With the integration of Worldspan Web Airfare technology, Trip Manager will provide access to Internet-only fares along with corporate fares for easy comparison or booking.
ATLANTA, June 17, 2002—Worldspan, the leader in global reservation systems and e-commerce for the travel industry, today announced it will launch a powerful new version of Worldspan Trip Manager enhanced with exclusive Web Airfare search technology. Early in the third quarter of this year, the new functionality will enable Trip Manager users to compare special low fares offered only through airline Web sites with published and negotiated fares to find and book the best travel value.
With instant access to Web-only fares directly through Trip Manager, business travelers will enjoy a more complete selection of fare options, including some of the lowest fares available anywhere. In addition, by allowing travelers to compare Internet fares with negotiated fares, Web Airfare-enhanced Trip Manager will encourage wider and more consistent usage, offering Trip Manager corporate customers better control of the booking process and an opportunity for even greater savings.
“The added power of Web Airfare, the most robust Internet fare search and comparison tool available, will keep Trip Manager well out in front of the competition in corporate travel management technology,” commented Mike Parks, senior vice president and general manager – Worldwide Travel Distribution for Worldspan. “With this innovative new enhancement, corporate travelers will be able to book with complete confidence, knowing they found the best fare, without having to spend extra time searching the Internet. For businesses employing Trip Manager, the results will be lower travel costs and a stronger travel management system.”
Corporate travel managers will be able to turn the new
Internet fares feature in Trip Manager on or off at the traveler level, giving
travel managers control in specifying which traveler profile may take advantage
of this functionality. Beyond this
initial enhancement, Worldspan will continuously strengthen the Web Airfare
functionality in Trip Manager, eventually integrating Web-only and other fares
into a single screen and enabling users to book Internet fares directly from
Trip Manager.
“Worldspan is committed to continuous innovation through ongoing product updates—even on a monthly basis—based on the changing needs of our customers,” noted Parks. “We are further committed to bringing the power of our industry-leading fares and pricing technology—such as Worldspan Web Airfare and Worldspan e-PricingSM —to the corporate travel marketplace.”
Today, more than 1,100 businesses have chosen Worldspan Trip Manager® as their online travel management solution. Using Trip Manager’s graphical user interface, travelers can quickly create a complete trip itinerary. The system offers real-time booking capability for air, car and hotel, plus easy-to-use features such as change and cancellation options, live seat maps, and integrated fare and availability displays.
In addition, by allowing companies to maximize compliance with corporate travel policy and strengthen preferred supplier relationships, Trip Manager can significantly reduce corporate travel costs. On average, Trip Manager can save corporations 20 percent or more on their total travel management costs.
Worldspan provides global electronic distribution of travel information, Internet products and connectivity, and electronic commerce capabilities for travel agencies, travel service providers and corporations worldwide. The company's three lines of business are travel supplier services, e-commerce, and global distribution systems for the worldwide travel industry. The Worldspan reservations system provides nearly 21,000 travel agencies and other users worldwide with travel data and booking capabilities for hundreds of the world's leading travel supplier services. Worldspan is the market leader in e-commerce for the travel industry, processing more than 50 percent of all online travel agency bookings. The company maintains world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Worldspan is owned by affiliates of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL), Northwest Airlines (NASDAQ: NWAC) and American Airlines. Additional information is available at www.worldspan.com.
###
CONTACT: Patricia Cooledge, Worldspan, 770-563-7885,
email: patricia.cooledge@worldspan.com