Trondent Tries To Improve Pre-Trip Approval
One view of pre-trip approval is that it’s a critical tool for controlling travel spending and employee movements. Another says it’s red tape. Some see it as both. A key question for program managers interested in pre-trip approval is whether to go with an active or passive approach. Active approval means that the approving manager must approve the travel request, or it won’t go through. In a passive setup, a traveler’s booking will go through unless an approving manager stops it. Rubber-stamping and apathy undermine the mission.
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Messaging Alters TMC Operations, Challenges Traditional Notions Of Service Quality Metrics
The rise of chat and messaging in travel management operations is not only delivering convenient, new ways to serve the customer. It’s challenging TMCs to rethink servicing configurations, training and service level agreements. TMCs are taking different approaches as they experiment. It’s all a work in progress.
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Economist: Slow Pace Of NDC Through GDSs Isn’t Surprising, GDSs Dominate Because TMCs Need Them
Wilmington, Del. — Global distribution systems dominate indirect air travel distribution because travel agencies don’t want it another way. So it’s not unexpected to find that a new initiative like moving to XML-based connectivity under NDC takes a long time. So says an award-winning economist who has studied the travel distribution market for about a decade.
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How Business Travelers Got Caught Up In Immigration Politics, What Could Be Next And Why GBTA Took A Position Some Didn’t Expect
Lawsuits filed Monday by the New York State Attorney General and New York Civil Liberties Union accused the federal government of multiple violations of the U.S. Constitution and questioned the need for driving records when vetting trusted traveler program applicants. More than a dozen other states and the District of Columbia have laws that are similar to the New York legislation that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security targeted. Meanwhile, GBTA’s statements in support of last week’s DHS move generated some backlash.
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CWT CEO Backs GDSs, Schools Court On Costs Of Corporate Travel Distribution
Trial testimony by CWT president and CEO Kurt Ekert proved instructive for anyone looking to understand travel management company dependence on global distribution systems. There was no elephant in the courtroom on the payments GDS firms make to TMCs. Ekert acknowledged that in 2018, GDS companies paid CWT incentives totaling roughly $155 million, about 10 percent of its revenues that year.
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Frustrated With Airlines’ GDS Bypass Programs And Threats, BCD Travel Pays Microsoft To Build An Agent Desktop
BCD Travel is paying Microsoft about $20 million for a multi-GDS search and booking desktop system that also could help agents manage bookings made outside the global distribution systems. The travel management company a decade ago retired a similar initiative after airlines patched up their differences with GDS providers.
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Startup Flightfox Claims ‘New Standard’ In Corporate Travel, But Operates Under A Different Set Of Rules
If your travel management company isn’t ARC-accredited and doesn’t use a global distribution system, is it not a TMC? According to Flightfox co-founder Todd Sullivan, it depends on what you need. He bills the company as a new kind of animal in business travel. Its agents aren’t agents. They’re experts. It’s not about going after big transnational corporations, but Flightfox itself is multinational, even transient. Think corporate travel fare hunter, points maximizer and all-around concierge.
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