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The
major airlines (and other travel suppliers) have embraced a business
model that promotes the charging of the highest rates to its most
loyal customers - the business travelers. These suppliers employ
teams of analysts whose sole responsibility is to create complicated
fare rules and pricing models in order to secure the maximum profit
from each transaction from each business traveler.
Meanwhile,
the major Internet travel sites promote the concept that the lowest
fare is just a click away when in reality more - and often better
- fare opportunities exist elsewhere. It's a shell game. These same
biased systems push only their preferred products.
You will only find the airlines that pay into the system displayed
- and many of the low cost airlines have opted out. If you have
to make a change, if you miss a flight, lose a bag, etc., well then
it gets really interesting. They offer "support" with
impersonal, poorly trained call center staffs (often located in
third world countries) that can't handle the intricacies nor provide
even a modicum of advocacy. Who's getting fleeced? These internet
travel companies aren't making money off of Fortune 500 companies,
you can bet on that. They're taking advantage of American consumers
one at a time and, at the same time, unsuspecting small and medium
sized businesses pay too much for tickets, hotel rooms, and car
rentals.
What
Fortune 500 companies know -- that you don't.
At
MacNair we eat, drink, sleep and breathe this stuff. It's our industry
and we are more successful at it (and are making more profits from
it than the top airlines and the top internet sites combined) because
we understand how to uncover value for our customers. But don't
mistake us for "agents" of the suppliers. That ended long
ago. We work for our customers and are paid by them. No, we're not
agents. We're consultants, plain and simple. And we
advise our client accounts, large and small, to develop unbiased
and cost effective travel management systems that trounce the national
average while beating the big internet travel sites in both price
and service. That includes harnessing the power of the internet
and integrating technology into the complete service package.
MacNair's
Top 10 Travel Management Consulting Philosophies/Strategies:
-
Travel is the second largest controllable cost for the average US
organization. The savings opportunities are tremendous.
- Clear, enforceable travel policies save money, increase productivity,
create a culture of value and eliminate liabilities.
- The ability to track down all travelers in case of an emergency
- terrorism, strikes, and personal situations - deserves high priority
in every travel management ecosystem.
- Opportunities exist for negotiated preferred supplier agreements
for organization of all sizes - but only if you know what you spend.
- Finding (or being offered) lowest available fare is one thing;
knowing that your travelers are taking it when you expect them to
is quite another.
- Time is still money. Effective travel consolidation will speed
up the reservation process, the change management process, and the
expense reimbursement process so that employee productivity will
increase.
- Choose a travel partner that offers web and published fares as
well as systems to benchmark the performance of your selected reservation
system(s).
- Most organizations can benefit from a customized corporate on-line
reservation system that delivers a technologically advanced reservation
option along with quality support and policy enforcement.
- Your credit card vendor must be chosen wisely. Insurance issues,
reconciliation options and reward miles are all critical to the
equation.
- Requesting travel vendor proposals is more complex than ever
in today's travel environment. Don't go it alone unless you are
aware of the new tools and systems available and how they work.
If
any of these thoughts identify dangers you think you should avoid
- or opportunities that need to be captured in your organization
- then we should talk. MacNair will provide expert and unbiased
consulting on the development of a cutting edge travel management
system. And we can do so without any obligation to use MacNair for
fulfillment. Our initial discussion is complimentary and our fees
vary based on the time and scope of the project.
Our
customers include trade associations, U.S. Presidential Campaigns,
law and PR firms, technology companies, and many more. We are active
members of the National Business Travel Association, and our consultive
wisdom is often available in the national and local DC media. Visit
our Press
Room for further details.
Contact
me using the information below or attend one of our Travel Management
Workshops™ to sample our philosophy on the subject.
Go
to Seminars
and Events for dates and times.
Sincerely,
Michael MacNair
President & CEO
MacNair Travel Management
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©
2007 MacNair Travel Management