In a significant step towards reducing environmental impact, Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology provider in the global travel sector, has partnered with Google to leverage the Google Travel Impact Model (TIM). This collaboration marks the first time historical emissions from business travel have been analyzed using TIM.
The pilot program saw Google analysts meticulously working with Sabre’s business travel data from 2023. They assessed flight-specific corporate travel emissions, identifying areas where significant reductions can be achieved. This analysis allows Sabre to develop effective strategies to decrease future emissions.
“Taking responsibility for our own emissions, striving towards the most accurate methodology, and working on innovative ways to reduce emissions alongside traditional methods are areas of focus for us,” said Jessica Matthias, Global Sustainability Director at Sabre. “We were thrilled to work with our partners at Google to extend TIM to cover past emissions and it is exciting to be the first company to use TIM for value chain emissions disclosure. We hope that this can inform and provide insights that can help other companies reduce their emissions from business travel.”
The Google team utilized TIM for per-flight emission calculations, proposing CO2e reduction tactics based on alternative travel options. The analysis identified high-emission routes as critical targets for impactful change. For example, the team discovered significant improvement opportunities on long-haul journeys. TIM suggested less-polluting alternatives for two-thirds of the assessed flights, including prominent routes like Dallas to London and Dallas to Frankfurt, with the potential to cut emissions by as much as 10%.
“Companies increasingly need to understand and report the impact of their business travel and we are delighted to work with Sabre to pioneer TIM as a standard for real-world corporate travel emissions disclosure,” added Sebnem Erzan, Global Head of Travel Sustainability Partnerships at Google. “Our long-term collaborative efforts and Sabre’s granular dataset made them the obvious choice for this pilot program.”
In 2023, business travel accounted for nearly 7% of Sabre’s total carbon emissions. With these new insights, Sabre is poised to revise its travel policies to align with these new reduction objectives. Notably, last year, Sabre’s corporate booking tool, GetThere, integrated TIM’s emission data, enabling corporate travelers and Sabre employees to see accurate carbon footprints for flights during booking.
Sabre plans to extend this feature across its booking platforms, providing customers with precise emission calculations for their past travels. While business travelers constitute just 12% of the global airline passenger base, they are linked to a disproportionately large share of emissions. For instance, in Europe, business travelers are responsible for about 30% of flight-related emissions.
Many firms, motivated by upcoming regulations like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), are aiming to cut emissions tied to travel. Scope 3 emissions, under Category 6 for Business Travel, are particularly challenging to measure with precision and consistency due to their varied nature.
The Travel Impact Model is already incorporated into emission estimates on platforms like Sabre, Google Flights, and others within the Travalyst coalition, including Booking.com, Expedia, and Skyscanner. Soon, TIM will be available for all companies seeking an accurate and detailed method for reporting business travel emissions. This model provides a detailed approach, enabling companies to craft travel policies that push for environmentally friendly flight choices without compromising travel necessities.
