LETTERS: Redirect on Direct Links

<B> LETTERS: Redirect on Direct Links</B>

I wanted to respond to your article (<I>BTN,</I> March 8) that reported that ETLink will become the first online booking system to connect corporate travel buyers and suppliers without a CRS intermediary. That is incorrect. Via World Network has had direct links in place between travel buyers and suppliers since October 1996. Our direct links include US Airways, Northwest and Continental Airlines and TWA. United Airlines will be added soon.

Andersen Consulting--with one of the world's largest travel programs--has, with Via's technologies and processes, become the undisputed heavyweight champion of direct bookings. Via is processing more than 2,000 transactions each week on behalf of Andersen Consulting, half of which are direct connect bookings.

Additionally, Via is running the direct link for Northwest Airlines' VoiceLink, which has had over 10,000 travelers since October and another 200,000 travelers are being brought on to the system beginning this month. Via is generating thousands of direct transactions a week! This far surpasses any other direct connect effort in the industry. And, we're not in beta--we've been in full production for over two years.

Not only can Via offer corporations and suppliers a lower cost transaction, we've added functionality not available anywhere else in the industry. For instance, only Via has completely automated the refund and exchange process for e-tickets. No one--not the airlines, the CRSs nor any other technology company--can do this, and it is completely enabled by our direct connect technology.

Via pioneered the concept of direct connections in this industry and has spoken publicly about it many times. In fact, it has been reported often in Business Travel News. All of us at Via, therefore, were very surprised to see that Via was overlooked in your article. And the title, "Direct Links to Debut," does an injustice to everything Via has accomplished over the past few years.