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Orbitz for Business, the corporate travel business of Orbitz Worldwide Inc. unveiled new tools that give travel managers and senior business leaders the ability to provide increased traveler security and ensure greater business continuity while mitigating the financial exposure caused by unexpected global events. With the launch of Traveler Limit, travel administrators can now restrict the number of employees or company officials that book on any single flight. Additionally, the Orbitz for Business Traveler Locator enables companies to quickly search for, identify and communicate with travelers impacted by unforeseen travel disruptions, such as natural disasters, labor strikes, and civil/political unrest.
Employee safety and security policy management continue to be top of mind for travel managers and administrators. And according to a recent National Business Travel Association (NBTA) Foundation study of its membership, the financial impact of disruptions like the Icelandic volcanic eruption can be significant. The study found that the resulting ash cloud caused 5,600 meetings to be cancelled, impacted 310,000 travelers and cost the surveyed companies more than $367 million collectively*.
"At Orbitz for Business, our customers tell us that employee safety and business continuity are increasingly important components of their travel programs," said Frank Petito, president, Orbitz for Business. "It’s critical to know where your travelers are at any given time, and be able to reach them immediately in the wake of unforeseen disruptions. Orbitz for Business Traveler Locator is designed to be a travel manager’s first response tool, where Orbitz for Business Traveler Limit provides a proactive, preventative measure that mitigates the safety and financial exposure for a single flight. All managed travel programs, regardless of size or scope, can benefit from having these tools in place."
Traveler Limit(SM) ensures that all flights booked through Orbitz for Business are compliant with company policy. Travel managers and administrators can now restrict the number of employees or company officials that can make a reservation on any single flight before it is booked. These policy restrictions can be set by individual group leaders and/or instituted as a company-wide policy. The tool also automatically reviews codeshare flights against travel policies to ensure all flights are treated the same, regardless of the operating or marketing airline. Previously, travel managers were forced to manually identify at-risk flights, often incurring change or cancel fees, in order to mitigate their company’s financial exposure.
The Traveler Locator search tool makes it easier to identify and more quickly communicate with both pre-travel and in-transit employees by giving travel managers comprehensive search capabilities and detailed reservation tracking. Once located, travel managers and approved arrangers can send an individual or mass e-mail to impacted employees through their customized Orbitz for Business interface.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
