Sabre’s New NDC Terms Alarm Travel Agencies

In a significant shift within the travel industry, Sabre Corporation has implemented new policies regarding distribution capabilities for travel agencies. On March 24, 2025, Sabre sent out a document, titled “Global Agency New Distribution Capability Program General Terms and Conditions,” mandating agencies to sign in order to continue accessing NDC (New Distribution Capability) bookings through the Sabre Global Distribution System (GDS).

The release of these new terms has raised several legal concerns, as the NDC terms and conditions represent a separate agreement from the main Sabre contracts known as the Sabre Subscriber Agreement or the Sabre Customer Agreement. This separation means that protections and provisions in the original contracts do not extend to NDC bookings. Agencies are questioning the implications of this separation and whether they should raise objections to the new conditions.