Top E-Travel Technology Trends to Watch in 2019

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op E-Travel Technology Trends to Watch in 2019In today’s digital era, business travel planners are increasingly turning to technology to gain an advantage, whether in price, commute speed, convenience, or securing unique accommodations. Forty-one-percent of business and 60% of leisure travel arrangements are made in the digital travel ecosystem. Top travel management companies know how to use this technology to their advantage, staying on top of up-and-coming e-travel services to deliver the results travelers are searching for and provide a delightful, unique travel experience.

What Evolving E-Travel Tech Ensures an Edge Over the Competition?

  • Personalization
    Forgoing the cookie-cutter experience, travelers are in search of the unique, whether traveling for leisure or business. A top priority in the travel and tourism industry, the personalization services of forward-thinking brands such as Delta are delivering account-specific messages to corporate clients, with special offers for highly-loyal clientele. Via a newly-introduced guest services tool, the company is also providing customized recognition, guidance, gate and connecting flight information, delivering a truly personalized travel experience.
  • Online Booking
    Experiencing constant growth, this segment of the e-travel marketplace exceeds $92.5-million annually nationwide, and is anticipated to top $11.5-trillion in the next decade. Fifty-seven-percent of traveling reservations are made online. Ease of viewing and booking, as well as the opportunity to quickly and easily sort a variety of deals by preferences ranging from price to setting peculiarity, make online booking an ever-popular option. Small business travel management companies who allow clients to peruse, purchase, and pickup itineraries online are achieving not only customer favor but market dominance.
  • Mobile Apps
    Easy to implement, mobile apps make up over half of online booking operations, making securing reservations a breeze. In 2019, however, the use of mobile apps will expand even further into travel arena, however, facilitating the use of amenities within accommodations via the internet of things (IoT) and allowing for the wireless control of features such as heating and air conditioning, lighting, music, jacuzzi temperatures, and more.
  • Voice
    Voice-activated communications are the biggest disruptor in the travel sector, improving guest convenience from making reservations to adjusting hotel room settings to meet guest needs.
  • Robots
    Artificially intelligent robots are helping drive customer self-service opportunities, including check-in/out procedures, security scans, luggage delivery, maintenance and concierge functions, and more.
  • Chatbots
    Chatbots, another form of AI geared toward online customer support, are revolutionizing many industries. Stepping in for their human counterparts with pre-programmed answered to FAQs, they provide rapid responses to an array of travel related questions.
  • Augmented Virtual Reality
    Among the most promising travel technology trends, augmented virtual reality simulations are inexpensive to implement. VR’s ‘little brother,’ these programs allow travelers to easily ‘visit’ and experience the surrounding of an intended destination in real-time without ever setting foot in an airplane or vehicle. Quickly facilitating an emotional attachment between a traveler and a potential accommodation or destination, AVR can be a key tool in ensuring and enhancing each customer’s travel experience.

Looking for corporate travel planners that can improve the travel experience with the latest in e-travel tech? Experience the future in business travel management with GTI Travel today.

Airlines are Quietly Changing Standards for Elite Status. Does that Affect You?

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Airlines are Quietly Changing Standards for Elite Status.For those frequently traveling for work, ‘elite’ business class status is a welcomed perk. This perk, however, may be short-lived. Earlier this fall, airline programs began to quietly change the way customer loyalty programs awarded elite status, leaving some flyers by the wayside, and travel planners scrambling for business travel solutions to keep frequent travelers within the top tier requirements.

The High Life Now Requires Higher Expenditures

Does your corporate travel policy now make elite business class status more difficult to achieve? For United Airlines passengers, elite status qualification required travelers to fly 100,000 miles and spend $12,000 in 2018. In the coming year, expenditure requirements will soar 25% further to $15,000. Other airlines have quickly followed United’s suit, with American Airlines requiring the same of its top-tier Executive Platinum Diamond-tier members. Driving the changes: The hope of leveling the playing field with Delta, who requires top-tier travelers spend $15,000 and fly 125,000 miles for Diamond status.

The Good

Some don’t mind the new changes, viewing the $12,000 to $15,000 bump as minimal, especially when traveling on the company dime. For event travel services, international business flights, and tickets booked on relatively short notices, meeting the ramped up elite status obstacles won’t be tough to surmount – even for those utilizing multiple carriers. Still more welcome the changes, believing there are too many elites gumming up the works. With fewer elites in the pool, it is hoped that the lounge and boarding zone congestion will clear, granting the best customers easier access to high-end perks and upgrades.

The Bad

Some aren’t so thrilled with the changes, however. For those on a budget, who must book flights ahead to ensure the cheapest possible ticket price, top-tier status will be difficult to achieve – even for those flying over 100,000 miles. Due to the increased difficulty of earning elite status on the two carriers, some corporate flyers are attempting to book their own travel arrangements, in search of travel policy loopholes that can help them stay in the top tier of travelers by keeping their sky miles and dollars under the same carrier umbrella.

The Ugly

Such under the radar changes have also left a bad taste in the mouths of many budget-minded consumers, leaving them to feel airlines don’t care about those who don’t shell out for business class tickets anymore. As maintaining status is near impossible for tight-fisted travelers, this has led to rapidly waning carrier loyalty. As budget-minded travelers give up the ghost, only time will tell how these changes could affect overall ticket sales.

No one likes the cheap seats. Is your travel management company making decisions in the best interest of your employees? Ensure enjoyable, comfortable travel arrangements that fit within your budget with the help of GTI Travel today.