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.
[UPDATE, June 14, 2019: Concur reported that it resolved this issue late Thursday.] SAP Concur is grappling with a troublesome glitch that is resulting in business travelers arriving at airports only to find they have no reservation. According to a Tuesday afternoon Concur client update, the issue affects bookings made through Concur Travel in Sabre….
Some firms provide hotel rate assurance by rebooking rooms at lower prices. Others help travelers seek compensation for cancelled or heavily delayed flights. Los Angeles-based Service Technologies does both. The four-year-old company last week announced a partnership with Direct Travel for compensation claims in the European Union and Canada. EU’s regulations on compensation for delays,…
A trio of industry consultants took time out this month to join The Company Dime’s Jay Campbell and assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for a quintet of business travel startups. In general, they said, this crop has good prospects. Below are summaries of comments by Twelve Squared Growth’s Mitch Gross, Festive Road consultant Aurélie…
Consultant, auditor and GBTA-Australia & New Zealand deputy director Tony O’Connor raises interesting questions for corporate travel buyers as suppliers build a new basis for business travel commerce. The supply side is driving the personalization of online booking tools. I have never heard a travel buyer advocating for it. Perhaps it’s worth asking why suppliers…
Delta Air Lines is testing free inflight Wi-Fi. JetBlue Airways already provides it. If an official Delta program emerged, that would pressure other carriers. It could appease the many travelers who feel cheated when they pay for unreliable or slow connections. Even if all airlines wanted to go in that direction, though, it would take…
Adding hotel content from online travel agencies to corporate travel systems seems like a way to enhance trust in company programs. But it presents problems. When booking such rates travelers may not earn points or elite status perks like upgrades. They face stricter rules for changes or cancellations. Other downsides can include unfavorable room assignments…
[UPDATE, Feb. 7 2019: Delta and TripActions have reconciled with one another. More here.] It’s no longer surprising to see new entrants in the corporate travel space pull down big investments. Funding announcements for brand new and somewhat new players seem to come weekly. Still, the latest investment in TripActions was eye-popping. VC firm Andreessen Horowitz…
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