Sabre agents in the UK and Ireland will pay to use the Sabre Red Mobile Workspace app from next month.
Sabre introduces app charge from May 1
Sabre agents in the UK and Ireland will pay to use the Sabre Red Mobile Workspace app from next month.
From May 1 each user will be charged the equivalent of $10 per month to use the software.
When the product was launched in November 2013 the technology company said a fee would eventually be introduced.
Reports in the US travel press suggested most agents had no problem paying for the privilege of using the service, and that they derived a lot of value from the technology.
Reaction to the payment notification from agents in the UK marketplace has, so far, been mixed.
Travolution spoke to directors of two of Sabre’s major TMC customers about Sabre Red Mobile Workspace and the new charge. Both asked to remain not to be named.
One said: “Some of our staff use the product, they like it and we will be prepared to pay for it as we see the value it brings to the business.”
However, another said: “I did see the notification that Sabre intends to charge for the app, $10 a month per user. They must be out of their minds. It is not exactly a thing of beauty and so why they think agents will pay this is beyond me.”
The Sabre Red Mobile Workspace provides access to the most commonly used agent functions including air, car, and hotel shopping and booking, customer profiles, PNR servicing, seat maps, ticketing capabilities and more.
Sabre said it was a purpose-built app specifically designed to take advantage of the unique capabilities offered by tablets, including touch and swipe gestures.
