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Delta Names New Distribution Partners As Sabre Deal Comes Due

Delta Air Lines during a Thursday virtual meeting named the tech partners it would work with on a customer service-oriented distribution strategy based on IATA’s New Distribution Capability protocols. Accelya, ARC and Google will support Delta as it collaborates with corporate travel intermediaries on new distribution methods. The announcement comes as Delta’s agreement with Sabre…

AA Follows UA To ARC’s Corporate Contracting Tool As Sabre Upgrades Prism

Washington, D.C. — American Airlines agreed to use the ARC Corporate Intelligence tool for contract management. ARC CI launched with United Airlines in 2020 as an alternative to the market-leading Prism platform, owned by Sabre. An AA official did not comment on whether the airline would continue using Prism. AA signed on in December 2023,…

Retro Rebates Hang On As Post-Pandemic Legacy For Southwest Customers

Southwest Airlines has always done things differently, but lately, it’s been embracing industry norms in the corporate market. It’s participating in more distribution channels and fielding a bigger sales team. It offers a basket of options for corporate dealmaking, including at least one throwback idea: back-end rebates. Those may be instead of or in addition…

Travel Management Companies Race To Meet AA’s NDC Targets, Sort Out Client Fees

[CORRECTION: When published, this article incorrectly stated the effective date on which new rules will apply for AA tickets to earn miles. It is May 1.] For some travel management companies and their corporate clients, the American Airlines program restricting the conditions under which business travelers earn miles, announced on Feb. 20, sparked more frenzy…

The Future Of Airline Contracting: Engagement And Marketing Edge Out Discounts

What airlines want from their corporate customers and what they’re willing to give in return is changing. For many U.S. accounts, the request for proposals process and resulting contracts look very different than they did five years ago, especially for American and United clients. Airline corporate discounts are getting downsized or eliminated, and carriers want…

World Travel Inc. Gets Productivity Boost From New AI Firm Acai Travel

Starting with automating email routing and responses, World Travel Inc. is using artificial intelligence from startup Acai Travel to restructure its customer support operation. Reduced average handling time means faster service for clients. The travel management company estimated a 4 percent increase in productivity “off the bat,” said new WTI president Erika Moore. Acai Travel…

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