Sourcing

In corporate travel, sourcing is all about negotiating deals with airlines, hotels, car rental companies and other suppliers. Of course, organizations want to get the best value, but travel procurement is about more than price. It’s also about using data to monitor performance on both sides, working with intermediaries, building deeper relationships and exploring new technologies that improve processes.

Some examples
Extending or renegotiating contracts
• Assessing marketshare and volumes
• Hotel RFPs, rates, LRA and security
Political and social considerations
Working with intermediaries

Dispatch 7

On the boards of a set of 14 business travel suppliers tracked by The Company Dime, female representation doubled between 2012 and 2023 to 30 percent. One of them has a woman serving as chair, the same number in that role among the group as in 2017 and 2012. The number of female CEOs in…

AA, Alaska End Joint Corporate Sales

Oneworld partners American Airlines and Alaska Airlines no longer coordinate corporate sales for mutual accounts. They did not give a reason or say how many customers were impacted. “We are sunsetting our joint contract agreement with American Airlines, but it will take some time to work through the processes,” according to an Alaska Airlines media…

Poll: Artificial Intelligence Emerging Slowly For Travel Buyers

A GBTA survey this month of more than 300 travel buyers found that 6 percent were using artificial intelligence in their programs, and 7 percent saw it as a top priority for 2024. One-third called it “important but not a top priority” for next year, while 37 percent said it was “low/no” priority and 16…

Exogenous Factors Stymie Big Three Airline Competition

Major carriers face ongoing pilot shortages, air traffic control deficiencies, aircraft supply chain and engine troubles, and softer domestic demand. Where they are adding capacity, it’s in their strength markets, primarily with bigger planes and denser seat configurations. Southwest’s growth in major markets notwithstanding, the big carriers are staying out of each other’s way. American,…

As Hotel Rates Rise, Buyers Seek Partnership On Wellness, Safety, Sustainability

Pharmaceutical company Alkermes is looking for hotels that offer a safe jogging path. At IBM, the security team questions potential preferred properties. Automation Anywhere wants some favors on the meetings side for space or flexible terms. It’s a challenging rate environment, but there’s more than one way for corporate buyers to find value in lodging…

Observers Question How ‘Quickly’ AA Could Reverse Corporate Sales Retreat

While the latest sales reorg at American Airlines appears to dim any hopes for the carrier reversing its shift away from managed corporate travel, an important entity won’t rule out the notion: American Airlines.  “If managed corporate travel becomes a bigger share of the pie, we will quickly add back resources to support that growth,”…

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