Author: Jay Campbell

Before starting The Company Dime with David Jonas in 2014, journalist Jay Campbell a decade earlier created travel business newsletter The Beat. In 2006, Jay co-founded Travel Procurement magazine and in 2010 helped integrate them with Business Travel News. He served as BTN's editorial director until 2013. Jay made his travel industry media debut in 1993 at the Air Travel Journal of Boston while earning his undergraduate degree in journalism at Boston University. He would be happy to connect on LinkedIn. He's here at CorporateTravel.social on Mastodon.

Notebook: Government Travel Pros Treated To Latest On Innovation, Sustainability

Alexandria, Va. – Amid a federal government solicitation process putting the management of upwards of $4 billion in annual travel spending up for grabs, the National Defense Transportation Association’s GovTravels conference attracted a record 1,100 attendees here last month.  The U.S. General Services Administration has begun collecting information from interested travel and expense tech vendors as part of the ETSNext…

Amex GBT Describes Cybersecurity Practices, Takes On Binding Corporate Rules For Data Transfers

American Express Global Business Travel’s executives get quarterly updates on cyber risks monitored by the company, according to a new section in its annual report, filed Wednesday. The company regularly tests its systems for vulnerabilities and provides all employees with cybersecurity awareness training, including information on company policies and procedures for reporting incidents. GBT also revealed in its report that…

For Big Corporate Travel Management Companies Using Artificial Intelligence, Risk Mitigation Is Job No. 1 

Artificial intelligence promises efficiency gains and better, quicker corporate travel service. Use cases include email automation, swift answers to simple questions, and chatbot bookings and changes. For corporate travel management companies, though, achieving tantalizing outcomes requires extreme care. “Move fast and break things” this is not. Machine learning and predictive artificial intelligence are not new…

With A Stronger Balance Sheet, Amex GBT Expects To Grow By Outcompeting, Acquiring

American Express Global Business Travel expects to improve margins thanks to productivity gains, lower restructuring and debt costs, and a continued shift to proprietary online booking tools. It’s also looking for acquisition opportunities that executives and company documents released Tuesday called “accretive,” “incremental,” and “strategic.”  Speaking under the condition of anonymity a year ago, one equities analyst said, “Their free…

Squeezed By Some Airlines, Flight Centre Tweaks Tech To Support Others

How much more can a travel management company make when corporate customers use its proprietary booking technology? Flight Centre Travel Group’s head of corporate travel wouldn’t specifically say, but his answer during a Tuesday evening conference call with equities analysts was instructive. With its own tools, the TMC has to cover maintenance and development costs….

Travel Management Company Consolidation Looms

In a Jan. 29 Business Travel News column, SAP Concur Travel president Charlie Sultan  predicted that distribution changes would “disrupt” travel management company revenue streams and combine with tech investment pressures to prompt “further TMC consolidation.” He didn’t cover Concur’s role. Parent SAP considered buying CWT but decided against it last week, according to sources…

Automation Central To CTM Plan For Doubled Profits In Five Years

Execs from travel management company Corporate Travel Management on Tuesday outlined a five-year goal of doubling profits thanks to productivity gains and 10 percent annual organic revenue growth. The guidance doesn’t account for any acquisitions — a “significant opportunity” for which CTM is “well-positioned” as industry consolidation is “really likely,” according to managing director Jamie…

End of content

End of content