As antitrust authorities in the United Kingdom weigh industry input on concessions designed to garner approval of the proposed Amex GBT acquisition of CWT, the review raises questions about who can sufficiently serve large corporates and whether that’s been changing. GBT and CWT argued that up-and-comers like Navan and TMCs using Spotnana, plus traditional rivals…
To gain approval from U.K. regulators for the proposed American Express Global Business Travel acquisition of CWT, the companies suggested ending exclusivity for CWT’s network partners, capping fees for existing customers, committing to service levels and maintaining minimum investment in their business travel offerings. GBT and CWT also said they would divest “certain CWT global…
The pandemic era’s geopolitical tensions caused concern among economic globalization advocates. Despite rising nationalism and efforts to reduce reliance on global supply chains, new data shows the appetite for consolidated global travel management remains strong. Corporates say they’re not going back. “There is a clear trend toward consolidation,” according to the United Kingdom’s Competition and…
Why do travel management professionals care whether travelers book hotel stays at the same time as flights? There are pragmatic and financial reasons, and several methods to close the loop. Hotel attachment occurs when a lodging booking happens with an air booking, either through an agent or a designated booking tool. The higher the ratio,…
When responding in late August to competition concerns raised by the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority over their proposed combination, leaders at American Express Global Business Travel and CWT must have held their noses. Their redacted response, released last week, showed that to get the deal approved, execs surmised they had to “big up” their…
The concept of “lowest logical fare” has always been open to interpretation. Traditionally, it’s the cheapest, in-policy fare returned when the traveler or travel agent searches in a booking system. But various market dynamics are making it harder to pin down, prompting industry professionals to reconsider it. New challenges in point-of-sale shopping comparisons due to…
After talking to customers, competitors and suppliers in the first phase of its examination of American Express Global Business Travel’s proposed acquisition of CWT, the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority on Aug. 30 put out a lengthy report. One conclusion was that “tech entrants,” including Navan, were ill-equipped to serve large multinational corporate customers. …
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