Christopherson Business Travel

Big Three U.S. Airlines’ Travel Agency Commissions (Mostly) Continue Slide

After hitting a 14-year high in 2019, passenger commissions paid by U.S. airlines to travel agencies bottomed out in 2020 along with passenger volumes, and stayed low through the first nine months of last year. The pandemic also changed the passenger mix, as mainly domestic leisure passengers made for a lower-value booking environment. Lower-value bookings…

As TMCs Work Through Staffing Challenges, Clients Envision The Counselor Of The Future

It’s a chicken-and-egg scenario as corporate travel management companies face hard decisions on staffing. When clients resume traveling, they need reliable, expert service more than ever. But with demand in doubt, how proactive can TMCs be in bringing back their people and recruiting more? It’s a question that begets more. How have agent roles been…

Veteran TMC Exec Attempts Pricier New Entrant As Covid Complexity, Staffing Volatility Continue

Corporate travel buyers appreciate the Covid-related information delivered by their travel management companies and tech partners. The problem is, many travelers don’t read it and would rather call or email someone. Everyone hopes confusion over travel documentation requirements will wane — if not the prerequisites themselves — but many see the additional care needed to…

Reporter’s Notebook: Universities Turn To Policy Mandates

The pandemic was a wake-up call not only for corporations with loose or non-existent travel policies but also for collegiate travel, an area notorious for lagging program compliance. Some universities enacted travel policy mandates or found strong rationale to maintain them, and adjusted program rules to match their vaccine requirements. Like in the corporate world,…

Christopherson Business Travel-Backed Startup Wants You To Make The Most Out Of Your PTO

Flexibility, support for mental well-being, time off and self-care are among the top priorities for human resources today as organizations grapple with effects of the pandemic beyond the physical health threat. Workloads grew for those still employed, and burnout is epidemic. Dónde hopes travel can be a cure. The Salt Lake City-based startup, named after…

The Future Of Travel Management Companies: Part Two, The Value Of Compliance

As the corporate travel profession faces its greatest crisis, there has been much talk about the value of travel management companies. Their role was evident in how TMCs got people home when they were stranded. It goes beyond customer care, but it depends on visibility. Many corporate travel buyers said the pandemic strengthened the case…

The Future Of Travel Management Companies: Part One, Staffing

“Green shoots” are nice but transaction counts for most travel management companies as of last week remained between 3 percent and 15 percent of last year’s levels. Emotionally, that is a million times better than cancellations outstripping bookings. TMCs are seeing gains every week. More than a dozen of their executives speaking with The Company…

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