CWT To Offer Mobile Services Later This Year
Carlson Wagonlit Travel today announced an agreement with mobile technology providers ConTgo and WorldMate to offer products and services through SMS and smartphone platforms, the latest in several deals boosting the mobile capabilities of the mega agencies.
Similarly, American Express Business Travel last week announced a collaboration agreement with WorldMate to provide travelers with itinerary information and updates through BlackBerry devices. American Express already has worked with Rearden Commerce and its Mobile Personal Assistant to provide itinerary information to BlackBerry users, while BCD Travel has partnered with online itinerary platform TripIt to provide mobile travel information.
Through the new agreement, CWT will provide travelers with itineraries via ConTgo's SMS platform and WorldMate's BlackBerry and iPhone applications, which also will be compatible with the Android platform later this year. Additionally, the WorldMate application can alert travelers about delayed and canceled flights and consolidate transactions from multiple online booking tools. Travelers also can access data from CWT's security tools, such as health alerts and destination information, through their mobile phones.
"Today, mobile connection is a must for business travelers," CWT president of suppliers, products and technology Andrew Winterton said in a statement. "Companies that do not offer travelers a managed mobile solution incur higher costs, inadvertently encourage noncompliant decisions and risk the spread of confidential information through social networks."
Travel Tech Consulting president Norm Rose said the agreements are the latest step in corporate travel management catching up to the tools that business travelers already are turning to for travel planning and information. "Travelers are used to an environment where they can get what they want, so stepping up to the bar with applications is something that's absolutely needed," he said. "Going with third parties is the right move, because these are companies that have established applications that have had a certain amount of success with small businesses and individual customers."