Op Ed: Sabre’s Garry Wiseman On Speed, Innovation And United’s Direct Connection As Just One Path

Sabre chief product and technology officer Garry Wiseman argues that direct connections may seem simpler than traditional distribution channels but create operational complexity when scaled. He advocates for a “unified” marketplace approach that incorporates multiple airline application programming interfaces.

When I joined Sabre after two decades in big tech, I expected a steep learning curve. What I didn’t anticipate was just how unique the travel industry really is — interdependent, global and powered by partnerships. Unlike vertically integrated consumer platforms, travel runs on collaboration. And that’s what makes it both challenging and ripe for transformation.

That transformation is already underway. Airlines are reimagining products, fares and seat experiences. AI is enabling real-time personalization and smarter decision-making. Offer and Order models are setting the stage for a fundamentally new era of retailing. We’re in one of the most dynamic and defining periods travel has seen in decades.

But innovation only matters if it works at scale, across systems, and for every stakeholder in the traveler journey. That’s why the article, “Here’s What’s Next For United’s Direct API Connection,” stood out. Glenn Hollister, United’s VP for sales strategy and effectiveness, argued that only a direct connection can deliver the airline’s full set of capabilities, noting that “no GDS or aggregator today passes through 100 percent of our functionality.”

It’s a bold position that deserves a closer look.

Sabre supports – and enables – airline innovation. From richer seat maps to integrated servicing and smarter merchandising, these are the kinds of advances that benefit the whole industry. But to unlock value, innovation needs reach. It must work across platforms, channels and workflows.

For United, several advanced capabilities are already live today in Sabre’s marketplace, including rich seat selection, post-ticketing split payment, omnichannel servicing, and mid office and back office integration. Dynamic fare bundles and Future Flight Credit redemption are slated for release in July. Sabre is ready to swiftly enable other United capabilities that Mr. Hollister cites — for instance, support for corporate entitlements, when the required access is granted.

Direct connections may look clean in theory, but they’re not inherently better. They’re just one path and often come with real operational trade-offs. Scaling dozens of them introduces serious complexity. Each comes with its own data model, authentication protocols, rate limits and failure modes. Integrating a single API takes time and care; managing dozens adds significant operational overhead. When something breaks – because of a spec change or edge case – travel agencies bear the brunt. Engineering teams get pulled from innovation to firefighting. Velocity drops. User experience suffers.

There’s a performance cost, too. EDIFACT content often returns in under two seconds. Many NDC APIs struggle to respond in less than eight. That difference impacts conversions, compute costs and user experience.

Sabre reduces that complexity. We integrate, normalize and deliver airline APIs on behalf of the market. That makes innovation accessible, scalable and consistent for agencies and travelers alike.

Innovation isn’t about checking boxes; it’s about solving real business problems. In corporate travel, TMCs and corporate buyers don’t just want features; they need solutions that reliably work at scale with:

• Consistency across channels to support travelers wherever they book
• Comparative shopping for benchmarking and cost transparency
• Offer and seat visibility to support smarter traveler decisions
• Policy and duty of care integration to ensure compliance and safety
• Back office compatibility for reconciliation, audits and reporting

That’s what Sabre’s marketplace was built for. We reduce fragmentation, streamline complexity and deliver content from multiple sources in one unified environment.

The real path forward lies in collaboration. Airlines want to merchandise smarter. Corporates want transparency, policy control and servicing at scale. Agencies want efficiency and integration.

Sabre’s role is to connect those needs – and we’re doing that every day, with a growing number of airline partners through NDC and next-generation APIs, powered by advanced AI capabilities. We reject the idea that intermediated channels can’t keep up, but welcome the challenge to prove otherwise. Sabre is focused on delivering results for agencies, for corporates and for airlines like United who want their content to shine in every channel.

This isn’t a binary debate – direct versus indirect, fast versus reliable. The future of travel retailing won’t be defined by who moves fastest or who goes direct. It will be shaped by those who deliver reliably, at scale and in sync with the ecosystem. That’s the future we’re building, and we invite our partners to shape it with us.