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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Newsmaker: Travelport Taps Kuoni Exec
06.09.2008 - Armin Meier, former CEO of Europe-based leisure travel firm Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd., this month assumed the position of Travelport GDS chief commercial officer, succeeding former CCO Kevin Mooney, who left the company in late April.
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Maritz Rolls Out Mtg. Data Warehouse
06.09.2008 - Maritz recently launched a data warehouse for its strategic meetings management clients, in order to supply detailed reports on meetings metrics and history.
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DHS To Launch Online Visa Waiver Program
06.09.2008 - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security this month took a pivotal step toward implementing a new online system that better secures the Visa Waiver Program, issuing an interim final rule that deploys new technology that screens and authorizes U.S.-bound travelers before they board their transport.
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Inside Track: Citi, Two TMCs Testing Traveler-Tracking Tool
06.09.2008 - Card issuer Citi has started a pilot with two travel management companies and a small number of clients to supply them with management information for traveler-tracking purposes. "We can find out from a TMC which airport the traveler was booked to fly to, but not whether they actually flew in there, or whether they checked into a hotel 100 miles away," said Vincent Eavis, U.K.-based managing director of cards for Citi.
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Profiles In Travel Management: South African Gold Firm Mines Travel Management
06.09.2008 - South African gold miner AngloGold Ashanti has built a global travel policy with regional flexibility, implemented a corporate T&E card program while balancing the cash culture in some markets to which it travels, and has adopted procurement practices into its in-house travel management and sourcing efforts.
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BTN Research: Buyers Scrutinize Medical Assistance Service Use, Contracts
06.09.2008 - Corporate purchasing departments and other stakeholders, including travel buyers, are giving agreements with emergency medical assistance providers more scrutiny to ensure the right fee model and necessary services and eliminate overlap of existing contracts with insurance, medical and security providers.
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One-On-One With Dale Moss: BA's OpenSkies Readies A Transatlantic Debut In Uneasy Times
06.09.2008 - British Airways subsidiary OpenSkies this month will launch its first route between New York JFK and Paris Orly, taking advantage of the U.S.-EU legislation from which it derives its name. OpenSkies managing director Dale Moss last month spoke with senior editor Jay Boehmer about the turbulent environment the carrier enters.
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Corp. Housing Industry Seeks To Avoid NYC Minimum-Stay Extension
06.09.2008 - The corporate housing industry, often overlooked in corporate travel but key for savings for many corporate travel buyers, is asking for buyer support as it seeks to prevent legislation its leaders said would hinder its ability to operate.
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Amtrak Considers Reevaluating Corporate Discounting Thresholds
06.09.2008 - Amtrak is considering changing in the next 60 to 90 days the thresholds for corporate discounts on its Acela Express rail service due to service demand and increasing costs, said an executive.
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Meetings In Profile: Sharing Meeting Planning Best Practices Internally
06.09.2008 - Canadian financial and insurance company Royal Bank of Canada earlier this year held a meeting planners' conference to share best practices throughout its decentralized meetings environment, which already has led to better volume leveraging with hotels. An internal blog also was started to allow planners to communicate ideas and information.
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Executive Dashboard
06.09.2008 - Download the June 16, 2008, Executive Dashboard, BTN's briefing for corporate senior executives, here.
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Op-Ed: Merging Airlines Playing The Fuel Card
06.09.2008 - Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines, in announcing their intention in April to merge, have been playing the "fuel card" in suggesting their merger is an inevitable response to high fuel costs. This fuel card is a joker—it's an argument that should be trumped by consumer welfare concerns.
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Op-Ed: Time To Ask For Green Accountability
06.09.2008 - Going "green," or being environmentally responsible, is an important new imperative throughout American business. We in the travel industry need to do our part to hold ourselves and our suppliers accountable to be green.
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Vets DiLeo, Laughlin Head OpenSkies Sales
06.09.2008 - Former executives of American Express and United Airlines will lead the sales team for OpenSkies, the carrier announced last month. The carrier named Ron DiLeo, former Amex senior vice president and general manager of Business Travel Europe, as senior vice president of marketing and sales, and longtime airline executive Joe Laughlin as vice president of North American sales.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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2008 Business Travel Survey: Domestic Carrier Profits Undercut By Fuel Costs
06.09.2008 - In 2007, so much looked so right for domestic airlines: Their planes were the most full in history, passenger demand blossomed to its highest levels and revenues rose throughout the year. Those positive operating fundamentals nurtured net incomes that doubled, or in some cases tripled, the baseline profits established by most carriers in 2006—making 2007 the second profitable year for the domestic industry since 2000. However, last year's profits are likely to be the last for some time as the operating environment grows bleaker with every trip airlines take to the fuel pump.
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2008 Business Travel Survey: International Carriers See Demand Softening
06.09.2008 - The largest international airlines outside of the United States last year generated the highest passenger revenues in years and netted annual profits. However, like their U.S. counterparts, this year they are experiencing a deteriorating operating environment, due to the rise in fuel costs and slowing passenger demand.
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2008 Business Travel Survey: Enterprise, Avis Deals Reshape Car Rental Market
06.09.2008 - The car rental industry saw big supplier changes in 2007, especially with Enterprise Rent-A-Car's acquisition of Vanguard Car Rental, parent of National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car, and Avis Budget Group taking a 45 percent interest in chauffeured transportation company Carey International. Meanwhile, a worsening economic climate caused many corporate buyers to become more cost-conscious, according to car rental company executives.
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2008 Business Travel Survey: Chauffeured Services' Fuel Rises, Demand Eases
06.09.2008 - As fuel prices continue to rise, chauffeured transportation companies are looking toward alternative fuel vehicles, increased fuel surcharges and driver education to maximize fuel efficiency. They also are seeing the economic situation cause companies to think twice about using chauffeured transportation.
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2008 Business Travel Survey: Spending Consolidation Boosts Card Suppliers
06.09.2008 - Issuers noted double-digit percentage year-over-year growth in corporate travel and entertainment transaction volumes in 2007. They saw increased efforts by corporations to consolidate spending onto cards, including global efforts by multinational companies, and continued growth of card use in the small and midsize markets. The recently contracting payment landscape, however, could bring additional challenges to payment negotiations this year.
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2008 Business Travel Survey: U.S. Weakness Undermines GDSs' Performance
06.09.2008 - The major global distribution system providers this year said they are seeing softness in airline booking trends from the United States point of sale amid a weakened domestic economy.
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2008 Business Travel Survey: Buyers' Prospects Rise After Hotels' Strong '07
06.09.2008 - Travel buyers are beginning to see better negotiating opportunities as the seemingly insurmountable momentum propelling the hotel industry for the past few years begins to show signs of slowing, even though 2007 proved another banner year for hoteliers in terms of rate and revenue growth and profit.
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BTN's 2008 Procurement Practices Survey: Applying Metrics To Travel Management
05.12.2008 - Negative financial expectations and positive results yielded by applying procurement practices to travel management are accelerating interest in what companies decide to measure, the models of measurement they devise and the tools they use to do so. Business Travel News' 2008 Procurement Practices study examines how and how much such practices are being applied to travel. It provides an understanding of the expectations travel and procurement practitioners have about travel and travel spending in the near term as well as their outlook on the relative importance of controlling costs versus ensuring a suitable level of service.
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Onsites Now Half Of Peak Number
05.12.2008 - The number of ARC-designated onsite agency configurations dropped last year to slightly more than half its 1999 peak, when it recorded 3,837 branches.
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Newsmaker: JetBlue Taps BA's Hayes
05.12.2008 - JetBlue Airways this month announced the appointment of British Airways executive vice president for the Americas Robin Hayes to the position of executive vice president and chief commercial officer. Sometime this summer, Hayes will move offices from one end of Queens, N.Y., to the other to head up many of JetBlue's corporate-facing initiatives, including sales and marketing, revenue management and network. Though the move is a matter of miles, Hayes will be shifting from a long-established global carrier to a younger U.S.-centric airline. However, JetBlue CEO Dave Barger said Hayes' international experience in part drew the carrier to him.
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Inside Track: Accor Seeks To Block Possible Takeover
05.12.2008 - Accor, Paris-based hotel company parent to brands that include Motel 6, Sofitel, Novotel and Ibis, preemptively is opposing a potential takeover from a pair of investors seeking to raise their holdings in the company.
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Profile In Travel Management: Cox Travel Department Leverages Leisure Bookings
05.12.2008 - The Cox Enterprises travel department's responsibilities go beyond the typical scope of corporate travel practices to include managing an in-house leisure travel and vacation service that brings the company additional volume to leverage with suppliers.
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Citi Joins With Fexco To Aid In VAT Reclaim
05.12.2008 - Citi Commercial Cards in late April announced a collaboration with payment service provider Fexco to help corporate card customers recover value-added taxes on travel expenses.
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As Tools Mature, Buyers' Videoconferencing Use Picks Up Steam
05.12.2008 - Several companies, including Credit Suisse, Cisco Systems and Hewlett-Packard, have embraced advanced Web- and videoconferencing options, adopting communications strategies to increase use of these tools and thereby offset travel costs, avoid unnecessary employee travel and decrease their corporate carbon footprints.
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ResX, Serko To Deliver Joint Regional Booking Tools
05.12.2008 - Online booking tool providers TRX and New Zealand-based Serko this month announced a partnership to provide corporations with a joint online booking program for North America, Europe and Asia/Pacific through their respective ResX and Serko Online offerings.
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Rearden To Expand With Additional $100M Cash Infusion
05.12.2008 - Rearden Commerce this month announced it has received an additional $100 million in funding primarily from previous investors American Express, Foundation Capital and Oak Investment Partners and new investor JPMorgan Chase, which is working with Rearden to develop a new Web-based customer loyalty platform for the Chase consumer credit card division.
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Concur Partners For Clients To Charge Cab Fare By Phone
05.12.2008 - Expense and booking technology company Concur earlier this month announced a partnership with automated ground transportation payment firm RideCharge to allow customers to charge taxi and sedan rides through mobile phones and have the charges uploaded directly into Concur's expense tools.
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