Hi Ejector
Sabre itself is working just fine as far as I can see. Full connectivity, all systems seem to be go.
Airlines these days use "front end" systems that overlay all the operations that a GDS can perform with another compuiter system that puts up fluffy and easy pull down box menus that allow you to use click on and select menus to perform normal booking or special service actions.
The reason these menus exist is it lessens training time by hundreds of percent.
The down side is that the staff that have been trained in a day instead of a week have no understanding of operating the "native" system by using standard AIRIMP inputs. For instance, they pull down a menu box for special meals and click on Lactose Free Meal, where in the black hole we enter 3LFMLA - 3 for general airline facts, LFML for lactose free meal and A for all sectors. The current system operator would just click the meal required and have no idea of the input the front end has generated into the IPARS or Unisys system their Airline uses.
My staff only operate in the base system as I do not allow pull down boxes. They are the old fashioned professional crew.
Basically the home system can be operasting beautifully but if the overlay systems cack themselves then if you have no fully base system trained staff who can go into the "black hole" then you basically are stuffed.
Checkin systems are a slightly different animal as they are a bolt on. Chuck me a load and trim sheet, the relevant aeroplane indicies and data and I can tim out the aeroplane and get it under way. That is a rarity today. The systems are all automated but with nobody trained for the manual backup.
It may be the overlay system that is at fault such as the checkin/loco system. You can actually have an IPARS based system for reservations and run a Unisys checkin/load control system.
Despite recent fare quoting problems that Sabre has had with a certain Airline, I would not point the finger there for now.
More likely look for ghee stains on any IT contracts.
Happy to explain further if my opinion is relevant.
All the best
EWL