Adds to Broad Set of GetThere Capabilities Allowing Travelers to Do More Online, Reducing Their Companies’ Travel Costs
SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aug. 2, 2004– GetThere(R), the leading provider of online corporate booking technology, today announced its GetThere DirectCorporate and DirectMidMarket online travel solutions will include an intelligent, fully automated online tool that allows corporate travelers to calculate the cost of changing an airline ticket, and then make the change online.
The online change capability called Online Ticket Exchange (OTE) builds on GetThere’s continued emphasis of providing the broadest set of options to give travelers more power online, including online upgrade requests, rail booking options, and discount airlines and Web fares integrated seamlessly into the booking path. By enabling travelers to manage more of their travel online, corporations are able to gain higher satisfaction, and online adoption that helps achieve even greater cost savings to the company.
“Companies have to balance minimizing travel costs, while ensuring their business travelers have the convenience and options they need,” said Bev Heinritz, general manager of GetThere. “Online booking tools have helped companies save millions of dollars, and OTE is just the latest example of the next generation of online options that generate even more power for travelers, while generating savings for corporations by minimizing the need for agents to process exchanges over the phone at higher costs.”
To date, most other online sites with change capabilities have typically provided travelers with access to just a few airlines, limited information on the cost of the change, and often directed travelers to call an agent to process the transaction. GetThere’s new fully automated Online Ticket Exchange works with the rules and policies for virtually all airlines. Travelers can easily see the cost of voiding, refunding or exchanging their airline ticket and then process the exchange online without any travel agent intervention.
“There have been a number of attempts to offer online ticket exchange technology to travelers, but most have fallen terribly short of being useful, often ending by telling travelers to call an agent, or supporting only a handful of airlines,” added Heinritz. “We believe this is the first fully automated approach that truly lets travelers complete all of their bookings and changes online, minimizing traveler frustration, and increasing corporate cost savings. And, companies can use GetThere to either automatically ticket the exchange or forward to a travel agency for manual verification.”
Powerful Rules Engine Manages Calculation for Travelers
When a traveler uses GetThere’s Online Ticket Exchange capability, it uses a sophisticated “rules engine” to evaluate all applicable rules on all of the different airlines in order to show the traveler the true cost of making a change for a ticket. The rules engine is based on powerful faring technology to show cost of a new ticket and all the costs of refunding an existing ticket, enabling a final calculation of the cost of the exchange. Once travelers decide that the cost is acceptable, the online ticket exchange allows them to conduct the transaction online.
The new GetThere OTE will be shown for the first time at the National Business Travel Association conference this week in Orlando, and will begin rolling out to customers in September.
About GetThere
GetThere is the world’s leading online corporate travel reservation technology, and is one of the key solutions offered to the corporate marketplace by Sabre Holdings. GetThere enables global corporations and government agencies to provide a convenient way for employees to book travel and plan meetings while significantly reducing costs. GetThere’s advanced technology works with all major global distribution systems (GDS) and all travel management companies. More than 3,000 corporations, including 65 percent share of the Fortune 200, use GetThere. More information is available at www.getthere.com
Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE:TSG) is a world leader in travel commerce, retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at http://www.sabre-holdings.com.
CONTACT: GetThere
Dan Toporek, 415-932-1163
dtoporek@GetThere.com
or
Vollmer Public Relations
Mary Kate Smither, 972-488-4790
marykate@vollmerpr.com
or
Chintan Talati, 972-488-4790
chintan@vollmerpr.com
SOURCE: GetTher
