Travel agents in Australia connected to Sabre now have access to the full suite of Eurail and point-to-point international rail products accessed through Rail Plus via a new Sabre Red App.
Launched early last month, the ‘Rail Plus Red App’ is seen as instrumental in elevating agent awareness of high-speed rail as a transportation option within trip itineraries booked through the GDS, particularly so for business travellers. rail Plus red App users will be able to incorporate passive rail segments into a PNR, alongside air, hotel and other non-air content within the Sabre Travel marketplace, “making shopping and comparing travel options faster and more efficient,” Rail Plus Chief executive James Dunne said.
Dunne told travelBulletin the arrangement with Sabre increases the visibility of rail components which traditionally sit outside the GDS space. “Given that Sabre has a very strong presence in this market, especially in the corporate segment, we think this will really draw that attention to rail that perhaps has been missing locally,” he said.
“I think habitually, people still use air and other forms of transport before realising how practical high-speed rail can be, particularly for a corporate client because you can be productive the entire journey,” Dunne explained. Some product sold through rail Plus, such as rocky Mountaineer and Orient express, will continue to be booked manually by rail Plus, Dunne added.
