Sabre and Google team up for pilot program with goal of reducing environmental impact of business travel

Rhea-AI Summary

Sabre and Google have partnered to pilot the Travel Impact Model (TIM) for calculating past emissions from business travel. This marks the first application of TIM for historical emissions data. The project analyzed Sabre's 2023 business travel data to calculate flight-level corporate travel emissions and suggest reduction strategies.

Key findings include:

• Long-haul flights identified as a major area for improvement
• TIM found lower-emitting same-day alternatives for two-thirds of flights
• Potential emission reduction of up to 10% on common routes like Dallas-London and Dallas-Frankfurt

Sabre plans to incorporate these insights into their travel policy and explore integrating TIM emissions data into their agency and corporate booking tools. This collaboration aims to set a new standard for corporate travel emissions disclosure and help companies reduce their carbon footprint.

Positive

• Sabre is the first company to use Google's Travel Impact Model for value chain emissions disclosure
• The pilot program identified potential emission reductions of up to 10% on common routes
• Sabre's corporate online booking tool, GetThere, has already integrated TIM emissions data
• The collaboration aims to set a new standard for corporate travel emissions disclosure

Negative

• Business travel represented almost 7% of Sabre's carbon footprint in 2023

Insights

Sustainability Expert

This collaboration between Sabre and Google marks a significant step in addressing the environmental impact of business travel. By applying Google's Travel Impact Model (TIM) to past emissions, Sabre is pioneering a more accurate approach to carbon accounting in corporate travel. The pilot program's findings, particularly the identification of long-haul flights as key areas for improvement, provide actionable insights for emissions reduction.

The potential 10% emission reduction on common routes like Dallas-London and Dallas-Frankfurt demonstrates tangible opportunities for improvement. Integrating TIM emissions data into Sabre's GetThere booking tool enhances transparency and empowers travelers to make more environmentally conscious choices. This initiative aligns with growing regulatory pressures, such as the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and addresses the challenge of accurately measuring Scope 3 emissions.

While the immediate impact on Sabre's financials may be , this move positions the company as a leader in sustainable travel technology, potentially attracting environmentally conscious clients and partners in the long term.

Travel Industry Analyst

Sabre's collaboration with Google on the Travel Impact Model (TIM) represents a strategic move in the evolving landscape of sustainable business travel. By being the first to apply TIM for past emissions calculations, Sabre is positioning itself at the forefront of a important industry trend. This initiative could significantly enhance Sabre's value proposition to corporate clients who are increasingly prioritizing sustainability in their travel policies.

The integration of TIM data into Sabre's booking tools, particularly GetThere, adds a competitive edge by offering more accurate emissions estimates. This feature could drive adoption of Sabre's products among environmentally conscious corporations. Moreover, the potential expansion of this capability to agency and corporate booking tools could create new revenue streams or strengthen existing client relationships.

Given that business travelers account for a disproportionate share of airline emissions (e.g., 30% in Europe), Sabre's focus on this segment is well-timed. As regulatory pressures increase, demand for such solutions is likely to grow, potentially boosting Sabre's market position in the travel technology sector.

Unlocking sustainability insights: Sabre first to apply Travel Impact Model for past emissions

SOUTHLAKE, Texas, Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ; SABR), a leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, and Google have joined forces to use the Google's Travel Impact Model (TIM) for the first time in calculating past emissions from business travel.

The joint pilot program involved a team of Google analysts using Sabre's 2023 business travel data to calculate flight-level corporate travel emissions and recommend strategies for future reductions. The project's findings will empower Sabre to help set realistic reduction targets and optimize travel efficiency.

"Taking responsibility for our own emissions, striving towards the most accurate methodology and working on innovative ways to reduce emissions alongside traditional methods are areas of focus for us," said Jessica Matthias, Global Sustainability Director, Sabre. "We were delighted to work with our partners at Google to extend the TIM to cover past emissions and it is exciting to be the first company to use the TIM for value chain emissions disclosure. We hope that this can inform and provide insights that can help other companies reduce their emissions from business travel."

Google analysts looked at TIM per flight calculations and suggested CO2e reductions based on alternative flight options. The analysis revealed that focusing on the most polluting routes could yield the most significant impact. For instance, long-haul flights were identified as a key area for improvement. The TIM identified lower-emitting same-day alternatives for two-thirds of flights, including common routes like Dallas-London and Dallas-Frankfurt, with a potential emission reduction of up to 10%.

"Companies increasingly need to understand and report the impact of their business travel and we are delighted to work with Sabre to pioneer the TIM as a standard for real world corporate travel emissions disclosure," added Sebnem Erzan, Global Head of Travel Sustainability Partnerships at Google. "Our long-term collaborative efforts and Sabre's granular dataset made them the obvious choice for this pilot program."

Business travel represented almost 7% of Sabre's carbon footprint in 2023. The company can now incorporate these insights into their travel policy to reflect these reduction goals. Notably, Sabre's corporate online booking tool, GetThere, integrated TIM emissions data last year. This enables corporate travel bookers, including Sabre's own employees, to view accurate carbon estimates for their flights during the booking process. Sabre intends to explore incorporating this capability into its agency and corporate booking tools so that customers can see more accurate emissions estimates from their past bookings.

While business travelers make up only 12% of airline passengers globally*, they are responsible for a much higher proportion of emissions – in Europe, for example, they account for approximately 30 percent. ** Many companies are focused on reducing travel-related emissions, including in response to regulations like the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Scope 3 emissions are often notoriously diverse and challenging to measure accurately and consistently, with existing methodologies for Scope 3 - Category 6 (Business Travel) lacking granularity.

The Travel Impact Model is already used to display emissions estimates on platforms like Sabre, Google Flights, Booking.com, Expedia, Skyscanner, and others within the Travalyst coalition. Soon, it will be freely available to any company seeking a robust method for measuring and reporting on business travel emissions. The TIM offers a granular methodology, allowing companies to implement effective travel policies that encourage employees to choose less polluting flights without sacrificing travel needs.

Notes
*Source: Corporate travel: Collaboration essential for COVID-19 recovery: PwC
** https://www.transportenvironment.org/topics/planes/corporate-travel

About the Travel Impact Model
The Travel Impact Model (TIM) is a transparent and continuously improving model based on the latest science. It aims to provide a single source of reliable information for calculating and presenting the climate impact of individual flight trips. The TIM has been developed by Google, in collaboration with the Travalyst coalition. For further information visit www.travelimpactmodel.org 

About Sabre
Sabre Corporation is a software and technology company that takes on the biggest opportunities and solves the most complex challenges in travel. The Company connects travel suppliers and buyers around the globe and across the ecosystem through innovative products and next-generation technology solutions. Sabre harnesses speed, scale and insights to build tomorrow's technology today – empowering airlines, hoteliers, agencies and other partners to retail, distribute and fulfill travel worldwide. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries around the world. For more information visit www.sabre.com.

SABR-F

Media Contacts:

Kristin Hays
Kristin.hays@sabre.com

Heidi Castle
heidi.castle@sabre.com

Investors 

Brian Roberts
sabre.investorrelations@sabre.com

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sabre-and-google-team-up-for-pilot-program-with-goal-of-reducing-environmental-impact-of-business-travel-302256225.html

SOURCE Sabre Corporation

FAQ

What is the purpose of the Sabre and Google pilot program using the Travel Impact Model?

The pilot program aims to calculate past emissions from business travel and recommend strategies for future reductions, helping Sabre set realistic reduction targets and optimize travel efficiency.

How much potential emission reduction did the Travel Impact Model identify for Sabre's business travel?

The Travel Impact Model identified potential emission reductions of up to 10% on common routes like Dallas-London and Dallas-Frankfurt.

What percentage of Sabre's carbon footprint was represented by business travel in 2023?

Business travel represented almost 7% of Sabre's carbon footprint in 2023.

How does Sabre (SABR) plan to use the insights from the Travel Impact Model?

Sabre plans to incorporate the insights into their travel policy and explore integrating TIM emissions data into their agency and corporate booking tools to help customers see more accurate emissions estimates from past bookings.