The 51st Annual GBTA Convention, which was held Aug. 3-7 in Chicago, brought together over 7,000 travel industry professionals. The sold-out Expo Floor was packed with over 400 exhibitors touting their business travel products and services. Technology topics were among the hottest tickets for Center Stage panels, including a standing-room-only discussion of the changes being brought about by IATA’s New Distribution Capabilities, both today and in the future.
Another session focused on disruptive technology, what circumstances generate the need for innovation, and how a solutions-based approach can meet various business challenges. Cvent CEO Reggie Aggarwal, who led the panel, summed up the exchange with the comment that in the business travel environment, being innovative is a matter of survival.
This year’s convention produced a wave of technology news and new products. This month’s Tech Files reports on some of the important developments that came out of Chicago this August.
IATA Launches NDC Matchmaker
The International Air Transport Association has launched NDC Matchmaker, a free, web-based tool designed to bring more visibility to travel distribution stakeholders that are collaborating on implementation of New Distribution Capability. The solution enables airlines, travel sellers and content aggregators (such as GDSs) to search, compare and connect with NDC partners. The tool increases transparency of NDC capabilities and facilitates cooperation among different participants in the air travel booking chain. Yanik Hoyles, IATA’s director, industry distribution programs, said the NDC Matchmaker responds to corporate travel buyers’ need to have greater insight into airlines, travel sellers and aggregators participating in the NDC space. The solution already includes more than 80 NDC connections between airlines and their travel seller partners.
Frequent Business Travelers More Likely to Book on Smartphones
The most active business travelers are most likely to book flights on their smartphones, according to research conducted by CWT. Travelers who make more than five trips annually are 13 percent more likely to book on their smartphones, while travelers revisiting a location are 11 percent more likely to do so. Mobile bookings are also more likely to be in higher fare classes. Compared to bookings made on a computer, bookings made on a smartphone are 15.8 percent more likely to be in business class, 15 percent more likely to be premium economy and 8.4 percent more likely to be first class. The results also show the closer to the departure date, the more inclined travelers are to book through their mobiles; nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of mobile bookings are done between one day and one week prior to departure, compared to only 28 percent of computer bookings.
Serko and FaceMe Debuts ‘Digital Human’
Serko and FaceMe Debuts ‘Digital Human’ Serko and FaceMe have unveiled what the companies call the world’s first digital human (a realistic, visual representation of a human created by artificial intelligence) designed to be used for corporate travel bookings. The integration, specifically applied to the corporate travel and expense management industry, gives users a seamless “face to face” conversational experience through a virtual customer service representative. FaceMe’s digital human will be integrated with Serko’s Zeno product, which processes up to 20,000 bookings per day, and manages around $4.5 billion of corporate travel expenditure every year. Zeno is an online booking tool that uses intelligent technology, predictive workflows and a global travel marketplace to create better business travel.
BCD Travel Launches New Version of TripSource
BCD Travel has unveiled a new version of its TripSource app which allows travelers to securely shop, book and manage all aspects of their trip experience directly from their mobile devices. The new edition, said the company, is built from the ground up and leverages the latest mobile technology “to deliver a rich and intuitive user interface.” The new version includes self-service features like self-booking and canceling, pre-trip planning and booking, improved design and navigation, and client brand and policy, which offers the option of co-branding the app with company logo and colors. A new mobile development platform also allows for faster introduction of new features.
FCM’s New Marketplace Created to Centralize Content
FCM Travel Solutions has created Marketplace, a virtual gateway to the TMC’s proprietary and specially negotiated airfares, hotel rates, car rental and rail booking options. FCM says the move gives clients access to specialist fares from 420 airline partners, 112 global rail providers and car rental deals in 97 countries. Marketplace also offers 20 million room rates including 5 million negotiated rates at 650,000 properties globally and 2.3 million “exclusive” promotional room night rates at 60 hotel brands worldwide. According to the company, launching this virtual gateway is part of FCM’s approach to giving customers access to a wider choice of business travel content via multi-channel online and offline sources from across its global network.
Travel Leaders Adds Yapta to Price Optimizer
Travel Leaders Corporate has announced the availability of the Price Optimizer, a fully automated solution for air and hotel price assurance. The capability utilizes Yapta’s FareIQ and RoomIQ technology to identify the best available price on air and hotel bookings. The technology voids original tickets or hotel reservations and re-books clients at the lower price in like-for-like seating or accommodations without the need for manual intervention. With Price Optimizer, travel advisors have full visibility into all transactions – both automated and manual – and can make adjustments in the product’s parameters for individual clients to customize how and when the solution interacts with reservations. Client reporting also includes a breakout of automated reservations and cost savings details.
Deem Launches First Virtual Payment Program
Deem Launches First Virtual Payment ProgramDeem has introduced its first virtual payment provider program with Conferma Pay, a company specializing in virtual card technology. The new program allows corporations to use virtual payment solutions for travel spend, starting with hotel bookings and extending to airfare and ground transportation. Virtual payment gives corporations a central method to bill services, and a new option for auditing and accounting for travel spend, helping corporations mitigate security risk and fraud. The virtual payment program service is available for hotel content across all GDS with a direct integration to Conferma Pay via their API and is available for profiled and non-profiled users of the platform.
Airbnb for Work Introduces ‘Work Trip’ Toggle
Airbnb for Work has introduced a work trip toggle that users can click on to customize their search results for business travel. Search results are shown based on social recommendations including positive ratings and ratings from past business travelers, along with places where hosts indicate there are smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. At the beginning of their search, individuals can select the “For Work” toggle on the main page to find work-friendly listings. By asking travelers at the start of their search, search results are improved and show listings more relevant for business trips. Previously, the site had asked if trips were for business travel at checkout to help with expensing or to allow guests to charge their companies directly.
Traxo Teams With easyJet
Traxo and European carrier easyJet have announced a partnership that will allow corporate customers visibility into bookings made directly on easyJet’s website, by integrating the Traxo CONNECT platform to their internal systems.The platform enables corporate travel managers to see when employees bypass their company’s corporate travel agency. Traxo CONNECT provides visibility of those previously “blind” bookings by bringing bookings made directly with the travel supplier into managed travel workflows, resolving the challenge of tracking bookings.
Star Alliance and NEC Partner for Biometric Solutions
Star Alliance and NEC Corporation, an IT, network and biometric technology company, have formed a partnership to develop a biometric data-based identification platform for customers who are in the frequent flier loyalty programs of the Alliance’s member carriers. For Star Alliance customers who opt-in, biometric technology will allow them to pass through curb-to-gate touchpoints within airports that traditionally have required both a passport and boarding pass, using a secure identity management solution featuring facial recognition technology. Star Alliance and NEC aim to introduce the first biometric solution at an airport hub by the first quarter of 2020.
