For Sabre airfares booked at U.S. points of sale, American
Express Global Business Travel now rebooks cheaper airfares that become available
within 24 hours of booking. The travel management company's new Air Re-Shop
Expert service is powered by Yapta, but the integration eliminates the need for
an Amex GBT agent to touch the transaction, as would be the case if a corporate
contracted directly with Yapta.
Air Re-Shop Expert monitors airfares for the same flight, cabin
and refundable versus nonrefundable fare type originally booked. If a lower
fare appears within 24 hours, it rebooks, emails a revised invoice to the
traveler and begins another 24-hour round of monitoring. No action is required by
the traveler, his or her company or a travel agent. Amex GBT does not charge
clients for the service but does share in the savings.
According to Amex GBT, the service can be particularly
helpful, for example, when employees book on weekends, when travel agents are
not available to push rebookings through.
Air Re-Shop Expert is available for airfares
published on the Sabre global distribution system, and Amex GBT plans to add Apollo
fares within a few months. Amex GBT piloted the tool with three clients from
August through October.