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 usually favor direct distribution over more costly third-party channels. That creates complexity in business travel technology.
CIO Magazine announced Aug. 1 that Marriott International earned a “CIO100” award for its application programming interface platform, created in 2014. Marriott senior director for B2B e-commerce Geoff Heuchling earlier that week gave corporate travel professionals an idea of why APIs matter to them. He made them sound pretty huge. Enabling new ways to integrate internal applications, distribute data externally, service customers…
As Lufthansa’s 16 euro fee for booking through global distribution channels apparently takes effect, some will seek a “loophole” by using partner codes. However, doing so can cause problems that call into question what the airline industry calls metal neutrality. Code shares within an airline joint venture provide many more travel options than a single carrier can with its own…
Several of Concur’s travel management company partners now are integrated with TripLink, but some have serious doubts about a major part of the program. Concur last month announced that Adelman Travel Group, Cain Travel, Christopherson Business Travel, Frosch, Gant Travel and Travel Incorporated were live with TripLink. Concur named the providers in its announcement that Lufthansa next year will join the “direct” version…
It’s not too often that a new corporate booking tool comes out. A global tool that entered the U.S. market a year ago from Pass Consulting now counts one of the world’s largest financial services firms as a client. Corporate customers may buy the Pass system in one of three categories. A basic version with little customization…
At a limo conference in Atlantic City last fall, a couple of entrepreneurs announced the ground transport platform to compete with Uber. Seconds later, a black car exec whispered, “We’re building one, too.” This week it was déjà vu as The Company Dime looked into announcements about two other similar initiatives. Evidence of a third turned up, then a…
A month before Lufthansa Group will add 16 euro to fares booked through GDSs, many think the company is bluffing. They expect the parties to settle on terms and return the status quo. But what if they’re wrong and an alternate universe awaits? First of all, after Sept. 1 Lufthansa’s airlines will be that much less price-competitive for 70 percent of its customers….
JetBlue last week began selling bundled fares in a new three-tier structure. The content is accessible in global distribution systems, but most corporate self-booking tools don’t yet fully display the options. AmTrav last week claimed its homegrown booking tool was first. Hooking up the new content isn’t about connecting to an API or building an alternative mechanism,…
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