Business Travel News - April 27, 2009 - (Page 1)

APRIL 27, 2009 INSIDE Airlines To Test Tracking Unbundled Charges . . 3 Booking Tool Fees Go Past Transactions . . . . 4 Amex To Enable Online Holds For Mtg. Res . . 6 Corporate Housing Shedding Inventory . . . . 16 EuroBTN: BA Resumes Agent Incentives . . . 18 6 20 FINCH PLANTS GREEN ROOTS SW PREPS JUNE NYC LAUNCH BTNonline.com Autodesk expands CEO Gary Kelly carbon emissions details Southwest’s reduction program. new LGA service. Alliance Immunity Altering Airspace deals and force companies into alliance agreements rather than individual carrier arrangements. Assuming approval of pending applications, three clusters of immunized carriers are poised to control more than 80 percent of the North Atlantic market, U.S. Department of Transportation data show. DOT this month tentatively approved a joint venture of four Star Alliance members and BY JAY BOEHMER Continental Airlines. SkyTeam Global distribution systems and travel agencies are racing to meet members Delta, Air France, newly established U.S. Transportation Security Administration re- Northwest and KLM already quirements for airlines to begin requesting passengers’ full names are restructuring their anbeginning May 15, and date of birth and gender on Aug. 15, as part titrust-immune corporate proof Secure Flight, the passenger- grams, and a proposed joint prescreening program that has American Airlines-British Airbeen rife with delays and shifting ways-Iberia venture is heading compliance dates. toward approval later this year. Increasing momentum for antitrust-immune airline alliances is sparking industry concern that the consolidation of airline power will alter corporate buyer leverage for negotiating transatlantic BY JAY BOEHMER JESSICA PATTERSON STODDARD Secure Flight Roils Booking Tech MANAGING THE GREAT RECESSION McGraw-Hill’s Mona Jageman, Shell Oil’s Debra Reid and Mitre’s Paul Schnizler discuss challenging times. See page 12. Downturn Discussions Dominate ACTE Conference Postmaster: Newspaper Handling/Periodicals Postaage Continued on page 26 Continued on page 8 Washington, D.C. - Even with Association of Corporate Travel Executives president and Booz & Co. director of global sourcing and travel Doug Weeks’ talk of focusing on economic recovery rather than downturn during the opening general session, the recesSABRE CEO GILLILAND sion weighed heavily on buyers and suppliers throughDoesn’t see 2010 rebound out this month’s ACTE Global Education Conference, presented in partnership with Business Travel News. A preponderance of travel buyers reported their companies’ year-over-year travel volumes were down significantly—some by as much as 50 percent. A straw poll conducted by BTN editors during a Corporate Travel 100 benchmarking sesContinued on page 24 Hotel Compliance Rising But Lagging BY MICHAEL B. BAKER Traveler compliance with preferred hotel programs, though improving, still trails other policy aspects, and buyers are reporting emerging challenges in recent months as competing hotel deals that beat negotiated rates tempt travelers to book outside the program. “Compliance with preferred hotel programs is still not what it needs to be,” American Express Global Advisory Services vice president Frank Schnur said. “Travel managers need to be even more Continued on page 10 http://www.BTNonline.com http://www.koreanair.com http://www.koreanair.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Business Travel News - April 27, 2009

Business Travel News - April 27, 2009
Airlines To Test Tracking Unbundled Charges
Contents
Contents (cont'd)
Booking Tool Fees Go Past Transactions
Inside Track
Amex To Enable Online Holds For Mtg. Res
Profiles In Travel Mgmt
Forum
Corporate Housing Shedding Inventory
Lodging
EuroBTN: BA Resumes Agent Incentives
EuroBTN
Destinations

Business Travel News - April 27, 2009