Fifty companies ranging in size from about $500,000 to $5 million in U.S. booked air volume now have implemented Orbitz For Business
(BTN, July 29), and another 100 companies have enrolled, said Dave Cerino, Orbitz general manager of corporate travel. "We're also speaking actively to numerous Fortune 500 companies." After offering a new travel arranger function, Orbitz this week told
BTN the company's second phase of development for the corporate offering, now underway, by year-end will allow for the use of Universal Air Travel Plan payment options. Another feature on the way is support for reason codes, meaning travelers not choosing the lowest fares can be required by buyers to check client-defined boxes indicating why. Finally, the site recently turned on seat maps. Though Orbitz continues to close the feature gap between its offering and more established corporate self-booking tools, Cerino said, "There will probably be things we'll never do," such as biasing displays by price. "But we've leaped the competition in terms of our ability to offer a low-cost solution, and we're way ahead in customer care." As for something on the drawing board that almost no booking sites now have, he said, "We're still looking at automated reissues."
Chicago-based accounting firm Centerprise Advisors--which employs about 1,000 people in seven regional firms--was among the first to utilize the Orbtiz's online travel agency. Before settling on Orbitz for Business, Centerprise had tried several travel management options: individual travel agencies at its regional firms, a consolidated national corporate travel agency and a host of Internet-based "low-fare" Web sites. "Name the site," Centerprise COO, Mike Berent said. "We've probably used it." The company was disappointed with both the traditional travel agency model and the Internet booking tools that claimed the lowest fares. Berent felt agencies Centerprise worked with "were unable to keep up with the demands on really finding the lowest cost provider, especially from an airline perspective" and that the inconsistent use of Web sites by employees was not beneficial. Centerprise also has seen a 30 percent to 40 percent reduction in service charges.