Corporate booking tools offer a range of benefits to both travellers and
travel agencies - but agencies ignore them at their peril, according to
Worldspan chief Graham Nichols.

Nichols, vice president - Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia, for
Worldspan, is speaking at Business Travel 2002 in London, where he will
outline the benefits and challenges offered by the new generation of booking
tools.

“In the US, our corporate booking product is used by travel agencies to add
value to their relationships with more than 1,100 corporate customers.  It
allows them, together, to plan, track and police travel expenditure far more
effectively.

“Most importantly, it allows travel agencies to deliver travel - not
technology - skills in these relationships.  Instead of inputting
reservation requests, they are adding real value to the travel management
process.

“But many agencies still see such products as a threat.  And I would warn
them not to ignore these new developments as they roll out in the British
market over the next two years.  Corporates do want greater control over
their travel expenditure - and agencies should work with them to achieve
this.”

Worldspan`s market research has shown that US companies waste more than $35
billion a year, through employees travelling `out of policy`.  Trip
Managersm, which provides easy-to-use booking tools at the employees
desktop, offers far greater control over travel policies and greater
cost-control. 

Worldspan recently unveiled the latest version of Worldspan Trip Managersm,
including a fresh new graphical user interface with refined navigation
features and significantly improved system performance that will allow
business travellers to book trips online more quickly and with fewer steps
than ever before.

www.worldspan.com

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