Worldspan has added a cost-saving enhancement to its online self-booking tool, Worldspan Trip Manager XE. A new variance tool gives corporate travel administrators expanded features that set spending limits and enforce travel policy while business travellers are booking flights online.

The variance tool provides an added flight policy option to better manage compliance with unique travel policies. Trip Manager XE already enabled travel administrators to establish maximum airfare policies; however, the new tool lets them set different parameters based on either an amount or a percentage over the lowest available airfare. If a business traveller books a flight with a greater variance than what the settings allow, the booking is flagged. Corporate travel administrators have choices in how the system treats such bookings, including traveller alerts and flexible settings that determine if bookings are allowed or programmatically inhibited. Administrators can change variance amounts at any time.

“Trip Manager XE lowers our costs and keeps spending under control, and this is due in good part to the accuracy of Worldspan’s fares and pricing system. We trust it, and we take full advantage of new enhancements to achieve greater performance,” said Bonnie Darkey, corporate travel manager for global investment bank Lazard. “Worldspan also offers the friendliest shopping and booking tools for travellers, which is critical for the success of any self-booking program.”

“Worldspan is pleased to enrich Trip Manager XE with this cost-saving enhancement. It gives travel administrators new ways to set spending limits, making Trip Manager XE an even more flexible tool in meeting a corporation’s unique business goals,” said Graham Nichols, Worldspan vice president and general manager - EMEAA.

Worldspan Trip Manager XE is a leading, Web-based travel management system in use by corporations and their travellers worldwide. Travellers can book trips online in less than four minutes using the same shopping, booking and ticketing tools employed by several of the largest travel Web sites. Global travel content is supplied in real-time via the Worldspan global distribution system (GDS). Users have access to industry-leading fares and pricing tools, including Worldspan e-PricingSM, the global standard in low-fare shopping technology.
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