SOUTHLAKE, Texas, September 25, 2024 – Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), a leading software and technology company powering the global travel industry, has teamed up with Google in an innovative pilot program aimed at reducing the environmental impact of business travel. Sabre is the first company to use Google’s Travel Impact Model (TIM) to calculate and assess past travel emissions, with a view to improving future sustainability.
In this pilot, Google’s analysts utilized Sabre’s 2023 corporate travel data to calculate emissions from flights, identify high-emission routes, and suggest actionable strategies for reduction. The program’s findings will help Sabre set realistic reduction targets while optimizing travel efficiency.
“Taking responsibility for our emissions, ensuring the use of accurate methodologies, and finding innovative ways to reduce carbon output are key areas of focus for us,” said Jessica Matthias, Global Sustainability Director at Sabre. “Collaborating with Google to extend the TIM to cover past emissions is an exciting development. We hope this initiative will provide insights not just for Sabre but for other companies aiming to lower their business travel emissions.”
Using TIM, Google analysts evaluated emissions per flight and proposed reductions through alternative flight options. The analysis identified that focusing on long-haul flights, like those between Dallas and London or Frankfurt, offered significant potential for cutting emissions. In fact, TIM showed that nearly two-thirds of flights had less polluting same-day alternatives, with an estimated emissions reduction of up to 10%.
“Companies increasingly need to measure and report their business travel impact,” said Sebnem Erzan, Global Head of Travel Sustainability Partnerships at Google. “Sabre’s comprehensive data and ongoing commitment to sustainability made them an ideal partner for this pilot. Together, we are setting new standards for real-world emissions reporting in corporate travel.”
In 2023, business travel accounted for nearly 7% of Sabre’s total carbon footprint. With the TIM analysis, Sabre can now refine its corporate travel policies and adopt these insights to achieve future reduction targets. Last year, Sabre’s corporate booking tool, GetThere, integrated TIM emissions data, enabling users to view accurate carbon estimates during flight bookings. Sabre plans to expand this capability across its agency and corporate tools, helping customers see emissions estimates from past bookings.
Business travelers, although accounting for only 12% of global airline passengers, contribute a disproportionate share of emissions—about 30% in Europe, according to industry reports. Many companies are now under increasing pressure to reduce travel emissions, particularly in light of upcoming regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Scope 3 emissions, particularly from business travel, remain complex and difficult to measure accurately.
The Travel Impact Model, currently used on platforms like Sabre, Google Flights, Booking.com, Expedia, and Skyscanner, will soon be freely available to any company. TIM offers a robust and granular methodology for calculating business travel emissions, allowing organizations to implement sustainable travel policies without compromising operational needs.