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.
If it proceeds as planned, HRG’s acquisition by American Express Global Business Travel would give the latter new proprietary operations in Austria, Italy and Russia. As if integration of acquired companies isn’t difficult enough, GBT also would need to sort out a complicated array of relationships the two travel management companies hold in markets where…
Sabre said its previously announced chatbot has gone into pilot with Travel Services International USA. Using Microsoft technology, the chatbot can help travelers with self-service support requests, allowing agents focus on more complex needs, noted Sabre Studios director Chad Callaghan. TSI clients will reach a white-label version of the chatbot through Facebook Messenger or TSI’s…
Online travel legend Jay Walker is putting his best spin on Upside Travel’s pivot, but it’s hard to envision which way the company will be facing when it stops. From any angle, Upside’s first idea failed. Too many business travelers want neither packages nor gift cards. While those stayed in the mix, Upside beginning in the summer…
Air Canada last month announced a new contract with Amadeus to install a passenger service system and various add-ons, falling in line with several of its Star Alliance partners. The distribution component of the relationship also advanced. For Amadeus agencies, these developments will bring new capabilities for servicing corporate customers. Amadeus agencies already are booking…
You have all been there. Driving toward the airport, about to return the rental car and sweating it out because you might have already passed the last gas station before the return ramp. And then what? Pay through the nose? Turn around and risk missing the flight? You just know there’s a conspiracy between these…
United Airlines this summer made available a new self-service portal for corporate and agency customers. Now it’s training salespeople on the internal component of the platform. Based on Salesforce, the customer relationship management tool is meant to streamline planning and interactions with existing and prospective corporate clients. The CRM system is on the same platform…
One way travel managers and management companies earn their stripes is guiding travelers through trip disruptions. Better still is helping them avoid such snafus. Using predictive analytics, that’s Flightsayer’s game. Some beta testers are intrigued. Better-known in corporate travel circles, FlightStats also is working on predictive analytics. It’s keeping a lot of that close to…
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