Describing itself as a disruptor to the “traditional agency/supplier/distribution relationship,” TripActions on Monday announced a restructured supplier relations group. The company hired Daniel Finkel, formerly of Egencia and Expedia, as VP of booking experience and supplier strategy. Finkel reports to TripActions co-founder and CEO Ariel Cohen, moving supplier relations out of the group led by chief…
Since Southwest Airlines a few years ago chose Amadeus as its passenger service system, many have hoped that would mean at least most of the airline’s fares and schedules would appear in the Amadeus GDS. Amadeus user Lola is among them. Putting aside some corporate customers, however, Amadeus users are still waiting. According to an Amadeus…
[UPDATE, Feb. 7 2019: Delta and TripActions have reconciled with one another. More here.] As of December, Southwest Airlines was curious about how TripActions was booking it. Airline officials this week suggested the unicorn corporate travel startup’s standing with Southwest was not solid. “We don’t have a formal relationship with TripActions,” according to a Southwest…
Now positioned predominantly as a service for small and midsized companies, Southwest Airlines’ Swabiz booking portal has a bunch of new features. The airline this month added hotel bookings, new reporting options and mobile itinerary changes. Swabiz previously offered hotel bookings through a partnership with Orbitz. Then Expedia acquired Orbitz and opted to stop providing…
United Airlines announced a benefits program for corporate customers. It is akin to a corporate recognition program Delta created in 2014 and recently expanded to cover joint venture partner Air France-KLM. United Corporate Preferred gives priority to eligible travelers for upgrades, reaccommodation and standby space. Those in the highest of three tiers get extra schedule…
San Diego – Participants at last week’s Global Business Travel Association convention showed a stronger spirit of collaboration on alternative airline distribution than in years past. Notwithstanding mixed takes on the specifics, attendees and speakers reinforced the theme that corporate customers need the same sets of product and service options regardless of where they shop. New…
San Diego – Southwest Airlines is redesigning its approach to corporate relationships. No longer relying on individual salespeople to look after all of an account’s needs, the carrier is assembling teams to handle contract implementation, analytics and customer service. “We know we were not easy to do business with,” said Dave Harvey, recently promoted to…
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