The National Business Travel Association will hold a summit next week with Northwest Airlines to voice the concerns of corporate travel managers…
The National Business Travel Association will hold a summit next week with Northwest Airlines to voice the concerns of corporate travel managers regarding the carrier’s recent announcement that it will charge for bookings made via the Global Distribution Systems (GDSs). NBTA’s goal is to broker a relationship that will lead to solutions to the current industry challenges related to distribution.
NBTA will be represented at the summit — planned for Tuesday, August 31 — by leaders of the NBTA Aviation and Technology Committees and other NBTA leadership. To inform the discussions, NBTA will poll its members on the impact of Northwest’s move on travel managers and their companies.
NBTA President and CEO Carol A. Devin, CCTE, made the following statement:
“As the leading voice of travel management, NBTA welcomes the participation of Northwest in a summit that we believe will lead to solutions with shared benefits for all parties. We will provide feedback from travel manager members of NBTA that will help Northwest evaluate the impact on its business of the recently announced policy of charging for GDS bookings.
GDS deregulation offered a promise to business travelers and travel managers: more access, more choice and lower costs for booking air travel. Instead, the cost-recovery strategies adopted by Northwest this week will increase booking costs and, for many, will limit choice. Additionally, the response of some GDS providers to the Northwest move will limit full access to Northwest inventory.
We look forward to meeting with Northwest to provide information based on the feedback of NBTA members and to begin working toward solutions to these important business travel challenges.”
The National Business Travel Association is the source for critical information on the business travel industry. For more than 35 years, NBTA has dedicated itself to the professional development of its members through advocacy, education and training, and networking opportunities. NBTA represents over 2,500 corporate travel managers and travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than $170 billion of expenditures within the business travel industry.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
