Travelport, an online corporate travel management solution and part of Cendant Corporation`s Travel Distribution Services Division…
Travelport, an online corporate travel management solution and part of Cendant Corporation`s Travel Distribution Services Division (TDS), announcedthe launch of its new, market-leading offering specifically for Canada.
The new Travelport product is based on Canadian point-of-sale via the single Travelport platform. It`s an integrated, full-service travel management solution comprised of online booking capability, comprehensive travel content from Galileo`s global distribution system (GDS) and automated fulfillment. Additionally, Travelport provides 24/7 phone access to its own dedicated customer service center for travelers who require assistance from a Travelport customer service representative.
Travelport created the new Canadian offering in response to the increasing trend among Canadian and US-based travel managers to manage all North America travel for their companies. To effectively address these needs, Travelport has launched a highly configurable product that not only provides localized services for Canadian companies, but allows companies traveling to, or operating in, both the US and Canada to smoothly and seamlessly arrange travel and control their programs and policies.
No one market and no one company have the exact same demands, said Dean Sivley, chief product and marketing officer for Orbitz for Business/Travelport. Understanding these diverse needs and having the ability to create and deliver a diversity of solutions – just as we`ve now done for the Canadian market – is the hallmark of our approach to corporate travel.
Travelport`s Canadian product differs from competitors` because it is simple, complete and delivers exclusive features specifically for the Canadian market, including:
- Access to all Air Canada inventory and fares – including all Tango Webfares – via Galileo GDS.
- Full access and policy management functionality for Tango Plus fares. For corporations with travel policies recommending use of Air Canada`s Tango Plus fares (including complimentary seat assignments), only Travelport can search for, identify, and enforce policy for these uniquely Canadian airfares, enabling corporate travel managers to fully automate domestic travel and achieve the lowest possible fulfillment costs.
- The ability to purchase travel using locally available tariffs with pricing in Canadian Dollars (CAD).
- Low transaction fees and simple fee structure for travel originating in both Canada and the US.
- Point-of-sale transaction fee billing in local currency; point-of-sale fulfillment in the U.S. and Canada.
- Full access to corporate net fares, Webfares and Guaranteed Payment Carriers such as WestJet or CanJet, even VIA rail.
- Maximum consistency of service and accountability because Travelport is administered through one vendor, with one contract and with one, state-of-the-art customer contact center.
- Ability for Canadian companies with multiple brands spanning both Canada and the U.S. to deploy separate Travelport portals to reflect their multi-brand identities in both Canada and the U.S.
- Compliant with Canada`s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
As a result of these features and many others, Canadian companies or those with significant travel to and within Canada can now achieve significant annual savings through reduced transaction fees and processing costs.
In the coming year, Travelport will also offer a full Canadian French user interface for customers who require a bilingual online program.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
