Business Travel News - July 28, 2008 - (Page 66)

NEWS StarCite Also Offering Midmarket Tools platform, intended to provide just a good idea. The more open the data the essential tools required for meetis about what people are actually ings management,” he said. It offers charging, the more it tends to drive attendee management, sourcing and the price down. Transparency tends some budgeting capabilities. to reduce that friction, so to speak, Both products will carry prices of what happens when you have lower than the product aimed at closed communication loops.” large companies, although StarCite StarCite also plans to announce declined to quote prices. Professiontwo new solutions aimed at midsize al is available and Express will be in companies, which September. StarCite defined as StarCite in midthose with revenue July announced between $100 milDukat, formerly lion and $1 billion. head of asset manStarCite Profesagement software sional is the new firm Ventyx, as the midmarket version company’s new of the company’s president and CEO. Dukat replaced forcore large-market mer president and offering, StarCite CEO Michael Boult, Enterprise, which who left StarCite in provides attendee March (BTNonline, management, budgMarch 3). eting and sourcing GREG DUKAT Dukat the compacapabilities. HowevNew StarCite president and CEO ny would focus on er, Enterprise’s large expanding its presclients have full control over the tool, but Professional ence in large companies and providwill have some areas, such as work- ing smaller meetings solutions. “Our strategy will not be a major flow processes, preconfigured by StarCite and based on best practices shift, but fine-tuning what we’re already on the path of,” Dukat said. of larger companies. “It’s faster to implement,” said “Our perception, and the research StarCite’s Young. “In many ways it’s we’ve done on our customers, is in preconfigured, so there are fewer many cases we’re used at a large choices for companies to make when company that has many large meetthey’re rolling out the software.” ings, but there are other areas of The other offering, StarCite Ex- that company we haven’t gotten to.” press, is intended to be a “meetings He added, “A lot of our initiatives management starter package” for now are providing and adding to our companies at the smaller end of mid- solutions for smaller meetings for size, Young said. large and medium-size companies.” “It’s an inexpensive, easy-to-use ■ ehunter@btnonline.com ■ Continued from page 63 WASHINGTON WIRE TSA TRIPLING NUMBER OF PASSENGER X-RAYS IN USE Business travelers are more likely to encounter imaging machines that can detect explosives under clothing next year as the U.S. Transportation Security Administration triples the number deployed at U.S. airports. TSA said July 15 that it would purchase 80 new Passenger Imager Machines over the next year, bringing the total number in use to 120. The machines, which use X-rays to show an outline of the passenger’s body, TSA’S KIP HAWLEY replace the need for additional Major technology step up screening by officers using hand-held metal detectors. Separately, TSA also will buy 300 new advanced X-ray devices used to screen carry-on luggage, bringing the total number in use to 900. The agency is also deploying new Bottled Liquid Scanners that ensure sealed containers don’t hold hazardous materials. “This major step up in technology, coupled with our enhanced security training for our officers, will elevate security across the board,” said TSA administrator Kip Hawley. The Passenger Imager Machines will be deployed at Atlanta, Boston, Chicago O'Hare, Indianapolis, New York LaGuardia, Newark, San Juan, San Francisco and Tampa. They are already in use at Albuquerque, Baltimore-Washington, Dallas/Fort-Worth, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Phoenix and Washington's Dulles and National. FAA FINALIZES FUEL-TANK RULE FOR AIRLINES The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration finalized rules requiring U.S. airlines to modify fuel tanks to minimize the risk of explosions like the one responsible for the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800. The move, after four years spent crafting the regulations, was completed over the objections of U.S. airlines and manufacturer Airbus because of concerns that retrofitting planes built after 1991 would cost too much. The Air Transport Association estimates it would cost airlines $1.2 billion over the next 49 years, or about $400 million more than official estimates. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters called the rules a “memorial”to the 230 victims of Flight 800. —Patty Donmoyer Tools Account For Fees Continued from page 8 Technologies president Shane Hammond. Concur also could use the Air Canada wires in dealing with future airline merchandising, but executive vice president of research and development Tom DePasquale said another possibility is interfacing with an airline’s online checkin systems, which at this point cannot handle baggage fee collection. “Right now, the airlines’ need to Tom Wilkinson, president of TRW Travel Concollect additional revenue has gotten ahead of their ability to electronically charge for it, said sulting, said, “I don’t think any of us believe that DePasquale. “That will catch up soon, and they the final rules have been written by the carriers in terms of what kind of faring variables and perwill give us the utilities to work with that.” mutations will be in the market“It’s going to be driven by what place in a couple of years. Ultimatethe carriers can offer with respect to For on-demand Webcasts, see btnonline.com/Webcasts ly, both corporations and individual capturing and offering those different services at the point of sale versus having travelers really need to have this information. them available en route,” said Ross Atkinson, BCD The marketplace will demand that kind of transTravel vice president of online technology solu- parency. We all want to know what we are paytions. “It’s 100 percent dependent on them driv- ing and what we are getting.” ing it versus the online booking tools reacting.” ■ sharris@btnonline.com ■ Business Travel News 66 Monday, July 28, 2008 www.BTNonline.com http://btnonline.com/Webcasts http://www.BTNonline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Business Travel News - July 28, 2008

Business Travel News - July 28, 2008
Contents
Inside Track
Profile
Newsmaker
BTN Research
Forum
Aviation
Lodging
Ground Transportation
Meetings Today
Travel Management
Expense/Payment
Destinations
Executive Dashboard
Washington Wire

Business Travel News - July 28, 2008