Much of the rationale for a managed travel program is providing appropriate and satisfactory service to corporate travelers. That means working with airlines, hotels, ground transport firms, travel management companies, tech providers and others to optimize each step of a trip, from booking and planning through to post-trip reports and surveys.
The Company Dime co-founder Jay Campbell last week interviewed Sabre CEO Kurt Ekert via videoconference. Among other issues, Ekert talked about supplier content fragmentation, global distribution system pricing, AI, technology modernization and, yes, NDC. A lightly edited transcript follows. Some travel managers look back fondly at a period a few years ago when it seemed…
Delta Air Lines during a Thursday virtual meeting named the tech partners it would work with on a customer service-oriented distribution strategy based on IATA’s New Distribution Capability protocols. Accelya, ARC and Google will support Delta as it collaborates with corporate travel intermediaries on new distribution methods. The announcement comes as Delta’s agreement with Sabre…
[UPDATE, April 23, 2024: American Airlines delayed new restrictions on how travelers can earn loyalty program points, to July 11 from May 1. The rules will affect some bookings through agencies AA does not qualify as “preferred.” According to a spokesperson, “This extension gives an opportunity for those agencies to complete the transition. We’ll continue…
Having seen up close the dangers of algorithmic bias in artificial intelligence, CWT’s Matthew Newton has some suggestions for risk mitigation. Artificial intelligence is being deployed at scale in business travel management, with algorithms changing the game for service consistency, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. But this watershed moment threatens to unleash a monster. Algorithmic bias in…
Starting with automating email routing and responses, World Travel Inc. is using artificial intelligence from startup Acai Travel to restructure its customer support operation. Reduced average handling time means faster service for clients. The travel management company estimated a 4 percent increase in productivity “off the bat,” said new WTI president Erika Moore. Acai Travel…
AmTrav CEO Jeff Klee caused a stir with a Jan. 29 column in which he relayed an anecdote about a customer of a large travel management company hearing from a travel advisor that their “booking tool withholds some flight options on purpose in order to drive more revenue from phone calls.” Reactions from multiple executive-level…
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…
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