Business Correspondent
Kenya Airways is collaborating with Sabre and Branchspace in rebuilding how customers book, manage and experience their travel, with a new platform that brings more tailored fares and ancillary options, easier bundling of a trip’s components, a smoother mobile and digital booking journey, and faster airport check-in.
Customers, and members of the Asante Rewards programme, can expect quicker, more intuitive self-service tools, an upgraded rewards experience, and improved realtime rebooking during disruptions when plans change.
Kenya Airways has selected Sabre (NASDAQ: SABR) to replace the core reservations and ticketing platform that has run the airline’s bookings, inventory and airport check-in for more than two decades. Alongside this, the airline has appointed Branchspace, a boutique travel technology and consulting firm, to build the digital commerce layer customers will interact with directly, delivered jointly with the Sabre platform.
The new Sabre system, built on Sabre Mosaic, becomes the operational and commercial backbone of the airline, and includes Mosaic Offer Optimisation, which uses continuous learning and dynamic pricing to match offers more closely to traveller demand. Branchspace’s Triplake platform serves as the airline’s primary digital touchpoint from day one, giving commercial teams direct control over personalised offers across booking channels immediately, while the deeper shift to offer-and-order infrastructure continues underneath.
“This is an important transformation of Kenya Airways’ technology and digital retailing capabilities. The combination of digital commerce and a new PSS foundation will help us create a more flexible and personalised experience for our customers and staff, and enable a seamless transition towards the future of airline retailing,” said Julius Thairu, Chief Commercial and Customer Officer at Kenya Airways.
The move aligns Kenya Airways with IATA’s New Distribution Capability standards, an early step for the carrier as an early SkyTeam member. Sabre’s modular technology allows the airline to modernise in stages rather than in one disruptive cutover, unlocking value as each piece comes online.
“I’m incredibly proud that Kenya Airways has chosen Sabre as its strategic technology partner as it upgrades its core systems and advances toward the next generation of travel retailing,” said Niklas Andréen, Chief Commercial Officer, Airline Technology at Sabre.
“This decision reflects growing confidence in modular technology that enables carriers to unlock value today while building toward an offer-andorder future.” David Turton, CTO of Branchspace, said the partnership reflects what the firm set out to build: “Technology that gives airlines control over their own commercial destiny, supported with know-how and continuous innovation to remain at the cutting edge. Kenya Airways is taking a bold step in their transformation to a modern retailer, and we’re proud that our capabilities will be central to making that vision real from day one.”
The partnerships support Kenya Airways’ broader ambitions as it grows its network and positions itself as Africa’s leading carrier, with the goal of increasing direct sales, growing ancillary revenue and building a digital and commercial foundation that scales with the business.
