Innovative Mobile Technology Offers Unique Messaging Capabilities
CHICAGO, IL – (May 17, 2010) – GetThere(R), the world’s leading travel and collaboration management solution, announced that it will now offer leading mobile device capabilities to corporations via Sabre Travel Studios’ TripCase(SM) smart mobile application. GetThere introduced the new GetThere Mobile powered by TripCase functionality for business travel professionals at this week’s Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) event in Chicago, IL.
A Sabre Travel Network(R) business, GetThere has self-booking deployments in 79 countries. Corporations booked more than $9 billion in business travel on GetThere in 2009, with the majority of America’s 100 largest corporate travel programs using the solution. TripCase is a free mobile application with widespread use among business travelers today, provides real-time trip information to travelers from the moment of the booking until their return. TripCase supports Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iTouch and Windows Mobile devices.
MESSAGING CAPABILITIES GIVE TRAVEL MANAGERS
ANOTHER OPTION TO COMMUNICATE WITH TRAVELERS ON THE ROAD
GetThere’s innovative history with messaging tools drove significant savings for business travel programs in 2009, helping travel managers communicate with groups of road warriors on key issues like preferred suppliers and travel policy as they booked their travel. Unique messaging tools available via the new GetThere mobile solution dovetail with this commitment to provide managed travel programs with communication options that allow for simple, concise messaging for targeted audiences, delivered at precisely the relevant moment of the journey.
For example, travel managers could use GetThere Mobile powered by TripCase to send a message to all travelers in a given city at a certain point in time, sharing timely information on critical items such as an emergency evacuation or a more pedestrian item such as the location of the company’s telepresence facility in that town.
TripCase provides a host of free services to business travelers today, including:
- automatic import of itinerary details
- flight updates/alerts/notifications
- trip-specific messages
- flight departure and arrival status
- baggage claim location
- gate changes
- travel itinerary sharing
- car rental shuttle information
GetThere Mobile powered by TripCase will be available to all GetThere clients – on all global distribution systems – in the third quarter of 2010. English-speaking travelers across the globe can take advantage of the new GetThere service; travelers in multiple countries use TripCase today.
Once the traveler downloads the TripCase application to his/her mobile device, all bookings made via Sabre Travel Network will automatically sync with TripCase. Travelers booking on other GDSs can easily forward their itineraries to TripCase. GetThere and TripCase teams are actively working on PNR synchronization tools for other GDSs, with the functionality on target for later in 2010.
GetThere and TripCase are also developing policy-compliant booking capabilities. Hotel booking is expected by the end of this year, with options to book air and car anticipated for 2011.
“Travelers are increasingly leading the way in taking advantage of the newest mobile technologies. TripCase’s adoption by thousands of people today demonstrates its attractiveness to both business and leisure travelers,” said Suzanne Neufang, chief marketing officer for GetThere. “With GetThere Mobile powered by TripCase, travel managers at companies of any size can tap into the potential of mobile networks to extend communications to travelers on the road, wherever they may be. It is yet one more solution in the GetThere tool kit that helps companies communicate and collaborate as they strive to meet business goals.”
About GetThere
GetThere is the world’s leading travel and collaboration management solution, surpassing $9 billion in annual bookings. GetThere’s proven technology and unparalleled global service infrastructure helps corporations collectively save millions in air and hotel costs. Through its unique relationship with Travelocity(R), GetThere provides a familiar online booking experience for travelers of more than 3,000 companies, including a majority of multi-national Fortune 200 firms that deploy online booking. GetThere works with all major global distribution systems (GDS). Companies using GetThere and the Sabre GDS together can optimize efficiency and cost savings across the entire travel procurement process. More information is available at http://www.getthere.com.
Sabre Holdings connects people with the world’s greatest travel possibilities by retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. More information is available at http://www.sabre-holdings.com.
