Sabre Corporation’s travel management app, TripCase, will be available on the Apple Watch, which will be launched in selected regions today (April 24), and is expected to be launched in South Africa at a later stage.

The newest version of TripCase, which is one of the fastest growing mobile travel apps, allows Apple Watch users to access their most relevant, time-sensitive trip information – including the ability to receive real-time flight alerts at a glance of their wrist.                                                                                                       

“Sabre is a global leader in developing travel services across the emerging spectrum of wearable technology, preparing for the dramatic impact wearables will have on the way consumers shop for and experience travel,” said Tom Klein, Sabre President and CEO. “Sabre has long been a leader in bringing mobile technology to travel suppliers and buyers, including our Sabre Red Mobile Workspace for travel agents, mobile check-in and traveller notification services for airlines, and a full suite of digital marketing and mobile solutions for hotels. Now with TripCase on the Apple Watch, travel suppliers and buyers can rely on Sabre to help them serve travellers through this new device.”

In addition to real-time flight alerts, travellers can access flight and hotel details from the Apple Watch including flight status and gate number as well as hotel address, phone number and confirmation code. With a quick tap of a button on the Apple Watch, TripCase users can easily save great restaurants, shops or activities they find along their journey. Additionally, travellers can access maps and directions for each activity in a trip as well as view the local time for any destination.

“TripCase is a perfect fit for the Apple Watch because of the time sensitive and glance-able information we provide,” said John Samuel, senior vice president of TripCase. “Millions of travellers rely on TripCase every day for real-time, accurate updates to their trips. Now with the Apple Watch, we can make travel even easier as travellers receive these messages on their wrist.”

An analysis of the more than 30 million trips TripCase managed in 2014 shows that 70 percent of trips with air segments experienced a flight change within 72 hours of departure. Of these, 69 percent were schedule changes or delays, 29 percent were gate changes and two percent were flight cancellations.

“This analysis underscores the importance of the real-time updates that TripCase provides and shows how wearable technology will take the concept of real-time traveller interactions to another level,” said Samuel. “The integration of travel services with wearable technology will drive more relevant and frequent touch points with the traveller and TripCase is leading the way.”

TripCase began integrating with wearable technologies, including popular devices such as the Pebble and Android Wear, in 2014 with enhancements that allowed users to receive important trip notifications directly on their smartwatch. TripCase was the first travel management app to send rich notifications to the new Samsung Gear S.

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