2020 U.S.-Booked Air Volume: $39 million
Primary U.S. Payment Supplier: American Express
Primary U.S. Expense Supplier: Concur
Primary U.S. Travel Risk Management Supplier: ISOS
Consolidated Global TMC: Amex GBT
Technology and business services giant IBM in 2020 cut its
U.S.-booked air spending by more than 90 percent year over year, but its volume
has rebounded slightly in 2021.
The company last year renewed its contract with American
Express Global Business Travel to provide travel management services throughout
the world and worked closely with the TMC to help it manage hundreds of
thousands of dollars worth of unused airline ticket credits accrued due to the
pandemic.
In addition to prioritizing emergency pandemic response in
2020, IBM optimized its online booking tool to allow for longer flight
connection times, among other aspects, to accommodate Covid-related changes to
travel patterns.
IBM also refined IBM Travel Manager, a cognitive analytics
dashboard the company uses internally and offers to others outside the company,
and deployed reshopping automation.
The company also developed the IBM Digital Health Pass, a
mobile health verification solution that allows travelers to upload Covid-19
testing and vaccination statuses.