Sabre Corporation and WestJet Airlines have extended their long-term technology partnership in a move that underlines how fast airline retailing and passenger service are evolving. Announced on February 9, 2026, the renewed multi-year agreement keeps WestJet on Sabre’s SabreSonic Passenger Service System and deepens the airline’s access to Sabre’s emerging retailing platforms and Offer and Order capabilities. For travelers and the travel trade, the deal signals more sophisticated digital experiences, better personalization and a continued shift toward modern, retail-like airline storefronts across channels.
What Sabre and WestJet Announced
The latest agreement between Sabre and WestJet is a long-term renewal of the SabreSonic Passenger Service System, the core technology that manages reservations, ticketing, check-in and many behind-the-scenes elements of a flight. The renewed commitment comes as WestJet continues to expand beyond its Canadian base, serving more than 100 destinations across North and South America, Europe and Asia and integrating the operations of Sunwing into a larger WestJet Group with nearly 200 aircraft.
Sabre says the agreement is designed not only to maintain operational stability but also to prepare WestJet for the next phase of airline retailing. The airline will continue to use SabreSonic as its operational backbone while positioning itself to evaluate and adopt Sabre’s next-generation Offer and Order technologies, which aim to fundamentally change how flights and ancillary services are created, sold and serviced across the travel ecosystem.
WestJet executives describe this renewal as a vote of confidence in Sabre after more than 25 years of collaboration. The airline’s leadership has framed the deal as an investment in both today’s performance and tomorrow’s growth, emphasizing that Sabre’s roadmap for retailing and data-driven technology aligns with WestJet’s ambitions to scale as a leading low-cost carrier and vacation provider in Canada and beyond.
For Sabre, the agreement reinforces its strategy to anchor airlines on its core platforms while gradually moving them toward a more modular, cloud-native retailing architecture. WestJet joins other major carriers that have renewed SabreSonic with an eye to transitioning into Offer and Order based environments as industry standards mature.
How the Partnership Shapes Your Experience as a Traveler
While the announcement is packed with technology language, the implications are tangible for travelers. SabreSonic is the system that touches nearly every step of a journey, from the moment travelers search and book a fare to check-in, seat selection, bags and post-trip servicing. Renewing that platform with a focus on modernization should translate into more reliable bookings, smoother airport experiences and more consistent access to ancillary options such as extra legroom, fare bundles and priority services.
WestJet also distributes its content through Sabre’s SabreMosaic Travel Marketplace, a newer environment that integrates traditional fares with content from low-cost carriers and next-generation channels such as New Distribution Capability, often referred to as NDC. As WestJet and Sabre deepen their retailing collaboration, travel advisors and corporate buyers connected to Sabre can expect richer information on WestJet fares, clearer fare families and potentially more targeted offers that better match traveler needs.
In practical terms, this could mean more transparent fare comparisons, better visibility of what is included in each fare type, and smoother handling of changes and disruptions regardless of whether a trip was booked through a website, an app or a travel agency. Over time, as Offer and Order technologies mature, the industry expects more “single order” records that combine flights, bags, seats and other services into one logical transaction, making it easier for travelers to manage trips and for agents to service them.
For leisure travelers, particularly Canadians booking vacations through WestJet Vacations or Sunwing, enhanced retailing also opens the door to more dynamic packaging, tailored promotions and add-ons that reflect travel history or preferences. The renewed partnership lays the groundwork for these capabilities to be scaled across WestJet’s growing network.
Inside the Technology: SabreSonic, SabreMosaic and Offer & Order
At the core of the announcement is SabreSonic, Sabre’s flagship Passenger Service System. It handles core functions such as inventory management, reservations, ticketing and day-of-travel operations. WestJet’s decision to stick with SabreSonic in a new multi-year term underscores how critical stability and scalability are for airlines operating hundreds of flights per day across multiple continents.
Beyond the PSS, the renewed partnership aligns WestJet with SabreMosaic, a cloud-native, modular airline retailing platform that Sabre has been rolling out across both airline and agency customers. SabreMosaic Travel Marketplace is designed to bring together classic global distribution system content with NDC and other emerging channels in a single environment. For WestJet, this means that its fares and offers can be surfaced consistently to Sabre-connected agencies and corporate buyers alongside other carriers, supporting better comparison and merchandising.
The longer-term ambition sits within what the industry calls Offer and Order technology. Traditional airline systems are built around fares, tickets and booking records, which can be inflexible when airlines want to create dynamic bundles or respond quickly to market shifts. Offer and Order frameworks aim to break these limitations, allowing airlines to construct tailored offers for each customer in real time and to manage everything under unified order records instead of multiple tickets and identifiers.
Under this extended partnership, WestJet secures access to evaluate and potentially implement these next-generation Offer and Order tools from Sabre as its strategy evolves. That positions the airline to move in step with broader global trends, where carriers and technology providers are collaborating to replace decades-old architecture with more retail-like systems that resemble modern e-commerce platforms.
Retailing, NDC and the Wider Distribution Strategy
The renewed Sabre–WestJet agreement does not sit in isolation. In recent years, WestJet has also expanded its distribution relationships with other major technology providers, including a multi-year renewal with Sabre for NDC-ready distribution and a separate, enhanced retailing strategy with Amadeus. Those moves highlight a clear ambition: ensuring WestJet’s offers, including future NDC content, are widely and consistently available through the channels used by travel agencies, online travel retailers and corporate booking tools.
In an earlier Sabre distribution renewal, WestJet set the stage to provide both traditional EDIFACT content and richer NDC offers to Sabre-connected agencies. That means that as WestJet’s NDC program matures, agencies will be able to shop, book and service WestJet content that may include more detailed fare attributes, branded fare bundles and add-on services, all within familiar tools such as Sabre Red 360 or through Sabre’s Offer and Order application programming interfaces.
Separately, WestJet’s expanded partnership with Amadeus, announced in 2024, underscores a multi-provider approach to retailing. The carrier has committed to making its future NDC-based content available in the Amadeus Travel Platform as well, assuring travel advisors that they will see WestJet’s full spectrum of fares and merchandising options regardless of which global distribution system they use. Combined with its work with Sabre and with specialist providers like Accelya on FLX Platform retailing, WestJet is effectively building a multi-channel, multi-partner retailing ecosystem.
For the travel trade, this strategy is significant. Agencies want to avoid fragmentation and “content gaps” where some fares or ancillaries are only available through certain channels. By extending and diversifying its technology partnerships, WestJet is signaling that it intends to participate in the new world of airline retail without sidelining traditional intermediaries. The renewed Sabre agreement, with its emphasis on SabreMosaic and retailing evolution, is a central pillar in that broader strategy.
Why This Matters for the Canadian and Transatlantic Market
WestJet has evolved from a domestic low-cost carrier into a group that includes WestJet Airlines, WestJet Vacations, Vacances WestJet Quebec and Sunwing Vacations, positioning itself as Canada’s leading low-cost airline and a major vacation provider. Its network now spans more than 100 destinations including popular sun spots in the Caribbean and Central America and a growing list of transatlantic routes to Europe, with recent expansion into Asia as well.
In such a competitive environment, technology partnerships can directly influence how effectively an airline can price and package its products, handle disruptions and support complex itineraries. The renewed Sabre agreement is an acknowledgment that WestJet sees advanced retailing capabilities and a robust PSS as essential tools for sustaining its growth and competing with both Canadian rivals and international carriers on long-haul routes.
For Canadian travelers, this can mean more competitive fare structures and a wider array of options across economy, premium economy and business products, particularly on longer routes. Retailing platforms can help airlines fine-tune offers to different segments, from price-sensitive travelers seeking bare-bones fares to premium customers who prioritize flexibility and comfort. As WestJet leans on Sabre’s technology, it gains more levers to differentiate itself in these areas.
Beyond Canada, WestJet’s presence in the transborder and transatlantic markets adds another layer of importance to the deal. Travel agencies in the United States and Europe rely heavily on Sabre’s marketplace, and an extended technology partnership ensures that WestJet’s evolving offers remain visible and easy to book in those markets. This helps the airline tap into corporate demand and packaged leisure flows that depend on agency and tour operator distribution.
The Industry Trend Toward Modern Airline Retailing
The Sabre–WestJet renewal also fits into a wider trend across the airline industry: the shift toward modern retailing. Airlines are increasingly thinking of themselves less as transport providers and more as retailers that must present curated, dynamic offers across a growing array of channels. This change is driving investments in NDC, Offer and Order platforms, artificial intelligence, and cloud-native architectures that can support rapid innovation.
Sabre is among several major players pushing this transformation, promoting SabreMosaic as a way to blend traditional and next-generation content, and partnering with airlines around the world on NDC launches and PSS renewals tied to modernization agendas. Other carriers, from American Airlines to Saudia, have recently renewed or expanded their technology relationships with Sabre in ways that explicitly reference joint innovation and retailing evolution.
WestJet’s decision to extend its long-term partnership at this moment in the cycle signals that the Canadian carrier wants to be aligned with that broader movement rather than trailing it. As regulatory bodies and industry groups refine standards for Offer and Order, and as more agencies adopt NDC-ready tools, airlines with modern technology foundations will be better positioned to roll out new products and servicing capabilities without disrupting operations.
For travelers, the result should be more responsive pricing, offers that more accurately reflect their needs and a gradual reduction in some of the complexity that has long characterized flight changes, reissues and ancillary management. The Sabre–WestJet deal does not deliver all of that overnight, but it is one of the building blocks that make these future experiences possible.
What Travel Advisors and Corporate Buyers Should Watch Next
For travel advisors, travel management companies and corporate travel buyers, the extended partnership is a signal to keep an eye on how WestJet content appears and evolves inside Sabre-connected tools. Over the coming years, agencies can expect changes in how WestJet fares are packaged, described and serviced as the airline moves further into NDC and explores Offer and Order capabilities.
Advisors should monitor whether WestJet introduces new branded fares or bundles that are easier to compare across channels, and whether ancillaries such as extra bags, seat selections and priority services become more consistently visible within their preferred booking environment. As more of this content flows through SabreMosaic Travel Marketplace, it will be important for agencies to ensure their mid- and back-office systems are prepared to handle next-generation offers and order records.
Corporate buyers may also see impacts in the way WestJet content is displayed within corporate booking tools connected to Sabre. Enhanced retailing tools can make it easier to respect corporate travel policies while still giving travelers more choice, supporting goals around duty of care, cost control and traveler satisfaction. As WestJet continues to grow its network and refine its product, this could make the airline a more attractive option within managed travel programs, particularly for Canadian and transborder itineraries.
Ultimately, the renewed Sabre–WestJet partnership is about more than technology contracts. It is about reshaping how flights and travel experiences are created, distributed and serviced across a rapidly changing ecosystem. For travelers, agents and corporate buyers who rely on WestJet, it is a development worth watching as the next generation of airline retailing moves from strategy slides into day-to-day reality.