Concur Technologies is set to announce Wednesday that it has established direct connections between its self-booking tool and Hertz Corp. and Hilton Hotels Corp., as well as an upgraded direct connection to JetBlue Airways. Direct connections to Air Canada and Avis are set to be announced in a couple of weeks.
"Building these direct connects allows corporate clients to choose if they want to buy direct from the supplier or through a global distribution system," said Concur vice president and general manager for travel technology Thomas DePasquale, who revealed the forthcoming connections at a National Business Travel Association Think Tank in London. "It empowers the buyer to work with the supplier to ask, 'What do I get out of this?' This is a line item that the buyer can negotiate directly with the supplier."
Concur's booking tool already boasts direct connections to JetBlue, Virgin Blue, AirTran and Via Rail. DePasquale said the upgraded JetBlue connection will include improved last-seat availability and seat maps.
He added that almost 100 percent of Concur booking tool clients use at least one direct connection and that they perform well operationally. "I am not aware of any customer that has switched one off," he said. One particular direct-connect benefit he cited is that amenities available to travelers are the same as those gained from booking through the supplier's Web site. For example, JetBlue offers double the frequent flyer mileage for such bookings than it awards for booking through a GDS.
Concur gained its self-booking tool when it purchased Outtask Inc. in January
(BTN, Feb. 6).