Business Travel News - April 27, 2009 - (Page 4)

NEWS Booking Tools Move To Fees BY SETH HARRIS AMADEUS STILL AT ODDS WITH LUFTHANSA OVER GDS FEE INSIDE TRACK place. We’ve evolved the pricing GetThere’s move last month to model to say that there are a cerbundle its demand management ap- tain set of capabilities and expertplication suite and assess a per-user ise that our client success managers profile fee on top of transaction fees bring to the table that creates valhas raised some ue for the corporatravel buyer eyetion, and there brows as online should be pricing asbooking tools move sociated with that.” further away from GetThere’s dethe straight transacmand management tion model, creating package contains a potential for higher series of automated online booking servcomponents already ice costs. in use, including trip In many cases, request, expense incorporations already tegration and pre-trip pay several fees, inapproval. It charges cluding software lian annual fee for censes and tool use, every profile using GETTHERE’S KROEGER agency fulfillment any of the compoAssociate pricing with value. and site administranents (BTNonline, tion fees. Even in sitMarch 30). uations when a transaction does not Other online booking tools have ultimately take place, the self-book- adopted pricing structures that in ing tool provider incurs costs when some cases can shield them from reusers access the site to search or to liance on the travel transaction. use services like messaging, pre-trip Amadeus is considering adopting authorization or referin the United States a rals to alternative trav- For the latest breaking news, four-tier bundled modsee btnonline.com/bn el tools. el for products and GetThere president Chris Kroeger services, including its E-Travel Mancalled the new revenue-generation agement online booking tool, that it method “a natural evolution of the has used in Europe for about a year, pricing model. We are beginning to said head of global commercial opsee that there is value created even erations Frank Palapies. Continued on page 26 when a transaction wasn’t taking Amadeus has yet to come to terms with Lufthansa to shield its subscribers from the Preferred Fares Program surcharge, and stands to lose “significant” marketshare in Germany as a result. Lufthansa’s Preferred Fares Program imposes a €4.90 per-way surcharge, in addition to value-added tax, on fares booked through the global distribution systems in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, though Amadeus competitors Sabre and Travelport have come to separate agreements to shield customers from the fees. Amadeus marketshare in Germany— where it is the dominant provider of global distribution services— could decline to 20 percent, though that “depends what deals are being made with our competition,” said country manager Holger Taubmann this month during a conference of the German travel buyer association VDR in Cologne. Sabre’s agreement with Lufthansa and its Swiss subsidiary shields its subscribers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland from the surcharge through June 30. Sabre said it is “in negotiations to establish a new deal that gives agencies and corporations continued access to Lufthansa’s full content.” EUROPEAN CARRIERS EXPAND MOBILE BOARDING PASSES SAS Scandinavian Airlines this month launched a two-and-a-half month trial period for the use of mobile 2D barcode boarding passes for travel between seven European cities. Other European airlines began similar trials last year and in the first few months of 2009 have seen broader rollouts. Last month, Air France-KLM extended mobile boarding capabilities to most flights from Paris and Amsterdam to most European destinations except for the United Kingdom. Lufthansa has mobile boarding pass capabilities for most flights originating in Germany and more than 20 other European cities. The carrier offers the service via Web-enabled mobile devices and short message service only for its status customers. Finnair released its limited mobile boarding pass service earlier this year. BMI now enables barcode mobile boarding passes on U.K.-domestic flights and from London Heathrow to Dublin. British Airways has mobile checkin applications, which it launched globally in October, but it has yet to implement mobile boarding passes. The International Air Transport Association has a 2010 deadline for airlines to use 2D barcodes for printed boarding passes. OMNI OVERHAULING GUEST LOYALTY PROGRAM Omni Hotels this month is expanding its Omni Select Guest program, adding a new tier for its most frequent guests and new benefits to existing tiers. Effective April 27, Omni is adding a new black level for guests who stay 20 nights or 11 visits with Omni. Benefits for the black tier will include early checkin and late checkout, unlimited complimentary pressing and a 15 percent food and beverage discount at all Omni properties. Omni also is adding benefits to its gold and platinum tiers, including late checkouts, exclusive concierge services and two free pressings. Guests now can earn a free night after staying 10 nights. Airlines Test EMDs For Ancillary Fees Continued from page 3 more robust and transparent.” American Airlines managing director of merchandising and distribution strategy Suzanne Rubin said, “The biggest comment and concern that we’ve heard from our large corporate customers with regard to optional services is really trying to find a way to track and manage, from beginning to end, the cost of these travel components. We think EMD really provides the foundation or platform of providing a more complete picture.” Rubin noted that picture could include “whether the meal or the checked bags were authorized for that particular itinerary, not just what the charge was, but whether it fits in with the defined corporate travel policy.” “With optional services, carriers are having to determine not only what does it mean to implement an electronic miscellaneous document,” according to American’s Garner, “but also what is the optional services strategy that goes with it.” ■ KORMAN WOOS GOV’T SECTOR WITH NEW RATE STRUCTURE Corporate housing provider Korman Communities this month announced it has adjusted its rate structure to fit with government per diem rates. Korman is making the rates available at its AVE line of upscale one- and two-bedroom apartments that it launched last year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said 9,000 government jobs and 26,000 education and health service jobs were added in February alone. 4 Monday, April 27, 2009 www.BTNonline.com Business Travel News http://www.btnonline.com/bn http://www.BTNonline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Business Travel News - April 27, 2009

Business Travel News - April 27, 2009
Airlines To Test Tracking Unbundled Charges
Contents
Contents (cont'd)
Booking Tool Fees Go Past Transactions
Inside Track
Amex To Enable Online Holds For Mtg. Res
Profiles In Travel Mgmt
Forum
Corporate Housing Shedding Inventory
Lodging
EuroBTN: BA Resumes Agent Incentives
EuroBTN
Destinations

Business Travel News - April 27, 2009