Business Travel Management

Travel Agents Were The Norm

If you wanted to secure the best deal on business travel arrangements, you contacted an agent who then proceeded to gather a listing of flights, hotels and auto rentals and made arrangements to fit your itinerary. It made good business sense.

That was the way it used to be. No longer.

Today travel agents are fast becoming a thing of the past. This trend started several years ago when airlines began offering similar travel services, undercutting independent agents and decreasing commissions. Independent travel agents quickly found their earnings squeezed or were driven out of the business altogether. Now the lone independent agent has been replaced by business travel management companies who combine travel agencies, big bucks and technology to provide an array of services to the business traveler.

Business Travel Management Turnkey Solutions

These companies offer a turnkey solution to travel management. Technology allows them to quickly select the best and most cost-effective travel arrangements with only short notice, providing arrangements that both focus on and reflect the bottom line needs of their customers.

Travel On The Internet

Clicking on Web sites to make travel arrangements have made business travel both easier and more complicated. Wading through the array of travel classes, discounts, special deals, hotel accommodations and auto rentals while matching itinerary amidst changing prices and rerouting due to rising jet fuel prices can be confusing and frustrating. Using the Internet has simplified things, in that one can search 24/7/365 for information. Gathering all of this information into a coherent plan takes a great deal of time, time better spent in running daily business operations for the small business owner.

Some companies have formed their own business travel management departments that take on those tasks. These travel managers tap into the resources of the Internet or contract out to other companies who specializes in doing all of these tasks under one roof. Most of these travel management companies are geared towards the corporate world, but depending upon the size of your company and your monthly or yearly travel requirements, you can benefit from their services. These companies constantly update their own Web sites with changing information on airline delays, terminal conditions, weather, city maps and ground transportation availability. They can offer the best deals because they have partnered with several vendors in the travel industry, passing the savings onto their customers.

How You Can Benefit

Other information provided includes health advisories for national and international locations, strike updates and travel alerts through a large number of links or encapsulated information. The benefits to the business traveler is faster connections and far less time spent arranging itineraries that can save money. Travel management companies do this by negotiation with air, car, and hotel vendors, using their buying power to cut the best deals. They can also provide detailed expense reports necessary for your accounting departments, travel manager or you as the business owner who wants to keep track of employee travel expenses.

They also provide customer service to handle upgrades, refunds, notifications of delays and last minute changes you make including cancellations, rescheduling due to illness or sudden changes in plans.

Business travel management companies can help save you money not only by saving time, but money through analysis of your current spending, and by offering savings options to help you develop customized travel policies that fit your needs

Business Travel Management Web Sites

CorpTravel.com

Business Travel Plus

Travelocity Business Services

Omega Travel Management

TQ Navigant

Safe Harbors Travel Group

TD Business Travel