Balboa Travel Inc.

Corporate Travel Rebound May Have Plateaued, Suppliers Still Have Pricing Power

Travel demand remains strong but there are some signs of a cool-off in corporate travel. Nevertheless, buyers should not expect the sting to come out of travel prices anytime soon as supply and demand remain out of whack. According to American Express Company, after domestic U.S. consumer travel surpassed its pre-pandemic level in the first…

Concerned About Cross-Border Fiascos, Travel Management Professionals Preach Flexibility, Patience And Preparation

Corporate travel professionals are concerned that the apparatus of international travel won’t be ready for an expected uptick in businesspeople wanting to cross borders in the coming months. Processes for documenting inoculation and negative tests remain works in progress, while international transit rules are tremendously complicated and often change with little notice. Corporate travel buyers…

Some Things Happened In Airline Distribution This Year, Part One

With reaction, assessment and recovery on their minds, corporate travel professionals understandably did not focus closely on airline distribution developments this year. Inasmuch as they did, for some, it was a question of how the relevant systems could help the response to the pandemic — or not. There’s some debate about how soon the usually…

Corporate Travel Buyers On What They Need From TMCs, How They’re Working With Suppliers And Why Policies Changed

According to a pair of travel managers who recently completed RFPs for travel management company services, the traveler experience was a bigger priority than ever before. That stands to reason during a pandemic that is focusing organizations’ attention on their people. Other components of a TMC’s offering that always were important to buyers, like content…

Amex GBT Introduces $25 Contact Fee For Certain Clients, Sees Room For Subscriptions And Professional Services Models

American Express Global Business Travel has a new “contact fee.” It applies when agents communicate by phone or email with employees of clients that pay GBT on a transaction basis but no transaction occurs. The program is rolling out worldwide and began in the United States at $25 per call or email. The discussion about…

The Future Of Travel Management Companies: Part Four, Pricing Comes To Jesus

People called for a restructuring of travel management company pricing for years before the pandemic; now, some call it urgent. Stopgaps are in place in some environments, allowing, for example, a corporate account to pay to retain dedicated counselors. In the long run, though, many see a need to change a pricing structure that mostly…

SME-Focused Booking Tool PSNGR1 Turns To The TMC Channel

A handful of travel management companies is looking closely at four-year-old PSNGR1, a booking tool for both travelers and advisors. Generally designed for smaller and midsize clients, the system offers connections to NDC-compliant channels, a Next Generation Storefront display and a fresh interface with new collaborative travel planning and chatting components. Executives with the TMCs…

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