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…
Without a travel policy, an organization doesn’t have much of a managed travel program. And when there is a formal policy, many travelers don’t follow it — if they are even aware of it. There are several reasons why an organization may not enforce its own rules, but Executive Travel chairman and CEO Steve Glenn…
Total commissions paid to travel agencies by U.S. airlines in 2017 reversed a 20-year trend and jumped 15 percent year over year, according to U.S. government data. The data reflect a fight for market share as the Big Three enjoy strong demand and healthy balance sheets. On domestic U.S. tickets, commission dollar volume in 2017 rose for…
Is it still a bad idea to wait until the last few days before a flight to buy a ticket? Yes. However, extra capacity and low-fare competition is causing some counterintuitive pricing. Walk-up fares, for example, are not always the most expensive. For the most part, travel management pros continue to advocate advance purchasing. It’s a…
[UPDATE, Nov. 21, 2017: A Delta Air Lines official confirmed that its seat availability is is “identical across carriers, to the last available seat” with JV allies Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia and KLM, and with partners China Eastern, Gol and Jet Airways. Meanwhile, American Airlines’ “seamless codeshare availability” with Iberia and British Airways covers all…
There’s a new player in corporate booking technology. Before the year is out it expects to activate a booking portal for an undisclosed Fortune 10 company. Phase two early next year would bring a proactive artificial intelligence service scanning emails and calendars to present optimal itineraries based on corporate policies. It’s already working with two…
Three travel management companies this week displayed varying degrees of interest in booking tool provider nuTravel’s plan to integrate with mobile app developers. NuTravel’s first partner, United Kingdom-based Mantic Point, provides apps to corporate agencies including Direct Travel, Executive Travel and FCm Travel Solutions. Officials with Direct Travel and FCm said they were considering the…
End of content
End of content
