Corporate shuttle business: ample benefits, many hassles
Large corporations with multiple subsidiaries, plants or production sites are often facing the need of transporting their employees between locations. Especially large manufacturers, oil and technology companies therefore often choose to rely on their own corporate flights or the services of air brokers. The advantages of company-exclusive flights are obvious. Time efficiency, employee safety (especially in times of a global pandemic), convenience and productivity are just a few examples. However, more often than not, the companies are not fully aware of the challenges these kinds of flights mean for the corporate travel management.

Unlike scheduled flights, shuttle flights run outside of the travel programme and bring along extensive manual labour and bureaucratic nightmares. “Usually, for technical reasons, corporate shuttle flights cannot be embedded into the corporate travel programme and are therefore separate entities. As a consequence, these flights have to be managed individually and travel departments and travel management companies (TMCs) can simply not use their standard tools to book, track and report them” explains Phillip Collings, Director of Corporate Sales for Hahn Air. The result is a mix of work-around solutions, excel sheets and individual reporting documents that costs time, resources and nerves. But what if travel departments could finally handle shuttle flights just like any other scheduled flight?

A new solution simplifies shuttle flights
Hahn Air, the leader in distribution products for airlines and ticketing services for travel agents, has just introduced a comprehensive solution that simplifies the management of corporate shuttle flights.. “Our product, HR-Shuttle Manager, is a one-stop-solution that allows the corporate shuttle flights to be embedded in the standard travel management systems and processes. As a result, it saves time, money and resources, eliminates complexity and risk, and ensures full compliance”, says Phillip Collings.

The complete package of services includes the management, handling and distribution of company flights. At the same time, the Hahn Air solution seamlessly integrates with the GDSs and therefore benefits the TMCs as well. Phillip Collings explains: “The solution enables an integration into the booking procedures and reporting processes of the TMC partner and allows them to take over the entire work process.”

Benefitting travelling employees
But not only the corporations and corporate travel managers benefit from the new Hahn Air tool. It also provides added convenience for the travelling employees as they can now enjoy amenities that are normally reserved for regular scheduled flights, such as seat maps, wait listing and online check-in. In addition, the elaborate tracking options ensure that the companies can fulfil their duty-of-care towards their employees.

A travel distribution expert
Hahn Air is known for its distribution services for airlines and ticketing services for travel agents. With HR-Shuttle Manager, it is for the first time presenting a product that is not initially targeting travel sellers or air carriers. Alexander Proschka, Executive Vice President Commercial explains why the new Hahn Air solution is a logical development in the company’s product portfolio: “Throughout the past 20 years, we developed an expertise for simplifying distribution processes”, he states. “Our track record speaks for itself: Our network today encompasses more than 350 airline partners. 100,000 travel agencies worldwide, including TMCs, can access our ticketing services. We know the needs of all parties involved and are therefore the natural choice to offer this solution. No company running corporate shuttle flights can afford to go without it as there are absolutely no risks and only benefits.”