According to the national carrier, the new Sabre system, will become the airline’s core operational and commercial technology. /AI GENERATED
Kenya Airways is replacing the core technology that has powered its bookings, ticketing, inventory management and airport check-in for more than two decades.
This forms part of the national carrier’s major overhaul of its commercial and digital operations.
The airline has picked US-based travel technology company Sabre to provide its new operational and commercial backbone, replacing the existing reservations and ticketing platform.
The transition will introduce a new reservations platform alongside a digital commerce layer designed to give Kenya Airways greater flexibility in how it sells fares, ancillary services and travel packages to customers.
The airline said it is also partnering with Branchspace, a travel technology and consulting firm, to build the digital commerce layer for customers direct interaction.
“This is an important transformation of Kenya Airways’ technology and digital retailing capabilities. The combination of digital commerce and a new Passenger Service System will help us create a more flexible and personalised experience,” said Kenya Airways chief commercial and customer officer Julius Thairu.
According to the national carrier, the new Sabre system, built on the Sabre Mosaic platform, will become the airline’s core operational and commercial technology.
For Kenya Airways, the technology shift is aimed at moving beyond a traditional booking system towards an airline retailing model in which fares and additional services can be packaged and personalised for individual travellers.
Branchspace’s platform will serve as the airline’s primary digital customer touchpoint from the start of the rollout.
The system will give Kenya Airways’ commercial teams direct control over personalised offers across its booking channels.
The changes are expected to affect how passengers search, book and manage their journeys, with the airline promising more tailored fares and ancillary options, easier bundling of trip components and a smoother mobile and digital booking experience.
Passengers will also get upgraded self-service tools, an enhanced Asante Rewards experience and improved real-time rebooking capabilities when flights are disrupted.
“I’m incredibly proud that Kenya Airways has chosen Sabre as its strategic technology partner as it upgrades its core systems and advances toward the next generation of travel retailing,” said Sabre chief commercial officer, airline technology Niklas Andréen.
Thairu said the combination of a new digital commerce platform and reservations system would provide a more flexible and personalised experience for customers and staff while allowing the airline to transition towards modern airline retailing.
The overhaul comes as airlines globally move away from legacy passenger service systems towards more modular technology capable of supporting personalised offers and direct digital sales.
Kenya Airways said the new system will also align its operations with the International Air Transport Association’s New Distribution Capability standards, which are designed to enable airlines to distribute richer and more personalised travel content across sales channels.
Rather than replacing all its systems in one disruptive switch, Kenya Airways will use Sabre’s modular technology to modernise in stages.
The approach allows the carrier to introduce individual components progressively and begin deriving commercial value before the entire transformation is complete.
Sabre’s technology will therefore sit at the centre of Kenya Airways’ efforts to increase direct sales and ancillary revenue as the airline expands its network.
The carrier said the new digital and commercial infrastructure is intended to scale with its growth and support its ambition of positioning itself as Africa’s leading carrier.
Kenya Airways currently flies to 42 destinations globally, including 35 in Africa, using a fleet that includes Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Embraer E190 aircraft.