Turkish Airlines Back on Sabre, Now with NDC

Turkish Airlines content is available again via Sabre under a new agreement that includes both EDIFACT and NDC content, after contract disputes made the content unavailable since September 2024.

Jun 24, 2025 - 18:16

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Turkish Airlines content once again is available via Sabre, the carrier announced Monday on LinkedIn. The new agreement covers not only traditional EDIFACT content, but also includes New Distribution Capability content.

"Through this collaboration, we aim to diversity the access opportunities available to our partner agencies and contribute to shaping the digital transformation of the industry," according to the airline.

Sabre and Turkish Airlines last year reached an impasse in their contract renegotiations, and the airline's content had not been available through the global distribution system as of Sept. 1, 2024. The two initially partnered in 1990, according to the carrier.

Turkish Airlines on Oct. 1, 2024, launched its NDC platform for agents, TKConnect, which it first announced in May 2024. That date also is when the carrier began to charge a "distribution cost recovery fee" of $24 or its equivalent in local currency for GDS bookings—including Amadeus and Travelport—made via the EDIFACT channel, according to the airline's news and announcements page.

At that time, the page also noted that there were no additional fees for ticketing made through other distribution channels, such as TKConnect, UI, TKConnect API, TKConnect aggregators, Quickres, Troya, Websagent, Kolaybilet or the Turkish Airlines website and mobile app.

In November 2024, the American Society of Travel Advisors urged Turkish to resolve its GDS strategy, especially that with Sabre.

“ASTA strongly urges Turkish Airlines to provide greater transparency to the U.S. travel agency distribution channel regarding its discussions with all GDS providers, especially Sabre. This transparency is essential for travel advisors to maintain the high standard of service they deliver to the U.S. traveling public.”

After Monday’s announcement, EVP of ASTA’s new corporate division Mark Meader said in a statement reported by Skift that the development was a “welcome outcome for the U.S. travel agency community, which relies heavily on Sabre to access comprehensive, competitive flight options for their clients.”

Turkish’s aggressive turn toward its NDC-powered TKConnect platform for agencies recalled American Airlines' push in 2023 to drive more volume to direct and NDC-powered bookings. American backtracked on that strategy, as the corporate market largely rejected it and found American had failed to fully operationalize its NDC channels prior to trying to cut over. Turkish’s return to Sabre 10 months after pulling out of the major GDS in the U.S. also is reminiscent of AA’s about-face that began last May. Turkish, however, has not made any moves to retract its $24 surcharge and continues its TKConnect strategy alongside its aggregator partnerships, which are not subject to the charge.