Worldspan to Integrate Trip Manager into PNCBuys

23 July 2002

Worldspan
, the leader in global
reservation systems and e-commerce for the travel industry, has announced an
agreement with The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. to integrate the
Worldspan Trip Manager(R) online travel management solution into PNCBuys, the
company`s electronic procurement platform.
(Caption, Mike Parks, senior vice president and general manager Worldwide Travel Distribution for
Worldspan)
Based on Buyer e-procurement
technology from Ariba, the leading provider of Enterprise Spend Management
(ESM) solutions, PNCBuys automates and manages the purchase of corporate goods
and services for PNC, one of the nation`s largest diversified financial
services organizations.

“The customized integration of Trip Manager with PNCBuys will bring us one
step closer in our efforts to successfully merge all of PNC`s corporate
commodity purchases, including travel, into one cost-effective procurement
solution,” said Troy Baker, Chief Financial Officer for PNC`s Technology and
Processing Services Group.
“The integration of Worldspan Trip Manager functionality into Ariba Buyer,
a market leader in enterprise e-procurement technology, extends and
strengthens Trip Manager`s competitive advantage over other online corporate
booking tools, which do not integrate with Ariba Buyer,” commented Mike Parks
,
senior vice president and general manager Worldwide Travel Distribution for
Worldspan. “We are very pleased that The PNC Financial Services Group
selected Trip Manager as their online travel management solution, and we
commend the diligence and expertise of the joint Worldspan-PNC technology
development team in integrating the Trip Manager and PNCBuys solutions.”
In addition to enabling PNC to offer travel through the PNCBuys platform,
the Trip Manager solution provides pre-trip authorization using PNCBuys
integrated approval hierarchy and integrated user authentication.
“We evaluated a number of competitive booking tools and were very
impressed with Worldspan`s turnkey approach to online travel management,
encompassing cost efficiency, integration capabilities, implementation
services, and long-term support,” said Baker. “Worldspan has established a
strong team dedicated to the development and support of our travel program.
That`s the level of commitment we need to ensure a seamless integration and
successful implementation.”

Worldspan`s Enterprise Integration Solutions (EIS) group played an
essential role in the Trip Manager/PNCBuys integration. The EIS group brings
together cross-functional expertise in all key e-commerce processes, including
business planning, product development, technical operations, and sales and
marketing. This team of experienced professionals provided the consulting
services and project management necessary to make the Trip Manager/PNCBuys
integration successful.
Development work for integrating Trip Manager into PNCBuys has been
completed. PNC is in the process of piloting the integrated solution with a
defined set of PNCBuys users, with a company-wide launch scheduled for next
month.

Today, more than 1,100 businesses have chosen Worldspan Trip Manager(R) as
their online travel management solution. By migrating their travel
procurement process to Trip Manager, companies can maximize compliance with
corporate travel policy and strengthen preferred supplier relationships,
reducing corporate travel costs significantly. With Trip Manager,
corporations can realize savings of 20 percent or more on travel management
expenditures.
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