<B>TechTalk</B>
<B>Internet Travel Stocks Get Their Own Index</B>
Internet travel intelligence company PhoCusWright earlier this month unveiled TRAVdex, the first stock index for the publicly traded online travel companies, available at http://sites.stockpoint.com/travdex/travdex.asp. Every 20 minutes, the site updates stock prices on 19 foreign and domestic online travel companies, including Galileo International, GetThere Inc., Pegasus Solutions and Sabre Inc. "Stock prices are now the most dynamic metric in the economy," said Philip Wolf, president and CEO of PhoCusWright. "It's now woven into everyday business decisions." Data for TRAVdex is provided by San Francisco-based Stockpoint, and is calculated using a weighted average based on market capitalization.
<B><A NAME="2">GetThere To Add Limos, New Midmarket Offering</B>
GetThere Inc. last week announced it will offer bookings for online sedan, black car, limousine and van/bus services through partnerships with InterRide, a ground transportation infrastructure company, and LimoStation.com, a car service network. According to GetThere, the ground transportation industry generates about $4 billion in revenues from business travel. Meanwhile, sources said the company is working with several partners to approach the middle market about a "packaged solution." The initiative prompted one technology consultant to say GetThere is "being smarter about the midmarket than anyone else." GetThere already works with American Express and British Airways on midmarket products. Also, GetThere last week announced it's first corporate travel procurement win in Europe, Electrolux.
<B><A NAME="3">Extensity Stresses Wireless, Rival Doesn't Concur</B>
Extensity Inc. earlier this month continued its surge of announcements related to making its applications in expense management and other areas available on wireless devices. The company's Mobile Connect program will become available through the AT&T Wireless Digital PocketNet service, which provides wireless Internet data service to business customers, as well as Nextel phones and Motorola communications through distributor Bearcom. Bearcom also will make Extensity Connect available through its Cellhire temporary cellular phone rentals. Extensity also demonstrated a prototype of voice recognition capabilities for wireless devices. Extensity cited "overwhelming demand for bringing enterprise applications to wireless phones," but competitor Concur said it isn't seeing that now. Raj Singh, Concur's executive vice president of marketing, said wireless will gain a foothold in the corporate market "over time," but for now the company is focused on "real return on investment today."
<B><A NAME="4">Sabre Elevates Marketplace, Hosting, Bargain Finder</B>
Moving beyond the travel industry, as many experts have suggested the global distribution systems should do, Sabre Holdings earlier this month announced it will offer Web hosting services for I2 Technologies and TechnologyNet Inc. I2 Technologies provides content and marketplace platforms for companies to create both private and public marketplaces, and TechnologyNet Inc. is a marketplace for the IT industry. Sabre last week released its Sabre Marketplace procurement platform. Available to more than 15,000 U.S.-based Sabre agencies, the Marketplace already has allowed agents to purchase office supplies, print services and gifts for clients via their computer desktops. The GDS also enhanced access to the lowest fares available in its system through the Bargain Finder Plus pricing tool and enabled agents to specify same-carrier service and maximum number of stops. Bargain Finder Plus evaluates alternate itineraries that meet the traveler's needs at a lower price by searching more than 50,000 fare combinations, alternative airlines, times of day and booking class.
<B><A NAME="5">Galileo, Worldspan Shuffle Management</B>
Worldspan promoted Tim Wright to staff vice president of e-commerce as part of the continuing shakeout from a recently announced management reporting structure designed to support its three business lines of electronic commerce, GDSs and travel supplier services. Previously, Worldspan named Bill Lowry vice president of operations and customer service and promoted Vela McClam-Mitchell to vice president of worldwide e-commerce business development. Also, to manage corporate products, Worldspan recently promoted Michael Mabrouk to director of e-commerce corporate sales, responsible for sales of Worldspan's TripManager booking system "and ancillary products." Galileo International announced that Kenneth Stone had taken the role of vice president for global subscriber marketing--the key liaison with the travel agency subscriber community. Previously, Stone worked for software company MicroStrategy Inc. after 11 years with Amdahl Corp. and three years at US Sprint Communications.