Month: December 2014

Lawsuit Against Altour Highlights Importance Of Supplier Vetting

[UPDATE, Dec. 2: The U.S. District Court in New York hearing the case in March granted Altour’s motion to dismiss. In April, Planetarium appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. That court affirmed the district court’s judgment last month, finding that Planetarium “failed to explain” how the Amex-Altour relationship hinders competition.] A lawsuit between two travel…

Concur’s TripLink Adds Airbnb

[UPDATE, July 16, 2017: Airbnb and Concur announced that “in the coming months,” business travelers would “be able to search and book Airbnb rentals” in Concur Travel, with itineraries and e-receipts “automatically” synchronizing to Concur Expense.] Concur announced that integration allowing users to book Airbnb through its TripLink “open booking” approach is live. The pair already had enabled Airbnb’s site…

Uber’s Banking Endorsements Don’t Assuage Risk Concerns

When Morgan Stanley and Citi authorized employees to use Uber, cynics scoffed that they were just trying to earn Uber’s business. Managing an Uber IPO, for example, would be lucrative. The Company Dime set out to prove the skeptics wrong, but could not. Supplier vetting is a standard procurement and travel management process. Sensible practice calls for close examination of all suppliers — especially one…

Automation Breathes New Life Into Traveler Incentive Programs

Well before gamification became a corporate travel buzzword, companies had straightforward ways to reward travelers for booking cheaper flights. Traveler incentive programs that share savings with those who book coach airfare when business class is acceptable are challenging but not uncommon. Now, a variation on the concept appeals to companies without robust travel-management programs and policies. Point-of-sale price benchmarks guide travelers who may not know if they’re…

Point-Of-Sale Benchmarks Add To Visual Guilt

[UPDATE, March 8, 2017: Concur decided to “phase out” the Price to Beat feature, according to Rocketrip. The two companies announced an expanded partnership. More info here.] More than a decade ago, U.S. businesses started saving significant money due to what travel professionals called visual guilt. Mainstream by 2006, the notion is that when travelers see rates themselves rather than…

New AA Travel Agency Incentive Favors Higher Fares Over More Passengers

American Airlines this quarter brought to most of its North American travel agencies revised back-end “override” incentive programs. Based on revenue share rather than passenger count, the move may put some travel buyers on guard for higher costs. It’s conceivable that the program presents agencies a reason to either transact higher fares and/or charge higher client fees. But AA isn’t…

SAP’s Earnings Target For Concur Requires Serious Synergy

SAP expects the pricey acquisition of Concur to increase its earnings in 2016, but that seems possible only with massive revenue growth or layoffs. In its fiscal year ended this past September, Concur recorded non-GAAP pretax income of $56 million. [Using non-GAAP figures reduces the effect of non-recurring items and improves comparability of performance over time.] But SAP is borrowing about…

End of content

End of content