Partnership Travel Consulting

Are Offline Transactions More Lucrative For Travel Management Companies? No, But …

AmTrav CEO Jeff Klee caused a stir with a Jan. 29 column in which he relayed an anecdote about a customer of a large travel management company hearing from a travel advisor that their “booking tool withholds some flight options on purpose in order to drive more revenue from phone calls.”  Reactions from multiple executive-level…

What Matters When Choosing A Corporate Travel Consultant

Consulting services for corporate travel program management are popping up everywhere. Even suppliers like Delta Air Lines and Mastercard are ready to help. Incumbents include special divisions of travel management companies, individuals, boutique firms and some of the world’s largest consultancies. How does an organization choose? Primarily, it’s about how well the consultant’s subject matter…

With Rates Rising, Buyers Turn To Group Purchasing Organizations For Car Rental

BCD Travel is forecasting car rental market price increases of between 5 percent and 7 percent this year. According to travel buyers, joining a group purchasing organization is one effective way to mitigate rate hikes.  GPOs leverage the combined spending of members to extract favorable pricing from vendors, ranging from office supplies and furniture providers…

Observers Question How ‘Quickly’ AA Could Reverse Corporate Sales Retreat

While the latest sales reorg at American Airlines appears to dim any hopes for the carrier reversing its shift away from managed corporate travel, an important entity won’t rule out the notion: American Airlines.  “If managed corporate travel becomes a bigger share of the pie, we will quickly add back resources to support that growth,”…

‘Not A Friend’ Of The Travel Manager: AA Turns Another Screw With Auto-Rebooking Ban

“Corporate customers object to American Airlines decision.” Is this even news anymore? This week’s disclosure that the carrier will crack down on automated rebooking when fares drop casts uncertainty over a spend management practice widely used by corporates and travel management companies.  On May 1, AA published revised agreements governing travel agency relationships, with updated…

Game On: AA, Buyers Wield Leverage

Some corporate travel programs are blocking American Airlines now that the carrier has removed many fares from traditional third-party distribution channels. Observations like this one from SAP Concur align with anecdotes from several corporate buyers who are reacting to both the distribution move and AA’s overall de-emphasis of the corporate market. But preventing travelers from…

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