Distribution

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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NuTravel (And Hilfman) Joins ARC, Blockskye And Traxo To Accelerate Direct Airline Distribution For Business Travel

Jay Campbell

Airlines Reporting Corp. this month acquired a majority stake in technology developer nuTravel. NuTravel will operate as an independent subsidiary and deliver managed business travel booking capabilities through airline websites. In conjunction with the transaction, nuTravel named former United Airlines senior vice president Dave Hilfman an independent director. NuTravel’s Universal Connect technology is different from…

CWT Takes Controlling Stake In China Joint Venture And Builds Proprietary, Locally Hosted Booking Tech

Jay Campbell

Industry consultants said CWT’s investment of millions of dollars into new products in China and the acquisition of a controlling stake in its joint venture there position the company well in the world’s largest business travel market. The travel management company on Monday announced a China version of its myCWT platform, a mobile-first approach featuring…

Kayak Eyes Managed Corporate Travel As Its Parent Company Invests In Serko, A Potential Enabler

Jay Campbell

Meta search company Kayak as early as last year began exploring a business travel gateway to supplier sites and online travel agencies which could include negotiated corporate rates. The company last month announced a free service including a number of business travel functions, but it also revealed greater managed-travel ambitions. After first applying certain policies…

TripActions Puts Its Millions To Work On Payment, Expense

Jay Campbell

[UPDATE, Feb. 25, 2020: TripActions announced partnerships with Comerica Bank, Goldman Sachs, Silicon Valley Bank and Visa for the Liquid initiative. The program, using cards issued by Stripe, offers clients a 1.5 percent rebate, integrates with the booking process to support policy compliance and delivers unified payment and booking reports.] At the GBTA convention in…

Upside’s Latest Relaunch Is Here

Jay Campbell

A few twists after The Upside Travel Company’s birth about four years ago, it’s again reintroducing itself. Now it’s positioned as a no-fee, no-contract, no-minimum, cash-back, off-the-shelf business travel provider that you’ll keep using because the service is amazing.  According to co-founder Scott Case, Upside is in the “beginning stages” of rollout for U.S. clients…

Sabre: Concur Is Wrong About Compatibility For New Hotel Content

David Jonas

As Sabre began this summer to bring a new lodging program to corporate travel agencies and intermediaries, implementation wasn’t expected to be easy. SAP Concur made that much clear in a recent message to users, suggesting that they should not use Sabre’s new Content Services for Lodging via Concur Travel.  According to Sabre, Concur missed…

Op Ed: Tony D’Astolfo On Witnessing, And Possibly Enabling, The Demise Of The Managed Travel Program

Tony D'Astolfo

Serko’s Tony D’Astolfo channels his inner Col. Jessep to ask if the travel management profession can handle the truth about self-inflicted wounds. I was watching “A Few Good Men” the other night and just after Jack Nicholson’s memorable courtroom scene, a thought popped into my head: This reminds me of today’s managed travel program. I…

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