Profiles In Travel Management: Tyco Uses Agency Tools To Upgrade Travel Program
06.30.2008 - Changes Tyco International made to its travel program last year—including transitioning to a new online booking tool, updating its global travel policy and beginning the process of formalizing a meetings management program—are on pace to save the manufacturing conglomerate millions of dollars in 2008 from expenditures that included $32.2 million in 2007 U.S. booked air volume.
|
Executive Dashboard
06.30.2008 - Download the July 7, 2008, Executive Dashboard, BTN's briefing for corporate senior executives, here. This issue's Dashboard contains updates for senior executives on hoteliers' perception of a potentially softening corporate travel market and the one corporate travel buyer's attempt to secure more privacy for his company's travel data, among other topics.
|
Flight Log: Silverjet's Last-Ditch Efforts For Relaunch Fall Short
06.30.2008 - Silverjet's on-again, off-again plans to relaunch service officially ceased in June with the carrier unable to secure necessary financing to make its return.
|
J.D. Power Shows Airlines Slip
06.30.2008 - Airline customer satisfaction has deteriorated to its lowest level in three years, according to a J.D. Power and Associates survey on North American carriers.
|
Orbitz For Business To Consolidate Travelport, Expand Globally
06.30.2008 - Orbitz for Business plans to expand its international booking platform to non-English speaking European markets in 2009 and is on schedule for its planned November launch of a U.K. point-of-sale, according to COO and senior vice president Dean Sivley. Meanwhile, this month the travel management company will consolidate the former Travelport for Business with Orbitz for Business creating more flexible travel policy configuration for its customers.
|
Travelocity Builds Recruitment Travel Tool For Lockheed
06.30.2008 - Lockheed Martin has brought its previously offline-based domestic recruiting travel services onto an automated Travelocity Business platform, eliminating the manual creation of profiles, reducing agency service fees, and automating the approval process and the building of shell travel profiles.
|
Washington Wire: Schumer Vows to Block NYC Airport Slot Auctions
06.30.2008 - Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) is vowing to block a Federal Aviation Administration proposal to force airlines to auction some slots at New York City's three airports, a move the Bush administration said will encourage competition and ease congestion.
|
2008 Business Travel Survey: Mega Travel Mgmt. Cos. Stir Simmering Pot (BTNonline-Only Content)
06.09.2008 - In the year in which the mega travel management company pool was supposed to settle following the 2006 WorldTravel BTI breakup, 2007 was anything but calm waters for the four largest global players.
|
2008 Business Travel Survey: Networks, Franchisors See Global Opportunities (BTNonline-Only Content)
06.09.2008 - Globalization of small- and midsize corporations has stimulated repositioning by some agency franchisors and networks to be more business-travel-focused organizations by enlarging their corporate sales forces, investing in corporate technology focused on the midmarket, expanding their global footprints and, in the Carlson Leisure Group's case, separating from its parent to create an independent corporate travel identity.
|
Executive Dashboard
06.09.2008 - Download the June 16, 2008, Executive Dashboard, BTN's briefing for corporate senior executives, here.
|
2008 Business Travel Survey: Fuel Costs Drive Seismic Changes
06.09.2008 - For business travel suppliers, 2007 was a good year that began to unravel before it ended as fuel prices spiraled out of control, the value of the dollar plummeted, the U.S. mortgage crisis hit home, retail sales slumped and corporate travel demand began to show some softening.
|
2008 Business Travel Survey: Agencies Target Midmarket Accounts, M&A
06.09.2008 - Super regional and regional travel management companies focused on bolstering their presence with midmarket clients in 2007, not only by continuing to emphasize service delivery but also through merger and acquisition activity. Even as competition with online agencies for that business appeared to ease somewhat last year, all the mega agencies sought to intensify their focus on midmarket companies, especially Carlson Wagonlit, which put its money where its mouth was.
|
Newsmaker: Sabre Exec To Become Radius CEO
06.30.2008 - On July 14, Christopher Vasiliou, former Sabre Travel Network senior vice president and general manager of Asia/Pacific, will become the new president and CEO of travel management company network Radius.
|
Inside Track: U.S., U.K. Strive For Entry Program Reciprocity
06.30.2008 - A new agreement between U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the United Kingdom Border Agency will let U.K. citizens participate in the new U.S. global registered traveler entry program this year. The deal is intended "to develop a bilateral pilot program to facilitate travel between the two nations."
|
Expedia Corporate Travel To Be Egencia
06.30.2008 - Expedia Corporate Travel on June 30 announced it is adopting the name Egencia, the brand of the French online travel agency Expedia acquired in 2004. The moniker shift is an effort to differentiate the travel management company from parent company Expedia's leisure brands, while it embarks on an "aggressive" multinational and technology growth strategy, which includes new reporting applications, offline services and a preferred rate program, which now expands beyond hotels to air and car suppliers. The name change is planned for July 19, said Jean-Pierre Remy, Egencia president, and former founder and president of the original Egencia.
|
Amex, StarCite Test Mtg. Payment Tool
06.30.2008 - Meetings management technology company StarCite and card company American Express in July will pilot the second phase of their co-branded solution, which includes the ability for buyers to investigate suspicious charges and pay through the tool, executives at the two companies said.
|
BTN Research: U.S. Carriers Backing Off Of Contentiously Sought China Air Services
06.30.2008 - United Airlines and US Airways are planning to delay the start of service to China by one year, as Delta Air Lines is seeking to trim its schedule between Atlanta and Shanghai beginning in November.
|
BTN Research: Hotel Development Booming In Emerging BRIC Markets
06.30.2008 - Most major hotel companies are pouring capital into development in the emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China, although consultants said limited supply and communication barriers in negotiations will continue to be a challenge for travel buyers establishing hotel programs in such countries.
|
Op-Ed: Keeping Delta-NWA Merger Facts Straight
06.30.2008 - The big question facing the U.S. airline industry now is whether domestic carriers can survive the skyrocketing cost of fuel. It is clear that exorbitant oil prices will be the central obstacle to financial stability for at least the next two years.
|
Op-Ed: Providing Global Customer Service In A Chaotic Travel Environment
06.30.2008 - Let's admit it. Business travel is proving to be increasingly painful, and not just internationally, but domestically as well. Daily flight cancellations, bankrupt carriers and sold-out flights make it difficult to avoid a hassle-free business trip, especially when travel plans change abruptly.
|
RSS
