m-Travel.com and Travel Distribution News

Archive Category: Business travel

Corporate travel buyers to face a tough negotiating environment in 2006

By EyeforTravel.com Correspondent

The industry is experiencing a fair amount of “de-networking,” where certain managed travel companies are breaking up their ownership and management structures and seemingly curtailing their network’s global reach, says Andy McGraw, senior vice president and general manager, American Express Business Travel.

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CWT witnesses strong growth in 2005

Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) has shared that it has witnessed strong growth in 2005, with total sales generated under the CWT brand increasing 12 percent to $22 billion.

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Ctrip.com launches business travel service

Online travel service provider Ctrip.com International Ltd has launched a business travel service. The company shared that one reason for setting up a business travel unit is that demand from firms is high; companies have an increasing desire to cut down on costs as much as possible.

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American Express Business Travel adds more than 120 new clients

American Express Business Travel has signed more than $470 million worth business from North America headquartered clients for the months of January and February.

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Readerfeedback on our Business Traveller as the Business Travel Agent story

You mentioned the key word of " change", but its not just about
recognising it, its more about doing it. There is lots of technology
innovation going on but very little in the way of changing peoples ways
of thinking and acting. I have come across this in some areas but its
being driven by the corporate not the Business Travel Agent.

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The Business Traveller as the Business Travel Agent

Business travel is undergoing a technological revolution. How business people travel, how they book their travel – and how they think about travel is fundamentally changing.

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Portaga to facilitate efficiency in business travel

Offering a solution to logistical challenges in managing business
travel, Portaga, Inc. is gearing up for a patent-pending Smart Connect
technology that provides access to "competitively-priced travel services
with a single click from a desktop application."

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Out of office assistant is made redundant!

It appears that messages from out of office assistants will soon be a thing of the past, due to rapid advances in mobile technology for the business travel market. Business travellers can evidently now work seamlessly whilst on the move with WiFi hotspots and GPRS.

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TIA study finds 30% drop in business travel

WASHINGTON -- As economic troubles continue, nearly half of all business travelers are using alternative technology in place of travel, according to a recent study. The Travel Industry Association of America’s (TIA) latest consumer poll, the Air Travel Survey, examines the possible reasons for the continued declines in air travel. Sponsored by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the survey was based on a representative sample of 4,000 travelers who have traveled by air at least once in the past year.

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e-Travel launches hotel, Web fare search tool

WALTHAM, Massachusetts -- e-Travel, the e-commerce unit of Amadeus, is launching its Aergo (US) 5.0, the latest release of its online travel booking tool for corporations and travel agencies. Marketed as having new and improved features to make booking business travel as easy as booking leisure travel, Aergo (US) 5.0 offers business travelers a new interface, a wide range of search options for finding hotels, and access to Web-only fares from both major and low-cost airlines.

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New Unimobile version has travel services

FOSTER CITY, California -- Electronics For Imaging (EFI) is launching the latest version of its Unimobile enterprise messaging system. EFI says its Unimobile 5.0 enables companies in major vertical markets such as travel, banking and finance, media, and field services to roll out end-to-end mobile business solutions, the company said. Travel services will include flight notifications, gate change notifications, mobile ticketing, frequent flyer updates, mileage redemption, and in-flight text messaging.

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Air Canada selects TravelNet's DataValet

MONTREAL -- Air Canada has selected DataValet from TravelNet Technologies for high-speed Internet services in the airline's Maple Leaf Lounges. The DataValet service gives lounge visitors business tools such as plug-and-play high-speed Internet access, instant printing, and access to their corporate networks. The DataValet system will be used in 17 lounge locations across Canada.

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Concur demonstrates mobile expense reporting

SALT LAKE CITY -- Concur Technologies, a leading provider of corporate expense management systems, provided a live, hands-on demonstration of its latest mobile device offerings at this week at the year's National Business Traveler's Association (NBTA) tradeshow. Concur demonstrated its recently launched handheld device, imaging and voice integration solutions while its theatre presentation will feature eight case studies that demonstrate how its customers "have maximized ROI using Concur Expense."

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Business travel groups form international alliance

SALT LAKE CITY -- A group of business travel associations from around the globe announced today the formation of a new international alliance at the site of the National Business Travel Association's (NBTA) 34th Annual Convention and Trade Show.

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Travel Incorporated goes wireless with Air2Web

ATLANTA --Travel Incorporated, the 23rd largest travel management company in the United States, has contracted with BellSouth's wireless alliance partner, Air2Web, for mobile Internet service, enabling customers to receive travel delays, changes, security warnings and their full travel itinerary on any SMS phone, PDA, or Web-enabled phone. 

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British business travelers love their mobile phones

LONDON -- Half of British business travelers say that their mobile phone is the one item they couldn't live without while on a business trip, even more important than clean underwear, toothpaste and a razor, according to a survey conducted by Continental Research for Vodafone UK.

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TechTravelers releases managed travel suite

FAIRFAX, Virginia -- TechTravelers has launched its mTravel software suite, a managed travel software suite that will be marketed as being able to recover "previously lost expenses currently plaguing the business travel sector." The company describes its new product as an end-to-end travel solution that brings wireless, calendaring and notification to travelers. 

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Synchrologic offers small business mobile services

ATLANTA -- Analysts predict that by 2006 over half of the global workforce will be mobile and that more than 60% of these mobile workers will be employed by small or midsize businesses (SMBs). To meet the special needs of the SMB market, Synchrologic has introduced its Mid-Market Program to deliver services for mobile and wireless access to e-mail, calendar and other PIM information on Pocket PC, Windows CE or Palm OS devices. 

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Telia and HP promote wireless for air travelers

STOCKHOLM -- Telia Mobile and Hewlett Packard are running a promotional campaign to convince business travelers that wireless is the only way to go. For the next six weeks, all passengers passing through Stockholm's Bromma Airport can participate in the "Fly & Try" project and borrow a wireless PDA or a W-LAN card. They will also get a free 24-hour subscription to HomeRun, Telia's mobile service.

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Travelocity ranked best by business travelers

FORT WORTH, Texas --Travelocity.com has been ranked as the best Web site for business travelers booking travel, as well as the best Internet resource for booking hotels and flights for the third time in four years, according to a survey of Business Traveler magazine readers.

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TQ3 Maritz, i:FAO offer corporate travel services

DEARBORN, Mich. -- TQ3 Maritz Travel Solutions and the i:FAO Group have formed an alliance to market cytric, i:FAO's business travel eProcurement software. TQ3 Maritz will immediately begin offering cytric to their corporate customers, the companies said.

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Pumatech launches Real-time Enterprise PIM

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Pumatech, a major provider of enterprise-level software, is introducing what it calls "Real-time Enterprise" with the second edition of its Enterprise Intellisync. This version synchronizes PIM (personal information management), e-mail and custom database information among desktop PCs, servers and mobile devices.

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Amadeus e-Travel, Broadvision launch self-service

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- BroadVision, a leading provider of enterprise self-service applications, and e-Travel, a business unit of Amadeus, have introduced a new major version of BroadVision e-Travel. The companies said this is the first software application of its kind to offer the travel industry integrated support for leisure, managed and unmanaged travel markets with a new J2EE (Java 2, Enterprise Edition) framework.

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United Airlines launches wireless EasyUpdate

CHICAGO -- United Airlines has introduced EasyUpdate to its suite of wireless services. The company describes the new service as "a significant enhancement in the way United communicates to its customers."

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Amadeus picks Infotriever for new e-Travel unit

TORONTO -- Amadeus has chosen technology from Infotriever for the newly created business unit e-Travel that provides global services for airlines, corporations, travel agencies and other travel partners. Amadeus will deploy the Infotriever system across the portfolio of consumer and enterprise travel technology solutions of its e-Travel unit, enabling travelers to save itineraries to their desktop computers, PDAs and other handheld devices using Palm OS, MS Outlook, Lotus Notes and Act 2000.

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GetThere starts Travel Intelligence service

MENLO PARK, Calif. -- GetThere this week is launching what is described as "the first comprehensive information service integrated into an online corporate travel reservation system." Called GetThere Travel Intelligence, the service is intended to help corporate travelers prepare for, manage and avoid situations that can impact their security, safety, health or productivity. 

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Siemens presents wireless start-ups at 3GSM

CANNES -- Two systems of mobile travel reservations are among start-ups presented this week by Siemens Mobile Acceleration at the 3GSM World Congress. Eight months ago Siemens Mobile Acceleration started its operations with the announced goal of fostering start-up companies that focus on wireless technologies, platforms, and applications for GSM/GPRS, and UMTS mobile telephony.

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Rosenbluth offers business travel security suite

PHILADELPHIA -- Rosenbluth International, a business-to-business travel management company, has announced the launch of what the company is calling "the travel industry's first ever suite of interactive global security products." A major component of the Web-based system includes e-mail notices sent to a traveler's wireless device.

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Siemens launches TravelAngel mobile service

MUNICH -- Siemens Mobile Travel Solutions is launching TravelAngel, a mobile travel application for Siemens employees in Germany. The company has begun a project with partner ICM in Germany to introduce TravelAngel, a mobile application to support business travellers during their trips. 

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Cisco and IBM promote wireless mobile office

LAS VEGAS -- Focusing on the growth of the mobile workforce, Cisco and IBM announced at Comdex this week that they are teaming up to enable enterprises and public venues, such as hotels and convention centers, to set up secure, high-speed, business-class Internet access and other connectivity services. 

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Personalized mobile audio news service launched

ATLANTA  -- New technology is often over-sold and hyper-marketed as being unique and revolutionary. But, this week MobileBriefs launched a mobile audio news and information service that is truly a first. 

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Making your mobile phone go global

By Christopher Elliott | The Travel Technologist

It is without a doubt one of the most laughable but little-noticed ironies of the information age: our cellular phones don't like to travel. Think about it. Those ultra-light wireless devices that are meant to be taken everywhere are practically useless outside of North America. It's not that they aren't portable, per se, but that they're rarely compatible with another cellular network. You might as well leave the handsets at home. 

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PayStar offers wireless LAN for business travelers

LODI, Calif. -- PayStar is working with hereUare Communications to deploy public wireless LAN services throughout PayStar's business traveler InfoStation kiosk network. PayStar said this new partnership agreement positions the company as the leader in public Internet point-of-presence throughout major hotels, airports and convention centers. 

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Sabre, Motorola offer wireless to business travelers

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Sabre Holdings has announced the signing of an agreement with Motorola to power its Mobile Office Solution with travel and ticketing capabilities for mobile professionals. Motorola is integrating Sabre's wireless travel services as part of its Travel Connector component of the Mobile Office Solution.

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