American Express Global Business Travel has created a platform
to enable travel managers to compare rates and book transportation from more
than 750 ground operators in 2,000 cities around the world.
The multichannel system is integrated with services from black
cars, taxis, limos, airport express trains and shuttles and Lyft, which last
week announced a partnership with Amex GBT.
Travel managers can now access all bookings in a single
location, enabling a holistic view that supports compliance and duty of care
for corporations.
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The platform captures and manages the information whether
the booking was made online, offline or via the Amex GBT app.
“Traditionally, ground spend has been a blind spot for
travel managers. GBT clients saw 95%+ leakage through out-of-policy booking
channels for ground bookings in 2017, resulting in lost opportunities for our
clients to negotiate on that spend and ensure traveler compliance,” says Michael
Qualantone, executive vice president of global supplier relations for Amex GBT.
“Our ground transportation platform is the first solution of
its kind for booking via a seamless user experience that meets both the content
and choice expectations of travelers and the core needs of travel managers, all
in one place.”
The system also monitors flights to ensure transfers are
coordinated appropriately. It’s currently in a pilot program with select GBT clients in
North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.