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<\/p>\nTravel agency air sales in the GDS are recovering much more slowly than agent hotel bookings, data disclosed by Sabre shows.<\/p>\n
Sabre said gross air bookings through the GDS in May were running 62% lower than in May 2019. Hotel transactions were approximately 35% down over the same period, Sabre said in a regulatory filing.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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The number of passengers boarded through Sabre’s airline hosting systems were lower in May 2021 to the tune of 44% when compared to May 2019.<\/p>\n
Sabre said the figures continue to be “reflective of Covid-19 case counts, cumulative and daily vaccination rates and regional travel restrictions. “<\/p>\n
The filing continues: “As Covid-19 vaccines continued to be administered, we saw continued sequential improvement in our key volume metrics in May 2021 versus April and the first quarter of 2021.<\/p>\n
“The improvement in our key volume metrics continued to be largely driven by recovery trends in domestic leisure travel. “<\/p>\n
The lowest point for Sabre’s tracking of activity since 2019 came in mid-April last year, when air bookings through travel agencies and passengers boarded came in at 95% lower than in the same period in 2019.<\/p>\n
During the lukewarm start to some travel operations between July and late 2020, gross air bookings were still down by 80-85%.<\/p>\n