Concur now is enabling booking tool clients to shop and book
Amtrak though an integrated air-rail display, taking advantage of a direct
connection to the railway provider's reservations system. Concur follows
NuTravel Technology Solutions and Rearden Commerce in offering Amtrak rail content
through direct connect technology.
"The direct connection between Amtrak's reservations
system and the Concur Connect program will not only provide easier access for
Amtrak passengers booking rail travel, it will also provide a side-by-side
comparison of a client's rail and air travel options," said Amtrak senior
director of travel industry sales Craig White, noting that comparing rail with
air options is particularly attractive to corporate clients on the Northwest
Corridor. With this new direct connection to Amtrak's reservations system,
Concur clients can book point-to-point or multi-segment trips, cancel or put
reservations on hold and complete payment and ticketing through the booking
tool.
Concur joins NuTravel, which last year launched an Amtrak
direct connection to the NuTravel CTS corporate self-booking tool via an
application programming interface, and Rearden, which Amtrak said accesses its
direct connect through a third party.
This story originally
appeared in the August 9, 2010, edition of Business Travel News.