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This blog is for anyone involved in the travel industry. I focus mostly on the procurement and management of corporate travel, with a bent toward best practices and innovation.
Tag Archives: Airlines
Innovation and Patents: Pros and Cons for Procurement
Are patents good or bad for the end consumer? OK, that’s pretty broad…how about this specific example concerning Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines: Virgin recently filed this patent infringement case against Delta over Delta’s use of a herringbone-style seating … Continue reading
Posted in Airlines, Innovation, Travel Procurement, Travel Suppliers
Tagged Airlines, Innovation, patent litigation, patents, Procurement, sourcing, travel innovation
1 Comment
Air Sourcing Academy a Big Hit
The first-ever one-day workshop on airline sourcing was a big success! About 70 delegates worked their way through the key success factors for sourcing this important spend category. NBTA‘s post-event survey measured two key factors: The change in the level … Continue reading
Why Ancillary Revenues Don’t Much Matter
Let’s cut to the nub of this issue. No one will ever know for sure if ancillary revenues make airlines more profitable. There are just too many moving parts in an airline’s revenue stream. Sure, airlines may report an extra … Continue reading
Job and Flight Roulette, Courtesy of D.O.T.
If Jeff Smisek, Continental Airline’s CEO, was a gambler, he probably wouldn’t play roulette. Why not? The odds are stacked too far in favor of the house. Mr. Smisek’s risk tolerances came to light at an investors’ conference earlier this … Continue reading
Three Myths About Sourcing Airlines – Part 2
(See Part 1 in this series here) Why Buying in Bulk Doesn’t Work Bulk buying (a.k.a. pre-paying) makes sense for many commodities, but not airfares. Why? Because it’s complex and expensive. It’s Complex Let’s say you want to bulk-buy $1 … Continue reading
Three Myths About Sourcing Airlines – Part 1
Given that air travel is typically a large spend item for most companies, it makes sense for procurement folks to attack it with extra energy and creativity. Here are three ideas that often come up: Consolidate air spend across a … Continue reading
Posted in Airlines, Travel Procurement
Tagged Airlines, bulk buy, consortia, sourcing, sourcing myths, travel procurement
5 Comments
Baking and Data Reporting
What the heck does baking have to do with travel data reporting, you ask? It makes for an interesting metaphor. I used this concept in the speech I gave at the ACTE Canada conference this week in Toronto. I’ll admit … Continue reading
Posted in Data, Education, Travel Policy
Tagged Airlines, best practices, clusters, data reporting, decision support, Hotels, travel data, Travel Policy
4 Comments
“Future Innovations in Airline Distribution” Condensed
Here are the highlights from my recent presentation at CASMA titled “Future Innovations in Airline Distribution”. The original deck has about 50 slides, but because it was designed for a live 60-minute speech, it’s hard to get the meaning of many … Continue reading
Posted in Airlines, Distribution, Innovation, Travel Technology
Tagged Airlines, CASMA, Distribution, GDS, Innovation, OTA, PNR, social media, social PNRs, TMC, travel agency, TripIt
12 Comments
