Etihad Airways’ ‘Big Switch’ to its new Sabre Airline Solutions ‘SabreSonic’ Customer Sales and Service (CSS) system has been successfully completed with minimal operational disruption across the airline’s global flight network during the cutover period.
The Big Switch started at 11pm (UAE time) on Friday 22 February and the main cutover was completed for start of business (UAE time) on Sunday 24 February, with the SabreSonic CSS fully implemented and all sales channels, web and check-in systems back online by mid-afternoon.
The first passenger checked in using the new system at 7pm on Saturday 23 February for flight EY 221 Abu Dhabi to Karachi. At the same time, the first sale made through SabreSonic CSS at the Abu Dhabi Contact Centre was a Pearl Business Class ticket to Manila.
The mammoth cutover operation involved hundreds of members of Etihad Airways’ staff who initially implemented, tested and configured the new software. They then worked on transferring all existing 530,000 bookings into the new system and restructuring the airline’s website.
The SabreSonic CSS cutover team reworked the business processes, rewired all of the links into the airline’s operation and back office systems, and transferred all of the network connections, before doing a final check to ensure the system was ready to go live.
SabreSonic CSS transforms Etihad Airways’ reservations, inventory, eCommerce, distribution, and departure control activities, as well as providing customers with significantly enhanced mobile and communications access.
The transformation, involving the training of more than 6,700 Etihad Airways and third party staff, is the most challenging IT and business-critical initiative Etihad Airways has ever undertaken and is at the center of a USD 1 billion technology agreement with Sabre Airline Solutions.
The new SabreSonic CSS enables customers to take greater control of their journey and have more choice about how they interact with the airline. Customers can also complete transactions, such as purchasing upgrades at check-in, more easily than ever before.
In addition to Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub, 23 other airports around the world cutover to the SabreSonic CSS platform during the weekend with the implementation in the remaining destinations set to continue until the end of March.
Etihad Airways’ cutover took place a month after its equity partner Virgin Australia made its own Big Switch to SabreSonic CSS. airberlin, another member of the Etihad Airways’ equity alliance, also uses a wide selection of Sabre products.
Source: Etihad Airways