StudentUniverse Selects Sabre Technology to Find the Lowest Fares for Students

LONDON, Nov. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- StudentUniverse, the largest online student travel agency in North America, has renewed and expanded its agreement with global technology company Sabre to help power its low fare shopping technology.

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The two companies have a long-standing relationship in the U.S., where Sabre has been providing low fare search technology for the company for more than a decade. Under the new agreement, StudentUniverse, a service synonymous within the U.S. student community for providing exclusive student travel deals, will also leverage Sabre's shopping technology for its expansion into the U.K. and other international markets.

"Our members want great deals and unique experiences that they'll remember forever," said Atle Skalleberg, StudentUniverse CEO. "To deliver that, we negotiate exclusive travel deals, and hand-pick travel technology partners like Sabre who we know provide a broad range of fare options. Our investment in technology has paid off over the years and given us a competitive edge that hopefully will help us break into new markets."

StudentUniverse, which attracts more than 8 million students to their website every year, will use Sabre's next-generation air shopping platform, which was recently found by an independent study to find the lowest fares in the marketplace. The platform uses a specially-designed algorithm that searches, evaluates and ranks more than a billion fare combinations, providing the shopper with a comprehensive list of the lowest fare options.

"Shopping for travel is far more complex than it used to be, particularly for students who are simply after a great experience on a tight budget, and though we're starting to see personalisation take off, the desire to find the lowest fare will never go away," said Greg Webb, president for Sabre Travel Network. "That's why Sabre has consistently made such big investments in low fare shopping technology and mobile, because these are so important to valued customers like StudentUniverse." 

• Using Sabre's technology, StudentUniverse will be able to:
• Feel confident in the book-ability of all carriers returned
• Shop up to one week's worth of outbound and inbound dates with one query
• Provide timely results for syndication partners
• Shop across multiple passenger types with one query

"We've spent a lot of time evaluating options that will allow us to scale and grow into other markets leveraging our existing technology. Sabre's commitment to technology and superior customer service made it an easy decision for us to continue to our relationship," said Chad Mooney, StudentUniverse COO.

About Sabre
Sabre Travel Network provides technology to the travel industry. It operates the world's largest travel marketplace, connecting travel buyers and sellers through the Sabre global distribution system (GDS).  Its innovative technology connects 370,000 travel agents to more than 400 airlines, 125,000 hotels, 27 car rental brands, more than 50 rail providers, 16 cruise lines and other global travel suppliers. More than $100 billion of travel is purchased through this channel annually. 

Sabre Travel Network is part of Sabre, a global travel technology company serving the world's largest industry- travel and tourism.  For more information please visit: www.sabretravelnetwork.com.

About StudentUniverse
StudentUniverse is a Boston-based technology company that provides exclusive travel discounts, rewards, and experiences for students, faculty and youth (18-25). Leveraging proprietary verification technology, StudentUniverse negotiates exclusive airfares with over 65 airline partners globally and features discounted rates on hotels and tours all over the world. Membership is free and millions of verified students use the service every year.

Contact:
Heidi Castle
Sabre
Heidi.castle@sabre.com
+1-682-605-4290