Articles tagged “sabre”

To some extent, the shift in geographic focus of the travel IPO market from the U.S. in 2013 toward Europe and Asia Pacific so far in 2014 reflects where the burgeoning investment and market opportunities are opening up, although it is somewhat surprising that Latin America has yet to be heard from in a very meaningful way.

Travelocity was once the darling in Sabre's portfolio, and now the fastest-rising star is its hospitality solutions business. It has plenty of room to grow, particularly in EMEA and APAC, where chains do not dominate and there is so much need for advanced technology solutions.

Sabre layed off several hundred Travelocity employees last year, but the pain at Sabre is not over as the company intends to eliminate 350 positions in 2014. The spin is that the cuts will better enable the company to focus on product development. Yes, less is obviously more.

Was TripAdvisor's CEO Stephen Kaufer worth $39 million in 2013? That amount is a bit of an anomaly as it includes $38 million in stock options, and he won't be eligible for more until the Summer of 2017. Although there are complaints that TripAdvisor gives geographic growth a higher priority than short-term shareholder return, we don't see anyone complaining.

Hardly a surprise that Sparks, who was brought in to resurrect the brand, would depart after it has basically given up.

We know a few travel agents who have surreptitiously sneaked a peak at some user reviews of hotels on TripAdvisor, but Sabre partnering with TripAdvisor to bring user-generated content about airline seats and amenities to travel agents is bringing things to a whole new level.

To borrow an immortal line ... There is no joy in Mudville -- mighty Travelocity has struck out.

Lastminute.com will remain the last man standing of what was once Travelocity -- but only until Sabre can find a buyer in a fire sale because keeping it makes no sense at this juncture.

Neither American Airlines nor Sabre got exactly what they wanted in their protracted lawsuits, but Sabre was clearly the loser. American didn't obtain an edict that the global distribution industry is an anticompetitive monopoly, but it forced Sabre to cease its hostile acts and picked up a $200 million settlement in the bargain.

By bringing in former Continental chairman and CEO Larry Kellner as Sabre chairman, and installing Tom Klein as the new CEO, Sabre is signaling that it is readying a strategic move, possibly an IPO, in the near future. The Travelocity deal with Expedia, Travelocity divestments of zuji and Travelocity Business, and these layoffs may all be pieces of the puzzle.