Navigant International this week revealed further details about its plans for an online booking engine it bought earlier this year, formerly known as Powertrip
(BTNonline, May 28).
Branded Passportal.com, the engine will be tested next quarter and launched next summer as part of an initiative called NaviSphere, which will integrate Navigant's AlertFLYR, ReportFLYR and InvoiceFLYR products, as well as quality control, profile management and security tools, officials said. The booking tool will access fares through global distribution systems, Aqua Software Products' Web search tool
(BTNonline, May 30) and other sources. "We're in talks with all the airlines as far as looking into the most direct way of getting their inventory," said a spokesperson when asked about access to Southwest Airlines. He said only the basic engine of what is being built resembles the old Powertrip. Navigant is spending upward of $2 million per quarter on information technology.
"Passportal fees will be competitive with other online booking engines that are available, and as customers choose more services, the fees will increase," said CFO and COO Robert Griffith. "If you look at travel booking as a continuum, you can have touchless for $5 and a full-service transaction that might be as high as $50. In that $5, there are third-party revenues from hotels, car and others that we and the online competitors retain."