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Corporations failing to leverage advantages of business intelligence

White paper offers straightforward guide to getting the most out of travel data

UTRECHT, Netherlands,  June 16, 2014 – Only a fraction of corporate travel programs today fully leverage the powerful  technology that’s increasingly available  for controlling costs and keeping travelers safe. A new guide published by BCD Travel provides fundamental information needed to understand and harness business intelligence in corporate travel. Business Intelligence in Travel supports better decision-making, leading to a positive impact on corporate goals.

“The intersection of super-computing, open-source data platforms and unprecedented levels of data capture provide enormous and affordable opportunities to the people charged with getting more out of corporate travel programs,” said Claudia Unger, director of research and intelligence at BCD Travel. “Yet only a fraction of companies have begun to tap the full potential of BI to improve travel programs.”

Business Intelligence in Travel seeks to remove the mystery surrounding BI’s use. The paper provides specific examples for effective reporting, analyzing, monitoring and predicting business travel. The straightforward guide defines business intelligence, outlines challenges to its implementation and maps out the steps needed for companies to quickly begin getting the most out of their data — starting with information already in hand. The paper examines such related topics as predictive and prescriptive analytics, data standards, real-time data, multi-source data consolidation, geo-coded location data and unstructured data.

“We live in an age of specialization that encourages people to outsource tasks that fall outside their scope of knowledge and skill,” said Torsten Kriedt, BCD Travel vice president of corporate intelligence and product planning. “That can discourage companies from moving ahead with innovations their workforce has yet to master. Business Intelligence in Travel demystifies the process, so BI seems like an easily accessible and achievable tool for improving travel program performance. ”

About BCD Travel
BCD Travel helps companies make the most of what they spend on travel. For travelers, this means keeping them safe and productive, and equipping them to make good choices on the road. For travel and procurement managers, it means advising them on how to grow the value of their travel program. For executives, we ensure that the travel program supports company objectives. In short, we help our clients travel smart and achieve more. We make this happen in nearly 100 countries with 11,000 creative, committed and experienced people. And it’s how we maintain an industry-leading client-retention rate of more than 95%, with 2013 sales of US$22.4 billion. For more information, visit www.bcdtravel.com.

About BCD Group
BCD Group is a market leader in the travel industry. The privately owned company was founded in 1975 by John Fentener van Vlissingen and consists of BCD Travel (global corporate travel management), Travix (online travel: CheapTickets, Vliegwinkel, BudgetAir, Flugladen and Vayama), Park ‘N Fly (off-airport parking), Parkmobile International (mobile parking and traffic applications) and joint venture Airtrade (consolidating and fulfillment). BCD Group employs over 12,000 people and operates in almost 100 countries with total sales, including US$9.2 billion partner sales, of US$24 billion. For more information, visit www.bcdgroup.com.

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BCD Travel’s sustainability program wins industry recognition

Traveler survival guide and ‘travel smart’ videos strike balance among people, planet and profit

UTRECHT, Netherlands, June 5, 2014 – The GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association, in May recognized BCD Travel’s efforts to promote sustainable business practices. BCD Travel took the Sustainability Outstanding Achievement Award in the Travel Intermediary category in the foundation’s second annual presentation of the awards.

The GBTA Foundation’s Project ICARUS uses the awards to recognize travel buyers, suppliers and intermediaries who demonstrate outstanding leadership, innovation and commitment to delivering best-in-class sustainability programs, products and services across North America. The initiative, is the most widely recognized and respected CSR program within the business travel and meeting industry. The project targets national and international travel buyers and their suppliers who wish to integrate sustainability into the way they manage, run and supply travel and meetings programs.

In recognizing BCD Travel, the foundation cited two initiatives aimed at promoting sustainability: the Traveler Management Survival Guide and the travel smart video series. The survival guide provides travel managers with a tool for understanding why their travelers make particular decisions affecting the travel program. The travel smart videos engage travelers on a variety of travel program topics promoting increased online adoption rates, better policy compliance and cost improvements.

“While we’re gratified by the recognition of our own sustainability efforts, we’re even more excited by the enthusiasm our industry as a whole is showing for Project ICARUS,” said Kathy Jackson, BCD Travel’s executive vice president of global client management. “Through our social impact initiative, onboard, we are committed to a high level of social responsibility and have remained constant in our commitment to the environment and to society.”

BCD Travel organizes onboard around five principles: People, Community, Environment, Ethical Business Practices and Privacy & Data Protection. These represent the fundamental “rules of engagement” for the way the company interacts with employees, colleagues, customers and business partners.

“The number of entries again exceeded our expectations and clearly reflects the increase in number of companies building sustainability into their business travel and meetings programs,” said Bernard Harrop, head of sustainability Project ICARUS. “All the entries received were worthy of an award giving the judging panel a tough task in selecting the winners and demonstrating the strides made industry-wide in sustainability.”

About BCD Travel
BCD Travel helps companies make the most of what they spend on travel. For travelers, this means keeping them safe and productive, and equipping them to make good choices on the road. For travel and procurement managers, it means advising them on how to grow the value of their travel program. For executives, we ensure that the travel program supports company objectives. In short, we help our clients travel smart and achieve more. We make this happen in nearly 100 countries with 11,000 creative, committed and experienced people. And it’s how we maintain an industry-leading client-retention rate of more than 95%, with 2013 sales of US$22.4 billion. For more information, visit www.bcdtravel.com.

About BCD Group
BCD Group is a market leader in the travel industry. The privately owned company was founded in 1975 by John Fentener van Vlissingen and consists of BCD Travel (global corporate travel management), Travix (online travel: CheapTickets, Vliegwinkel, BudgetAir and Vayama), Park ‘N Fly (off-airport parking), Parkmobile International (mobile parking and traffic applications) and joint ventures Airtrade (consolidating and fulfillment) and VakantieXperts (leisure travel). BCD Group employs over 12,000 people and operates in almost 100 countries with total sales, including US$ 9.2 billion partner sales, of US$ 24 billion. For more information, visit www.bcdgroup.com.

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Air travel demand has moderated but growth expected in 2014

ATLANTA, March 11, 2014 – Global economic growth will regain momentum this year, with advanced economies driving this change, forecasts travel consultancy Advito. In the latest update to its 2014 Industry Forecast, Advito projects that travel demand will follow this positive growth trend, though at a slightly slower pace than the overall economy.

Growth in air travel demand remained solid throughout 2013 but has recently moderated, according to Advito’s update. This year, fares will vary by region due to airlines’ differing approaches to keeping aircraft full.

Advito, the consulting arm of BCD Travel, continually monitors changes in economic growth, inflation, travel demand and oil prices. Each quarter, it revises its annual Industry Forecast to highlight subsequent updates to the original air and hotel pricing predictions.

The update and the original Advito 2014 Industry Forecast are available at www.advito.com (in the Resource Center section under “White Papers”). Following are a few of the update’s key findings:

• Bringing it in line with its forecast for business fares, Advito lowered its earlier projection for intercontinental economy fares in Europe, from 2% to 1% as demand continues to lag capacity growth.
• Demand continues to outpace capacity in Latin America, pushing up prices on airfares. Based on that observation, Advito raised its forecast for intercontinental economy fares in Latin America from 2% to 4%.
• Excess air capacity on Middle Eastern carriers is pushing down prices for intercontinental business fares in Africa, and Advito expects prices for those fares to continue to fall by 3%. Advito is sticking with its original forecasts for regional fares in Asia, which should drop 4% for business class and drop 2% for economy. The decline results from customer down-trading and a rise in low-cost carrier capacity.
• Hotel forecasts for most regions remain unchanged. Based on higher than expected growth in hotel capacity, Advito adjusted its regional hotel forecast for the Middle East downward, dropping it from the original 2-4% to 1-3%. Advito also adjusted its projections for average daily rates (ADRs) for some individual markets. The update now forecasts lower ADR increases in Qatar and Spain and higher increases in Argentina, Luxembourg and Mexico.

About Advito
Advito provides travel-management advisory, procurement and outsourcing services that guide clients through a complex travel environment. Our focus on consulting delivers proven value, unbiased counsel and a customized approach for every client and every engagement, together with industry expertise and access to data to drive quantifiable decision-making. We are headquartered in Chicago, and operate in key business markets around the world. We are an independent operating unit of BCD Travel, the world’s third-largest travel management company, owned by BCD Holdings N.V. For more information, visit www.advito.com.

About BCD Travel
BCD Travel helps companies make the most of what they spend on travel. For travelers, this means keeping them safe and productive, and equipping them to make good choices on the road. For travel and procurement managers, it means advising them on how to grow the value of their travel program. For executives, we ensure that the travel program supports company objectives. In short, we help our clients travel smart and achieve more. We make this happen in nearly 100 countries with almost 11,000 creative, committed and experienced people. And it’s how we maintain an industry-leading client-retention rate of more than 95%, with 2012 sales of US$21.2 billion. For more information, visit www.bcdtravel.com.

About BCD Group
BCD Group is a market leader in the travel industry. The privately owned company was founded in 1975 by John Fentener van Vlissingen and consists of BCD Travel (global corporate travel management), Travix (online travel: CheapTickets, Vliegwinkel, BudgetAir, Vayama and Easytobook), Park ‘N Fly (off-airport parking), Parkmobile International (mobile parking and traffic applications) and joint ventures Airtrade (consolidating and fulfillment) and VakantieXperts (leisure travel). BCD Group employs more than 13,000 people and operates in almost 100 countries with total sales, including franchising, of US$22.8 billion. For more information, visit www.bcdgroup.com.

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BCD Travel launches TripSource® mobile app

Travel app will help keep travelers calm, cool and connected

ATLANTA, Jan. 15, 2014 – Travelers who book trips through BCD Travel now may download a free mobile app to help them stay organized and productive. TripSource®, a robust itinerary management app,  provides vital travel information with the touch of a finger. Travelers can use TripSource to access and share travel itineraries (airlines, hotels, ground transportation and more). It also provides real-time flight status alerts and gate changes, driving directions to destinations along their journey and even rewards for using the app.

“The mobile device has become one of the most important traveler resources, but few apps address the specific needs of business travelers,” said April Bridgeman, BCD Travel senior vice president of strategic marketing. “TripSource reflects our commitment to providing new services that both improve the travel program and improve the quality of trips—with an app we think the traveler will love using.”

TripSource has launched in Canada and the United States and is available in the Apple® App Store as a free download for clients of BCD Travel. App versions for other languages (French, German and Spanish) and devices (Android and mobile web) will follow. In addition, an enterprise version of the app is slated for the second quarter  2014. That version will provide travel managers with a real-time communications tool for encouraging travelers to make smart choices during trips.

TripSource Enterprise will let companies customize mobile app content and send travelers relevant messages to influence behavior. TripSource expands  the number of touch points with travelers during a trip. Historically, opportunities to influence were limited to booking, itinerary changes and intervention following a trip disruption. Now companies may proactively influence more decisions and keep travelers better informed.

Other features in development for TripSource Enterprise include managed hotel and air bookings and custom rewards programs.

Travelers are actively seeking mobile solutions, making them essential in today’s travel management programs. With just a touch, TripSource by BCD Travel delivers:

• BCD Travel itineraries including air, hotel, car, rail and ground transportation – automatically and securely synchronized
• Flight updates with real-time flight status messages and gate change alerts
• Maps and directions to hotels, airports and more
• Exclusive offers and rewards for TripSource users

“As a central source for travel information, we know TripSource will quickly become a favorite travel companion as well as a highly valued management tool for corporate travel managers,” Bridgeman said.

About BCD Travel
BCD Travel helps companies make the most of what they spend on travel. For travelers, this means keeping them safe and productive, and equipping them to make good choices on the road. For travel and procurement managers, it means advising them on how to grow the value of their travel program. For executives, we ensure that the travel program supports company objectives. In short, we help our clients travel smart and achieve more. We make this happen in 97 countries with 11,000 creative, committed and experienced people. And it’s how we maintain an industry-leading client-retention rate of more than 95%, with 2012 sales of US$21.2 billion. For more information, visit www.bcdtravel.com.

About BCD Group
BCD Group is a market leader in the travel industry. The privately owned company was founded in 1975 by John Fentener van Vlissingen and consists of BCD Travel (global corporate travel management), Travix (online travel: CheapTickets, Vliegwinkel, BudgetAir, Vayama and Easytobook), Park ‘N Fly (off-airport parking), Parkmobile International (mobile parking and traffic applications) and joint ventures Airtrade (consolidating and fulfillment) and VakantieXperts (leisure travel). BCD Group employs over 12,000 people and operates in almost 100 countries with total sales, including US$8.5 billion partner sales, of US$22.8 billion. For more information, visit www.bcdgroup.com.