Amtrak and GetThere(TM), a Sabre company, have announced an agreement that
will enable business travelers to book Amtrak using GetThere`s online
corporate travel reservation system. 
Through this new alliance, GetThere
will
integrate Amtrak reservations into its system, thus making rail travel
available in the corporate travel reservation system used by more than 800 of
the country`s top corporations including half of the Fortune 200.
 
Online air, car rental, and hotel reservations have become a significant
and fast-growing percentage of corporations` travel bookings.  With GetThere`s
Amtrak
integration, users will have the ability to view rail options alongside
air travel options and make a selection.  Once complete, a user`s reservation
will include any rail selections in the context of their complete reservation
and itinerary, rather than as a separate booking.
 
“Our alliance with GetThere gives millions of travelers at America`s
largest companies the convenience of booking their Amtrak reservation online,”
said Barbara J. Richardson, Amtrak`s executive vice president.  “As Americans
increasingly choose Amtrak as their travel alternative, the ability for
business travelers to book their entire trip online, including rail, means an
even greater number of travelers will consider Amtrak when making their
business travel plans.”
 
“Many companies are already cutting travel costs significantly, simply
because employees make good decisions when they see their choices online.
Corporate employees are now more seriously considering taking the train for
certain trips instead of flying, both to save money and even to save time.  To
make this process work most effectively, travelers may need to see rail
options on the same page as flights, and we will make that completely
seamless,” noted Mark Orttung
, vice president of Product Marketing at
GetThere.
 
“When our employees make their travel reservations online through the
GetThere system, we see substantial cost savings, so it is important to drive
the maximum employee usage,” said Alex McAdam of Freddie Mac (Federal Home
Loan Mortgage Corporation), a GetThere customer.  “In the northeast corridor,
rail is an integral part of corporate travel, and the GetThere and Amtrak
integration provides yet another incentive for our travelers to book travel
online.”
 
To integrate rail reservations, GetThere is using technology it created to
directly connect airline, hotel, and car rental suppliers to the GetThere
travel reservation system.  The most important facet of the technology is how
it provides the traveler with an integrated view of options on their screen.
Another key component is called GetThere SuperPNR(TM) (Passenger Name Record),
the system that stores a traveler`s trip record, or itinerary.  SuperPNR
maintains a record of bookings from many different sources, such as an air
booking made through a global distribution system, a direct booking from a
hotel, and a direct booking with Amtrak.  This combined record keeps a
corporation`s travel spending and trend information consolidated and helps
corporate agents support travelers who are on the road.
 
The first phase of the Amtrak integration is underway with completion
anticipated this year.

Related stories on ITN:

(13/03/2002) Rosenbluth Selects Getthere to Provide Online Reservation System to Smaller Clients

(22/10/2001) Cathay Pacific To Use GetThere Technology For New Business Site.

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