Worldspan Targets European Business Travel with Ground-Breaking E-Commerce Initiative

Worldspan, the leading supplier of travel technology, today announced the launch of a new set of products and services to allow businesses to switch their travel booking and management processes online.

The company, which already processes more than 50 per cent of all online travel agency bookings through customers including Priceline, Orbitz, Expedia, thomascook.com, and lastminute.com, has used its e-commerce experience to create a unique set of online business travel tools which can cut travel spends by up to 20 per cent.

As well as streamlining the travel management process and creating a range of benefits for the business traveller, Worldspan’s new offering will also integrate fares and availability from low-cost airlines into the booking process for the first time. The new ‘Making Business Travel’ initiative is being launched initially in the UK, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Graham Nichols, Worldspan’s vice president and general manager for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, said:

“Worldspan’s e-commerce solutions have revolutionised the online market for leisure travel and today, more than half of all online travel agency bookings pass through our system.

“We’ve taken that expertise and applied it to the business travel market, with the launch of our ‘Making Business Travel’ initiative.

“Our set of products and services marks a new direction for travel technology in the corporate sector. Companies need far more than a piece of booking software on the desktop – and so we’ve created a full offering that makes a real difference to the travel process for businesses and their agencies.”

‘Making Business Travel’ offers a set of travel booking and management tools, coupled with technology consulting to ensure companies and their agencies realise significant benefits from taking their travel processes online.

These tools include the Worldspan Trip ManagerSM solution, a proven online self-booking tool for business travellers used by more than 1,100 corporations in the US; My Trip and More, an online travel itinerary management solution that allows travellers to check their travel plans anywhere in the world; and Total Rates, Worldspan’s soon-to-be-launched application which will allow companies to look-and-book low cost and web air fares within their travel management systems.

These tools can be integrated seamlessly into companies’ existing travel and financial management information systems, ensuring full control over travel and expense budgets.

It is this integration, says Nichols, which is critical:

“Many companies fail to see real benefit from online travel products because of a lack of integration into current systems. In fact, for many companies, the Internet has simply led to a loss of control over Travel & Expenses (T&E) spends because employees use it to book out-of-policy and out-of-system – meaning travel managers have little idea of who’s doing what and spending what.

“Our open technology systems mean we have been able to develop a truly integrated product suite that brings real cost and efficiency benefits to companies.

“A clear example is our focus on including low-cost airline availability and booking within the system. Not only will this allow direct comparison of all the travel options available, it means travel spend on low-cost airlines will be integrated into the companies’ main financial information systems.”

Worldspan is now working with a number of companies and business travel agencies as launch customers for the ‘Making Business Travel’ initiative.

Nichols said:

“A key lesson from our experience in the States is that business travel requires a truly collaborative approach. The greatest benefit for the corporation is seen when the technology provider, the business travel agency and travel suppliers work together. The agencies that will benefit are the ones which embrace the opportunities offered by this new technology.”

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About Worldspan:
Worldspan is a leader in travel technology resources for travel suppliers, travel agencies, e-commerce sites and corporations worldwide. Utilizing fast, flexible and efficient networks and computing technologies, Worldspan provides comprehensive electronic data services linking approximately 800 travel suppliers around the world to a global customer base. The company offers industry-leading Fares and Pricing technology such as Worldspan e-PricingSM, hosting solutions, and customized travel products, including Worldspan Travel EnginuitySM. Worldspan enables travel suppliers, distributors and corporations to reduce costs and increase productivity with best-in-class technology like Worldspan Go!® and Worldspan Trip Manager®. Worldspan is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Additional information is available at http://www.worldspan.com.

For further information, contact:
Blair Drummond or Lis Griffiths, Four Communications, Tel: +44 020 77 63 59 99/85, Email: [email protected], or [email protected]