American Airlines 1997 Annual Report Download - page 29

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and persuaded all of the region’s major carriers to become par-
ticipants. On the domestic front, bookings growth has been
less robust, in part because of the changes taking place in the
travel distribution business. In the U.S., airlines have reduced
costs by insisting that travel agents make fewer low-value
bookings. These steps, and the migration of some customers
to the Internet, has caused an industrywide decrease in GDS
bookings per passenger boarded. Nonetheless, The SABRE
Group held — and improved slightly — its leading share of
the domestic market.
The explosive growth of the Internet represents new
opportunities for The SABRE Group and its customers. In
1997, TSG introduced a number of products designed to sus-
tain its position at the forefront of the online environment
now emerging. Planet SABRE, for example, is the first
Internet-enabled application suite for travel agencies.
Another product, SABRE Web Reservations, allows con-
sumers to search an agency’s web site and obtain quotes in
local currencies.
Travelocity, The SABRE Group’s Internet site for travel
planning and reservations, contains destination highlights,
maps, hotels and a variety of other travel-related information
from suppliers around the world. Launched in 1996,
Travelocity had 1.6 million registered members at year-
end 1997.
27
In 1997, AMR
employed 114,000
people, flew 81 million
customers and provided
technology and services
to an ever-changing
transportation industry.
It also helped everyday
investors like Irene Lai,
a retired school
secretary, whose
pension fund was
a large investor in
AMR during
the year.