Due out this spring, the Southwest Business TravelTrack service aims to mitigate a growing challenge for corporate travel programs — missing data from changed itineraries. Bookings originally made through online booking tools and global distribution systems, as supported by travel management companies, often end up getting changed directly with airlines when flights are disrupted. Those…
Southwest Airlines finished last year with roughly 12 percent of U.S. domestic managed corporate travel bookings, based on its analysis of ARC data, up from zero four years earlier. The jump resulted from a combination of market and Southwest-specific developments. Measured by passengers, the dataset encompassed global distribution system bookings through a few dozen of…
Reaction: Responding to Scott Gillespie’s Op Ed on how today’s corporate travel market demands “long-sighted travel policies” prioritizing value and sustainability over traditional cost-cutting, readers generally agreed with the need for change. Microsoft’s Eric Bailey echoed the goal of reducing emissions and minimizing low-value trips but suggested different methods. He recommended carbon taxes and budget…
Major carriers face ongoing pilot shortages, air traffic control deficiencies, aircraft supply chain and engine troubles, and softer domestic demand. Where they are adding capacity, it’s in their strength markets, primarily with bigger planes and denser seat configurations. Southwest’s growth in major markets notwithstanding, the big carriers are staying out of each other’s way. American,…
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,”…
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…
Corporate contracts are changing at American Airlines and United Airlines. What’s going on with the value proposition on each side of the table? Industry veteran David Jaqua, an expert on corporate air travel data and former leader at Prism Group, acquired by Sabre in 2012, advocates for tried-and-true practices filtered through the lens of today’s…
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