TQ3 TRAVEL SOLUTIONS CONTINUES TO BUILD UPON ITS STRENGTH IN EUROPE

02 August 2004, London – TQ3 Travel Solutions, one of the leading global travel management companies, is extending even greater service to its national and multinational clients throughout Europe, from today, with the announcement that it has signed two new partners in the European travel market. Aero Club – Russia’s market leader in Business Travel Management, and Cisalpina – a key player in the Italian market, have joined its global network. These new affiliations, alongside the recent launch of TQ3’s wholly-owned flagship operation and state-of-the-art Multinational Service Centre (MNSC) in Paris, France, will help to maximise TQ3 Travel Solutions’ capabilities across Europe, streamlining existing relationships with national and multinational clients. Opened in June 2004, the MNSC in France was developed by TQ3 to handle reservations in multiple languages from several different European countries. With advantages ranging from optimised cost reductions and streamlined processes to consistent travel policy application, the MNSC builds upon TQ3’s pioneering service centres already successfully established in Stuttgart, Germany and Mechelen, Belgium. Unlike other multinational centres that only focus on single-channel reservations, TQ3’s MNSC features include: – Multi-channel transaction processing – Service in multiple languages – Genesys state-of-the-art telephony for call routing to other sites – Centralised accounting for invoicing management and service in each country using local and country tax requirements – Centralised data collection, analyses and reporting The entire process is seamless for European travellers who only have to call one number to be connected to a TQ3 reservations consultant in Paris. Not only does the unique telephony system connect the caller to a consultant who speaks his or her language, the system attempts to route them to the same consultant, if the traveller has called in the previous 24 hours. Additionally, the MNSC builds upon TQ3’s commitment to customer care by utilising a sophisticated complaint management programme, to ensure complete satisfaction at each stage of the travel process. Toby Joseph, Global Chief Operating Officer of TQ3 Travel Solutions, also points out the MNSC’s benefits for the travel manager. “In addition to having economies of scale, it is more efficient to have one location for consolidated reporting and procedures, as well as travel policy implementation, which is extremely helpful for a pan-European travel programme,” said Joseph. He explained that economies of scale are achieved by booking travel from a single location, requiring only one building lease, one consultant team, and one telephone provider, as well as having a centralised accounting function that can accommodate various local and country tax requirements for invoicing management/service fees, and centralised processing of refunds based on different currencies. Alongside the successful launch of its new France-based MNSC, TQ3 was also celebrating the signing of two new partners within the European travel market. Founded in 1994, Aero Club’s 180 travel consultants last year helped to generate annual sales in the region of €30 million, of which 92% was as a result of business travel. In turn, Cisalpina’s 600 travel consultants reinforced its strong presence in the Italian travel market having last year generated turnover in excess of €350 million, of which 60% was as a result of business travel. – ENDS – Notes to Editors About TQ3 Travel Solutions TQ3 Travel Solutions is the leading provider of quality, innovative travel expense management solutions to companies worldwide. With system-wide revenues in excess of $11 billion, TQ3 operates 1,200 locations in over 80 countries. For more information about TQ3, please visit our website www.tq3.com. For further information, please contact: Melanie Garrett, Vice President Marketing EMEA APAC Tel: +44 (0) 207 153 3310 Mob: +44 (0) 7736 105257 [email protected] Rik Kumar, Communications Manager EMEA Tel +44 (0) 207 153 3315 Fax +44 (0) 207 153 3334 [email protected]