide. Today, 34 airlines distribute their NDC content through Sabre’s travel marketplace - the most of any global distribution system (GDS). And, that number will only grow as we have more than 60 airlines in our development pipeline. As more airlines activate NDC, it is increasingly becoming table stakes for agents.
TOI: Mendis: We see ourselves as an essential technology partner in the evolving landscape of airline retailing. As carriers shift toward direct sales and rethink traditional distribution channels, Sabre is evolving its offerings to help airlines manage a broader array of services. Our offer and order model allows airlines to seamlessly integrate direct and indirect sales, enabling them to present a full range of products and services tailored to travelers’ needs.By leveraging our strategic partnership with, Sabre equips airlines to personalize offers and streamline operations, ensuring they remain agile and competitive in a rapidly changing market. In essence, Sabre’s role is transforming from a conventional distribution system into a dynamic enabler of modern, traveler-centric retailing.
TOI:
Mendis: We handle over 400,000 travel agency calls and cases annually, where agencies reach out to us with online issues or inquiries. Given the complexity and scale of our system, finding answers across a wide range of documents has traditionally been a challenging task. However, with the integration of AI, this process has become significantly faster and more self-service oriented. Automation and digitization have greatly enhanced our customer service operations.Additionally, we offer a suite of products known as IQ products, named for their intelligent functionality. These tools assist airlines in improving retailing, pricing, and inventory management. Previously, these processes were governed by fixed rules. Over the past few years, however, these rules have evolved to become AI-generated, enabling the system to continuously learn and improve its predictions regarding a traveler’s likelihood to purchase a ticket. To simplify, it’s like shopping on Amazon, where the algorithm understands your preferences and suggests products accordingly. A B2C example would be when you’re browsing an airline’s website. We use AI techniques to help the airline understand your likelihood of purchasing various ancillaries - such as upgrades, extra baggage, or in-cabin meals - and then equip the airlines with the necessary insights to intelligently present the options that best match your preferences. Typically, when an airline passenger logs into the website and selects options like extra legroom, additional baggage, or a preferred meal, these preferences will automatically appear in future bookings. We are currently in discussions with several airlines to enable the adoption of this technology.
TOI
Mendis: Consumer behavior worldwide is evolving rapidly, driven by factors such as the widespread use of mobile devices and user-friendly interfaces that make shopping for travel and other products are more convenient. As a result, the look-to-book ratios and shopping intensity for travel has been steadily increasing over the years. We had to ensure we remain highly responsive and can deliver the richest data possible in response to shopping requests.The most efficient and cost-effective way to achieve this was through our cloud migration over the last few years, supported by our partnership with Google. The India market is no exception. Indian consumers exhibit similar behavior, with a large and a growing travel population complemented by an even larger shopping base. The tech-savvy and internet-friendly nature of this population drives higher levels of browsing and booking activity. This positions India as a significant and expanding travel market, one that we are eager to support with our latest technological advancements. Our primary cloud services provider is Google, part of a strategic partnership we announced around five years ago. Since then, we’ve undergone a significant technology transformation, migrating to the Google Cloud Platform. Many of the innovations we’ve launched since are powered by Google Cloud and leverage its advanced tools, particularly in AI and machine learning - areas where Google has been a pioneer. Most recently, we introduced SabreMosaic TM , our Airline IT platform that incorporates several of Google’s AI models. Additionally, we’re launching a multi-source content platform that also utilizes AI and Google technologies. These examples highlight how our cloud migration and partnership with Google have empowered us to deliver new and enhanced products that align with evolving market dynamics and shifting traveler and shopping behaviors.
TOI:
Mendis: APIs and open platforms are at the core of our growth initiatives. By offering robust APIs, Sabre enables airlines, travel agencies, and developers to integrate with our platforms seamlessly, ensuring that data flows in real-time and that new services can be deployed quickly to meet evolving customer needs. This open platform approach encourages collaboration and flexibility, breaking down silos and fostering an environment where personalized travel experiences and innovative solutions can flourish.Sabre is creating a modular and scalable framework that not only accelerates technology adoption but also reinforces our commitment to a more connected, agile, and traveler-focused future.
TOI:
Mendis: We are highly motivated to expand both our distribution business and our airline IT operations in India. On the distribution front, the market presents significant growth opportunities, not only due to overall market expansion but also because of the potential for us to capture additional market share. We’re genuinely excited about this opportunity. To support this growth, we’re growing our team in India, adding dozens of professionals on the sales side.Of course, establishing relationships, building a pipeline, and ultimately securing and converting business takes time, but we’re already seeing steady progress. Additionally, we have our Bengaluru center, which employs nearly 1,500 people. It’s the only Sabre facility worldwide that brings together technology, operations, and incident management under one roof, a fact we’re incredibly proud of. This year, we’re also celebrating Sabre’s 20 th anniversary in India, marking two decades of strong presence in Bengaluru. The center has become a cornerstone of Sabre’s global operations, and we plan to leverage it as a key foundation for our continued growth in India.
TOI
Mendis: Sabre is actively addressing the growing demand for sustainability in the travel industry through our Travel Positive strategy, which comprises three key pillars: People, Planet, and Prosperity. To ensure that our technology promotes sustainability, we are focused on reducing environmental impact through various initiatives. We are working on setting and validating targets under the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which will help track our progress in addressing climate change.A major focus for Sabre is the reduction of aviation emissions, an area where we are collaborating with airlines and industry partners to advance various solutions. By offering integrated carbon emissions data within our Sabre Red 360 platform, Sabre enables travel agents and customers to make more informed, sustainable choices. This collaboration also extends to the Travel Impact Model, ensuring standardized emissions calculations to avoid misinformation and facilitates more transparent decision-making across the industry. In addition, Sabre is actively exploring technologies like network planning tools that help airlines optimize their routes and reduce emissions. Recognizing that ground operations account for a portion of aviation emissions, we are researching real-time, data-driven solutions for factors like slot planning and flight scheduling to minimize carbon footprints before takeoff or after landing. Moreover, through our partnership with Google, Sabre is utilizing cloud infrastructure powered by renewable energy, which has led to an 85% reduction in its emissions. We are also using Google’s Travel Impact Model to analyze our own Scope 3 business travel emissions and taking this into consideration in our corporate travel policy to reduce environmental impact. As part of our broader effort to push for systemic change, we focus a lot on industry collaboration and partnerships, including our involvement with initiatives like Travalyst, the coalition of travel and technology companies founded by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, to bringing consistent sustainability information to the mainstream for the first time.
TOI:On the airline IT side, we’re preparing for a future over the next decade that relies far less on legacy PNRs (Passenger Name Record) and much more on offers and orders. This shift is at the core of our SabreMosaic TM platform, which we’ve brought to the market. On the consumer and distribution side, the landscape is evolving rapidly, and predicting changes over a 10-year horizon is challenging. However, key trends are clear: post-pandemic, there’s been a surge in leisure and crossover travel.Airlines and retailers are increasingly seeking insights into shopping behavior and data that enable smarter retailing and personalized content curation in real-time. The adoption of offers and orders, particularly when it comes to personalized products, will be a gradual and deliberate process in the Indian market, which is predominantly driven by low-cost carriers (LCCs). Airline IT and the distribution ecosystem are highly complex, and these airlines manage extensive networks and operations. Transitioning from systems that have been in place for decades to entirely new ones requires careful planning and thoughtful execution, which often takes time. We believe this transformation will span the next decade, with India being no exception. As Indian airlines and travel retailers aim to increase sales, offer more ancillary products, and potentially bundle third-party products with their travel offerings, the need for advanced technology will become inevitable. This growing demand will ultimately drive the necessary transformation. Ultimately, the future of travel will be shaped by players who possess robust cloud computing capabilities, advanced AI expertise, and the resources to serve these emerging market needs - those will be the ones who come out on top.