USTDA Provides Training on U.S. Passenger Service System to Brazil's TAM Airlines

(USTDA) WASHINGTON, District of Columbia – Yesterday, in conjunction with the visit of President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil to the United States, the White House announced that the U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a training grant to TAM Airlines in support of their procurement of a U.S. passenger service system.

“The Agency is pleased to support TAM Airlines’ selection of Sabre’s passenger service system,” said USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak, who signed the grant agreement last week along with Rodrigo Trevizan, LATAM Airlines Group Host Director and Denise Ciavatta, TAM IT Director. The grant signing was witnessed by U.S. Deputy Consul General to São Paulo, Samantha Carl-Yoder and Arenda Freitas, Channel and Distribution Manager for LATAM Airlines Group. “This grant represents another successful outcome of our partnership with Brazil’s aviation sector.”

“It’s great to have the USTDA onboard for this project. This grant will help TAM to continue the development of the best experience for passengers travelling from and to Brazil,” added Trevizan.

The U.S. travel technology provider, Sabre (Southlake, Texas), will conduct the training for TAM. Sabre recently closed a significant transaction to provide its passenger service system to LATAM Airlines Group. The deal has provided Sabre with an important foothold in Brazil’s growing aviation market and will help solidify its ongoing business with LAN. In 2012, the LATAM Airlines Group was formed by the Chile-based airline, LAN, and the Brazil-based airline, TAM. Both TAM and LAN will now operate on Sabre’s technology across LATAM’s entire global network. LAN is a long-time Sabre customer and TAM’s migration to Sabre’s platform will represent the largest-ever implementation of a passenger service system for Latin America’s commercial aviation industry. Sabre’s comprehensive software and data solutions will help these airlines market themselves, sell products, serve customers and operate more efficiently and consistently across their entire network. These solutions empower airlines to make smarter operational decisions as well as personalize and retail their products to travelers.

More broadly, the USTDA grant supports the objectives of the U.S.-Brazil Aviation Partnership, an innovative cooperation program between the U.S. and Brazilian aviation sectors.