Longtime travel management consultant Tony O’Connor is founder and CEO of Airocheck, a firm specializing in auditing travel agency airfare markups. Naturally he has words of caution for travel buyers when it comes to the fares their travelers buy. But he also argues that markups don’t help the sellers, either. Fare markups are arbitrary price…
If suppliers want to better serve travelers into the future, they best understand those future travelers’ needs. Festive Road managing partner Caroline Strachan, a frequent traveler and former travel manager, puts herself in their shoes to distill the essentials of personalization and engagement. Two years ago, an audience member asked a great question whilst I…
[CORRECTION, June 28, 2018: The International Air Transport Association projects its New Distribution Capability initiative to achieve critical mass by 2020, not 2022 as originally stated here, according to a spokesperson. This article has been updated to reflect that projection.] The travel industry still is trying to understand the consequences of IATA’s New Distribution Capability….
AirPlus International has made mistakes by not asking customers the right questions in advance. It’s a humble admission by executive director of marketing Yael Klein about a challenge many companies face. She believes that recognizing the problem will help the business travel industry innovate. Klein also encourages people to accept the risks of failure. Failing…
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…
Change is constant, yet change is hard. That’s the quandary many in the travel industry face, especially as it relates to distribution. Tried and true technologies continue to operate as designed decades ago, with speed and reliability. However, changing traveler demands and nearly universal access to information have some calling for new designs. Kurt Knackstedt…
In corporate travel, sometimes there is tension between what is best for the employee doing the traveling and what is best for the organization footing the bill. Travel programs strive to find a balance that suits both. Arlene Coyle is chief commercial officer for corporations in the Travel Channels division at Amadeus IT Group. She…
Data protection and privacy have been a big deal for a long time in the data-intensive travel industry. With new regulations set to take effect — covering all European citizens and companies doing business in Europe — there are many new questions about who is impacted and how to comply. Tom Tulloch, executive vice president…
Industry dialogue about artificial intelligence and the new services featuring it are all well and good. Seriously, though, what does it mean for my job? AppZen CEO and co-founder Anant Kale doesn’t have all the answers, but offers a compelling case for why, as a general statement, the humans will be alright. Gartner predicts that…
“60 Minutes” on Sunday ran a segment about “persistent” safety issues and “an alarming number” of mechanical incidents at Allegiant Air, the ultra-low-cost carrier based in Las Vegas. “Between Jan. 1, 2016, and the end of last October, we found more than 100 serious mechanical incidents, including mid-air engine failures, smoke and fumes in the cabin,…
As co-founder and CEO of financial technology firm Conferma, Simon Barker has been in the thick of corporate travel’s virtual payment movement. The benefits of single-use virtual credit card accounts are well known: improved security, better management controls, easier reconciliation and a more convenient experience for travelers without their own corporate cards. Barker points out…
During decent economic conditions, traveler satisfaction is big in travel management circles. Everyone wants happy, healthy and productive employees, and many see that translating to improved corporate performance. Tripbam founder and CEO Steve Reynolds takes a contrarian view. He argues that it’s impossible to measure the return from giving travelers what they want. And once…
Sitting at the nexus of travel agencies and airlines, ARC is well-positioned to understand the needs of both sides. Today’s advisor, ARC president and CEO Mike Premo, advocates collaboration on the changes facilitated by IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC). That’s because while there’s a lot to sort out when it comes to air travel booking,…
Today’s advisor is travel management veteran Andy Menkes of Partnership Travel Consulting. He writes that while data from travel management companies has improved over the years, travel program managers must do their due diligence. That means plugging gaps and checking everything. President Ronald Reagan made the phrase “trust, but verify” famous in the United States…
In the wake of the school shooting massacre in Florida a month ago, Delta Air Lines announced it would no longer offer discounted travel to members of the National Rifle Association. The NRA opposes banning the public sale of military-style firearms. Delta was one of a number of travel companies last month to cut ties with the NRA. Delta said it was attempting…
