Carlson Eyeing Additional Consulting VentureTie-ups between travel management companies and management or IT consulting firms seem to be the vogue in 2004. Following TQ3 Travel Solutions' launch of the consultancy Advito in collaboration with Deloitte in February, Carlson Wagonlit Travel is exploring options for a joint venture. "In the past month, we have had two major international software houses, one of which is also a management consultancy, approach us about teaming up for outsourced business travel activity," said Richard Lovell, executive vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Carlson Wagonlit. "There is what the French call 'complementarity' between TMCs, which know how to use personnel, and consultancies, which know how to use technology." Carlson Wagonlit has an in-house consulting firm called Solutions Group, which specializes in air and hotel contracting plus online booking tool implementation. The company has longstanding ties with Accenture, a client of Carlson Wagonlit that provides it with online distribution through its airline technology subsidiary Navitaire. Meanwhile, Business Travel International confirmed conversations between TMCs and consulting firms are accelerating, but is not seeking formalized partnerships. "We have been working behind the scenes with various management consultancies for the past 18 months," said Chris Fry, marketing director of BTI managing partner Hogg Robinson, "but we have no plans to align ourselves with any one partner."
Air France, KLM Delay MergerAir France last week said its plan to begin swapping shares with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines as part of the two carriers' planned merger was pushed back from March 22 to this week. The companies still expect the deal to close by the end of April, creating Europe's largest airline entity. No reason was given for the short delay. The European Commission already has approved the merger
(BTNOnline, Feb. 11).Amex-BA Legal Battle Nearing An EndIt looks like the end is in sight for the nearly two-year-old legal row between American Express and British Airways. A court document filed this month in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York said representation for the two travel vendors were present on March 8 at a pre-trial conference in New York and "if the case is not settled prior to April 2, 2004, the parties will submit a letter addressing the remaining issues and submit a proposed scheduling order." Legal counsel for American Express and British Airways are to meet again on April 16. British Airways in June of 2002 stopped absorbing credit card merchant fees on U.K. corporate net fares, which sparked a legal battle when Amex threatened to terminate its merchant agreement with British Airways
(BTN, June 24, 2002).DOT Seeks Decongestion As FAA Predicts Air Travel GrowthU.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta last week announced an initiative to reduce airline flight delays as the industry prepares for a traffic rebound. Specifically, Mineta called for the creation of express lanes, freeing up airspace for aircraft departing more congested airports during adverse weather conditions by holding aircraft on the ground at secondary airports. Moreover, a new "delay triggering" tactic will allow airports experiencing delays of more than 90 minutes "a chance to catch up." Testing on both elements is underway. The plan also will combine Canadian and Federal Aviation Administration weather radar "to provide more accurate and timely information that allows for faster aircraft re-routing" and an enhanced weather forecasting system developed by the National Weather Service and the airlines. An FAA report released last week predicted domestic traffic would return to pre-Sept. 11, 2001, levels by next year.
Sun Setting On VantagePointSabre Holdings Corp. in June will end support for VantagePoint, the travel management reporting tool it purchased eight years ago. "The infrastructure is lacking in meeting current technology platform standards," a Sabre spokesperson said. Sabre is advising corporate clients still using the product to work with their travel agency partners on an alternative solution, while travel agencies can opt to deploy Sabre's CentralCommand product, developed with technology provider Unit 4 Agresso and launched a few months ago. Prism Group president Michael Whitesage, who 12 years ago conceived Travel Manager's Workstation—the pioneering corporate travel reporting software he sold to Sabre, which in turn rebranded it VantagePoint—said, "I'm glad Sabre got as much use out of it as they did, having bought it in 1996. That's pretty good for software."