Sabre's GetThere upgraded its corporate booking tool to include customizable features related to point-of-sale carbon emissions calculations and other environmental components, according to The Beat. GetThere officials said the upgrade is merely the first step in an effort to address increasing interest in tools for managing environmental impact among multinationals.
New features available worldwide to clients and agency resellers enable, for example, the selection of preferred carbon offset providers, enforcement of "green" travel policies during the booking process and the provision to travelers of various informational resources.
Customizable, dynamic messaging can be used throughout the booking process. In one example, the user would view estimated carbon emissions generated by flights on a given route while he or she waits on the system to deliver flight options. Such figures represent average emissions calculations for the itinerary, which are pre-loaded using the client's preferred carbon calculator. In availability displays, "green" indicators label suppliers based on client environmental initiatives, industry designations or a combination thereof. Pop-up messages can inform travelers about policy-driven preferred status.
If clients include rail options, the system first would show how emissions from a train trip stack up against a flight, and then include rail in the availability screen to allow price shopping. The availability screen does not currently enable travelers to sort itinerary options by total emissions.
Messaging also can address general or market-specific preferred hotel and car rental options, based on clients' environmental policies and suppliers' green initiatives . For example, the system could show which hotels in a given city meet certain sustainability standards or suggest travelers consider public transportation rather than a car.
Other product features allow links to carbon offset program providers or videoconferencing services. Travelers can be asked about the purpose of travel, why they are not using a videoconference or whether a car is necessary.
Post-trip carbon emissions reporting would be part of a later release, the spokesperson suggested. Sabre Travel Network in June 2006 said corporate travel management companies connected to its global distribution system can detail the environmental impact of client business travel with a reporting tool that calculates carbon emissions based on the number of booked air segments, flight distances and estimated fuel consumption.
A handful of travel management and technology companies previously publicized point-of-sale carbon emissions tools. Carlson Wagonlit Travel last October said it began testinga feature that would allow travelers to compare the environmental impact of itinerary choices. KDS in February demoed an updated version of its systemto allow a corporate users to "charge to" offsetting programs "at the click of a mouse." HRG has enabled HRG Online clients to signify environmental friendliness among suppliers in the booking display.
The new GetThere tools earned it a "commendation" from the Institute of Travel Management, which this week announced its first-ever awards for environmental leadership as part of its Project Icarus. By embedding carbon calculations into the booking process, GetThere is allowing travelers "to make informed decisions about the carbon impact of their choice of airline at the point of sale," ITM said. The association's panel of judges included industry consultants and researchers from academia. ITM noted that not all self-booking system providers were entered for award consideration. CWT won the Icarus award for the travel management company category.
Meanwhile, corporations continue to push for greener business travel by first documenting their carbon emissions footprints. Among the latest to do so is German bank WestLB, which learned that business travel generated 21 percent of its carbon footprint in 2006. The bank had tracked company emissions for several years, but just recently began using the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, which more specifically revealed the effect of business travel, according to its 2007 "Sustainability Report."
Since 2005, WestLB "significantly" cut air travel--which now represents about 75 percent of total kilometers traveled--while slightly increasing rail travel.
"Our travel guidelines encourage employees to travel by train instead of taking a plane," according to the report. "Given that many flights are attributable to the growing internationalization of our business, the optimization potential is limited, though. With a view to further reducing the emissions from business trips, WestLB will make growing use of videoconferences going forward."