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Abacus GDS API integration: what changed and how you connect today

Abacus was the airline-owned GDS of Asia-Pacific for more than 25 years. Since 2015 it has been part of Sabre, so an Abacus connection today is a Sabre connection. PHPTRAVELS ships with a native Sabre connector, and this page shows how the old Abacus setup maps onto it.

  • Abacus history from 1988
  • Part of Sabre since 2015
  • Asia-Pacific agency content
  • Native Sabre connector

Supplier fact sheet

Abacus in one table

Abacus International was set up in Singapore in 1988 by a group of Asian airlines to give travel agents in the region one reservation system for flights, hotels, cars and insurance. Sabre was a partner and minority shareholder for many years.

In 2015 Sabre bought the remaining shares, and later that year the Abacus offices across Asia-Pacific began operating under the Sabre name. The Abacus brand, desktop and developer toolkit have been replaced by their Sabre equivalents.

Supplier fact sheetAbacus InternationalMerged into Sabre
Founded
1988
Headquarters
Singapore
Owned by
11 Asian airlines and Sabre (35% before 2015)
Content
Flights, hotels, car rental, insurance
Acquired
By Sabre, completed 1 July 2015
Today
Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific

Facts from Sabre's 2015 announcements and filings. PHPTRAVELS is not affiliated with Sabre.

Timeline

From an airline-owned GDS to part of Sabre

Five dates explain why you will not find a separate Abacus API any more.

  1. 1988

    Abacus is founded

    Asian airlines create a shared reservation system for agencies in the region, based in Singapore.

  2. May 2015

    Sabre agrees to buy

    Sabre signs a deal to acquire the shares it does not already own from the airline owners.

  3. July 2015

    The deal closes

    The acquisition completes, with long-term distribution agreements between Sabre and the former airline owners.

  4. Late 2015

    The Abacus name is retired

    Abacus offices across Asia-Pacific start trading as Sabre, and agencies deal with their local Sabre team.

  5. Today

    Sabre APIs and workspace

    Agencies that used Abacus now book through Sabre's agent workspace and connect software through Sabre's APIs.

Old name, new name

What each Abacus piece is called now

Use this when you read an old contract, an old integration brief or a forum post that still says Abacus.

Abacus GDSToday at SabreSabre GDS, run in the region by Sabre Travel Network Asia PacificIn PHPTRAVELSThe native Sabre connector in the flights module
Abacus subscriber agreementToday at SabreA Sabre agency agreement with your local Sabre officeIn PHPTRAVELSYou keep your own agreement; PHPTRAVELS never resells Sabre access
Abacus agent desktopToday at SabreSabre Red Workspace for your agentsIn PHPTRAVELSYour website and agent portal sell the same fares online
Abacus developer toolkitToday at SabreSabre APIs and the Sabre developer portalIn PHPTRAVELSCredentials entered once in the admin panel
Abacus air, hotel and car contentToday at SabreSabre content, including the carriers Abacus agents bookedIn PHPTRAVELSShown in your search results with your markups

How it connects

Your Abacus content, through Sabre, on your own site

Four parts, left to right. You own the agreement and the credentials; PHPTRAVELS runs the booking flow.

  1. Your channels

    Website and agent portal

    Customers and sub-agents search and pay on your own domain.

  2. PHPTRAVELS

    Flights module

    Search, fare rules, price check, booking, ticket records, markups and invoices.

  3. Sabre

    Sabre APIs

    Called with your agency's own Sabre credentials and settings.

  4. Content

    Airlines and more

    The Asia-Pacific and global content your Sabre agreement covers.

You provide
Sabre agreement, API credentials, ticketing authority, business rules
PHPTRAVELS provides
Connector, booking engine, admin panel, payments, reports, setup help

The full technical guide is onSabre API integrationGDS system for travel agents

Moving over

From an old Abacus setup to Sabre in PHPTRAVELS

Tick the steps as you go. Most of the work is on the Sabre side, before anything is typed into PHPTRAVELS.

0/ 6steps done

Other flight connectors

Sabre runs beside the other flight suppliers

The flights module can show Sabre fares next to other connectors in the same results, so one search covers several sources.

Read next:FlightsSabre agent softwareAmadeus

Try the flights demo
  • Seeru
  • Amadeus
  • Duffel
  • Google Flights
  • Kayak
  • Kiwi
  • Mystifly
  • PKfare
  • Sabre
  • TBO Holidays
  • Travelport

FAQ

Abacus GDS questions

Short answers for agencies that still have Abacus in their paperwork.

Talk to sales

Not as a separate company or brand. Sabre completed its purchase of Abacus International in July 2015 and the Abacus business in Asia-Pacific now operates as Sabre.

New integrations use Sabre's APIs. If an old document mentions the Abacus developer toolkit, ask your Sabre account team for the current Sabre equivalent.

It connects to Sabre, which now carries the former Abacus business. The Sabre connector is part of the flights module, so you do not need a custom build.

That depends on your agreement. Many Abacus agencies were moved to Sabre agreements, but only your local Sabre office can confirm your account status and API access.

Sabre took on the Abacus content and signed long-term deals with the airlines that owned Abacus. The exact carriers and fares you see depend on your own Sabre agreement.

Sabre access is agreed and paid directly between your agency and Sabre. PHPTRAVELS licenses the booking software and helps with setup; it does not resell GDS access.

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