Executive Travel

Is Airline Service A Difference-Maker? Not Really, Say Corporate Travel Folks

In its opposition to proposed U.S. federal protections for air travelers, IATA last month said passengers could “take their loyalty to other carriers if they are not satisfied with service levels.” In corporate travel, this is more theory than practice. While compensation for inconvenience would be nice, individual business travelers with options tend to favor…

With Pana Out Of The Picture, Some TMCs See Non-Employee Travel As A Discrete Revenue Line

Arranging and purchasing travel for guests, interns, recruits and other non-employees is perceived by some to be challenging enough that focusing on it helped the entrepreneurs at Pana build a company interesting enough to be acquired. Spend management firm Coupa had other reasons to pay $48.5 million plus stock for Pana, and some customers now are…

Hotels Reconstitute, Restore Brand Standards With Business Travelers In Mind

Hotel executives say they are reconsidering and reinstating brand standards, potentially impacting business traveler expectations and corporate sourcing.  Brand standards govern the responsibilities of property owners and operators. Ranging from design, maintenance and renovations to operations, amenities and customer services, they support consistent experiences and define brands. Prominent among them are specifications for food and…

Reporter’s Notebook: Sustainability Stories

The steady stream of sustainability-related announcements this year became something of a deluge from all corners last month. It’s not only travel suppliers looking to enhance their green credibility. In growing numbers, corporate buyers and program managers appear ready to walk the walk. Click through to read about the latest corporate travel cutbacks from green-minded…

U.S. Capacity Is Returning, But Business Travel Isn’t A Priority In Fluid Airline Network Planning (Audio)

Airline capacity remains down dramatically on most international routes while markets with big domestic networks, like the United States, are rebounding. Leisure routes take precedence over business ones. In the short-to-medium term, travel buyers should expect gaps in preferred carrier networks, fewer frequencies and different aircraft than travelers are used to. The situation will remain…

Travel Management Companies Cut Jobs In Face Of Coronavirus Impact On Corporate Travel Demand

Multiple corporate travel agencies said they had made the difficult decision to lay off employees as a result of the coronavirus-related drop in corporate travel. It’s a worst-case scenario mere weeks removed from a years-long phase in which travel management companies struggled to find talent, especially travel agents. TMCs contacted this week by The Company…

Minneapolis TMC Makes Hay With Subscription Model

Startups are not the only travel management providers trying out new pricing models. Thirty-six-year-old family business ProfessionalTravelService.com, a Travel Leaders Group affiliate, is based in Minneapolis but lives online. Using Deem or SAP Concur, clients don’t pay online transaction fees as the TMC relies on supplier commissions and incentive payments. Services include traveler tracking through…

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