Scroll down to review The Company Dime‘s coverage of travel distribution.
The travel industry thrives on a complex network of channels connecting travelers with desired experiences. The Company Dime‘s travel distribution category delves into this intricate system, offering subscribers invaluable knowledge and insights. Our in-depth articles explore the various channels that constitute corporate travel distribution, both traditional and emerging.
Getting all the relevant, bookable inventory in front of business travelers is a never-ending challenge. Airlines, hotels and other suppliers constantly tinker with their products and pricing, and often favor direct distribution over third-party channels. That creates complexity in business travel technology.
Readers can expect thorough coverage of the relationships and dynamics between airlines, hotels, travel management companies, global distribution systems and other suppliers and intermediaries. We closely examine developments associated with the New Distribution Capability (NDC), direct booking initiatives and the rise of new entrants looking to disrupt legacy models.
Subscribers benefit from our scrutiny of the often-opaque world of distribution costs and revenue streams, including incentive payments, agency commissions and booking fees. We shed light on these essential commercial arrangements.
We also track the technological forces reshaping distribution, from the positioning of online booking tools to the potential of emerging solutions like artificial intelligence, blockchain and virtual payment. Readers stay informed on innovations that could unlock efficiencies and improve the traveler experience.
Our coverage clarifies major industry debates, such as the relative merits of GDS and NDC content, and our Op Eds deliver provocative thought leadership from all corners of the industry. Contributor insights on timely issues — like rethinking travel management company commercial models — make for essential reading.
With a critical eye and a healthy dose of skepticism, The Company Dime delivers must-have intelligence for anyone seeking to understand the present and future of travel distribution.
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You get what you pay for, and most travel industry business news is free. We sell insight. Our mission is quality journalism for those interested in business travel services, expense management practices and travel industry change. Our features, exclusives and analysis equip business travel professionals with vital info for top performance.
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On the boards of a set of 14 business travel suppliers tracked by The Company Dime, female representation doubled between 2012 and 2023 to 30 percent. One of them has a woman serving as chair, the same number in that role among the group as in 2017 and 2012. The number of female CEOs in…
On Tuesday, Air Canada told corporate clients they no longer had to pay its surcharge for bookings made using traditional EDIFACT protocols, at least for the time being. The change acknowledges that the corporate travel community was not ready to adopt surcharge-free NDC channels that Air Canada initiated with global distribution system providers during the…
Corporate travel agencies and tech firms concerned about competition from suppliers won’t find comfort in the latest business travel moves from Hilton Worldwide. Last month, the company announced it would launch by early next year a program offering discounted rates, company loyalty points and program management tools to small and medium-sized enterprises booking on its…
Surprised to find last week that United Airlines made their negotiated rates available to travelers via its website and mobile app, some corporate travel buyers took a closer look at functionality the airline built to support their needs. While United has done more than some other carriers to legitimize supplier-direct channels for managed travel, “better…
Retail giant Walmart began a pilot with Spotnana to make use of airline NDC distribution. “We have decided that we are going to roll out through Spotnana starting with some of our U.S. travelers,” said Theresa Gehler, global travel procurement director for the $611 billion retailer, during a Thursday Spotnana-sponsored webinar hosted by The BTN…
SAP last week kicked off the rollout of its new Concur Travel experience, including support for New Distribution Capability-enabled American and United bookings through Sabre. As SAP Concur signaled in a September blog post, the updates — available only in the Professional (most configurable) edition of Concur Travel — will not immediately meet all client…
An American Airlines exec said the carrier’s new loyalty program rewarding both travelers and employers was squarely focused on small and medium-sized enterprises. But buyer anecdotes and the company’s own program materials tell a different story. Moreover, that the program is available only on website or mobile app bookings was seen as a slap in…
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