TMC

It was to be expected that the acquisition of Reed & Mackay in May 2021 would push TripActions into the high-end segment. But for the business travel start-up to announce the launch of a new VIP department just four months later is clearly a rush... " TripActions and the team at Reed &...

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is undoubtedly one of the major issues for the future of business travel. And if it is to be properly managed, it requires accurate information to help managers steer their travel policies accordingly. As far as hotel reservations are concerned, one of the main players, HRS, presented its...

American Express GBT's objective is to provide information to reassure business travellers and get their travel plans moving again, with the integration of new functionalities unveiled on 29 June. The TMC has enhanced its booking and reporting tools by integrating more information to provide business travellers with a better roadmap. Business travellers will be able to contribute...

With some two billion users every month, and global coverage in 180 countries, WhatsApp has long been the go-to communications tool for the general public and many professionals alike. So it's no surprise that American Express GBT has given in to the temptations of the mobile application, integrating it into its chat functions....

Bringing together a large proportion of the world's rail services in a single technological solution was already one of Trainline's strong points. Via its website and mobile app, this independent platform brings together the offerings of 270 rail and bus operators in 45 countries. That's millions of routes, fares and times...

Could this be the start of a vast domino effect in the business travel sector, and in particular the TMC sector? A few hours after the announcement of the takeover of Egencia by American Express GBT, another deal was unveiled by TripActions. The start-up specialising in business travel management is acquiring the services of Reed & Mackay, a prestigious...

Not surprisingly, the health crisis is accelerating the trend towards consolidation in the business travel sector. It was still necessary to identify the players involved. Unsurprisingly, American Express GBT is once again at the helm of these major manoeuvres: the TMC had already distinguished itself three years earlier by...

How did you experience the EVP 2021, converted to hybrid? Yorick Charveriat - The teams did a great job. The Meetings & Events division had already organised several virtual events, but following the new restrictions, we had to decide whether or not to continue with this EVP 2021. The participants and panellists were almost...

TMC "alternative": this is the new positioning advocated by FCM at the launch of its new visual identity on 10 March. The business travel agency's aim is to underline the flexibility it offers its customers in managing their business travel. The new technological platform currently under development will provide this flexibility. FCM...

American Express GBT is continuing its consolidation drive in the business travel market. The TMC has just acquired the Ovation Travel Group, for an undisclosed sum. Present in around a hundred countries around the world - and with 30 offices in the United States and the United Kingdom - the Ovation Travel...

How is a player like American Express GBT looking ahead to 2021? Despite the current climate, are there any sources of optimism or certainty? Yorick Charveriat - 2021 is fast approaching and the outlook is of course linked to the pandemic and the treatments and vaccines that will be introduced. The only thing...

On 30 September, business travel professionals were invited to attend the 29th EVP in digital format. Although they were unable to reveal the data from the traditional EVP barometer - an exercise made virtually impossible by the health and economic context - the American Express GBT managers did release a few figures. These are...

Has the travel agency model been weakened by the past few months? Julien Kauffmann - On the contrary, I'd say that the current crisis has put the agency back centre stage. Its role has been reaffirmed, in particular through its ability to reassure travellers, to give them precise information on the conditions of their...

As part of its multi-channel strategy, American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) is enhancing both its instant messaging service and its Amex GBT Mobile application. Messaging on the Amex GBT mobile application, which enables travellers to chat with a travel adviser, has now gone live in more than 24 countries....

It is in this very special context that FCM Travel has just announced the launch of a Meetings & Events department dedicated to the French market. The business travel agency has set up a team of five employees, based in Paris. This new department, called FCM France Meetings and Events, is designed to offer a local service, tailored to...

Admittedly, this is not the time for all-out bookings in the business travel sector... But it is also important to prepare for the future, and CWT has therefore been working to improve the booking experience for its travellers. The business travel agency has been working on this issue, adopting a multi-pronged approach. Clearly, professionals...

Ventura Spa, which celebrated its 40th anniversary three years ago, is about to write a new page in its history. BCD Travel made it official on 4 February: TMC is buying out its Italian partner, with whom it has had close links since 2006, and creating a new entity, BCD Travel Italy. This new entity will retain...

Already a "trusted partner" of American Express GBT for several years, Kanoo Travel is to play a new role in TMC's strategy in this strategic market. The directors of the business travel agency have just announced plans for a joint venture, due to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year or early in the first quarter...

Egencia took advantage of the Business Travel Show, held in London on 20 and 21 February, to unveil some of its new features. Among them, the "Egencia Hotel Conversations" tool is designed to facilitate direct dialogue between business travellers and their establishments. The managers of the business travel agency are quick to point out that this is "the first time that Egencia has...

BCD Travel will be testing reservations using the New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard in partnership with the Lufthansa Group, parent company of the German airline as well as Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Brussels Airlines. This new distribution standard created by IATA is based on the use of XML technology to facilitate the exchange of information between airlines...