Skift Take
Turkish Airlines is ruffling feathers as it pushes for direct bookings starting in October. American Airlines failed an attempt for a similar strategy this year, which surely will inform the execution for Turkish.
Turkish Airlines fares will no longer be available through Sabre starting on September 1, which means travel agencies will need to look elsewhere to book flights.
Sabre’s primary business is its global distribution system (GDS), an intermediary between airlines and travel agencies. Travel sellers plug into the Sabre tech platform to access wholesale airfares to purchase on behalf of clients.
Each of the companies blames the other for not coming to an agreement.
“Despite Sabre’s intense efforts, we have not been able to reach mutually beneficial and commer