The following list of questions was developed by the NBTA Aviation Committee to assist travel managers as they work with various suppliers to continue to drive value in a shifting distribution landscape. (Also available in
MS Word.)
For additional background on the history of the distribution marketplace, the current market environment, and how to address the challenges faced by travel managers, check out the slides and audio of the Aviation Committee's session at the 2006 NBTA Convention, "The Perfect Storm: Travel Distribution is Changing – Are you Ready? (TT1)."
Questions for GDSs/GNEs
- Do you have access to full content for all my company’s contracted airlines (defined below)?
- Schedule (Global)
- Availability (Global)
- Travelers profiles
- Self Booking tool integration
- Passive segments
- All published public fares and inventory
- Private/Contracted fares
- Associated fees/taxes
- Frequent Flyer numbers, assignment, miles
- Ticketing options (e-ticket, paper upgrade, refund, exchanges
- Self booking tool integration
- Data availability and/or feeds (e.g. back office integration or traveler tracking tools
- Special services needs
- Wheelchair
- Special Meals
- Meet & Greet Assistance
- Are your contracts with any of my company’s preferred airlines due to expire within the next 12 months?
Questions for Preferred Airlines
- With which GDS do you currently contract?
- Are any of these contracts due to expire within the next 12 months?
- Do you provide full content for the GDS that we use?
- Which online booking tools do you support?
- What direct connect/corporate portal tools do you offer/support?
- What pricing advantages does your direct connect provide me versus my normal booking channel?
Questions for TMCs
- With which GDS do you currently contract? Are any of these contracts due to expire within the next 12 months?
- Which online booking tools do you support?
- What are your non-GDS options to provide my company with content and inventory?
- Do you pass GDS revenues to me as a corporate account? If so, what is my company’s percentage, and how will this amount be settles with us (e.g. credit on invoice, check, etc.)?
Questions for Direct Connect Providers
- For which airlines can I purchase tickets using this direct connect tool/portal?
- Who will be purchasing the tickets (i.e. TMC, Travel Department, CTD, traveler)? If the tool is targeted for the traveler, is there an approval work flow?
- What options are offered for payment (e.g. UATP card, ABA, corporate credit card, etc)?
- Will my discounts be available? How will they be loaded?
- What about any flat fares I may have negotiated?
- How does your tool handle refunds or credits?
- Describe your tool/portal’s security? Is payment information encrypted?
- Does your tool support importing my traveler’s existing profiles? If so, does the buyer or the supplier handle the import process?
- How can the airline information be merged with other trip info, such as hotel, car to provide one itinerary for the traveler?
- What reporting does your tool offer? Is there any customization? Will it feed my back office for reporting purposes? Please provide specific examples of the above.
- Will your tool feed my General Ledge system?
- Will your tool feed into PRISM?
- Will your tool feed into my data consolidation tool?
Questions for Traveler Tracking Vendors
- Which data sources supply my traveler tracking system currently?
- Is this source impacted by a move to a new distribution system (e.g. ADN, direct connect)?
- If so, what is required from the alternate system to provide my traveler’s information?
- Who will be responsible for providing this data to my traveler tracking system?
- What system changes/data feeds will be needed to provide this information?
- How much will these changes cost, how long will they take, and who will be responsible for making the changes?
- What data privacy issues need to be addressed before making these changes?