MAY/JUNE 2013
Rail
EUROPE 94
travelling by train has re-emerged as a genuine alternative to air travel. “But corporate clients want the same booking, billing and data processes for rail as for air, and this has presented challenges as distribution systems for air and rail have traditionally been completely separate. It makes good sense to satisfy travellers’ appetites for mobile solutions by permitting apps, but it’s vital that any mobile tools are integrated in your travel programme.” One travel manager for a global business consultancy firm agrees: “E-ticketing is undoubtedly what we want to see from rail booking systems, so you can simply swipe your smartphone at the barrier. Airlines have gone ticketless and are now adopting mobile boarding passes, but the rail industry lags behind with no electronic barriers at many stations.” He adds: “As a company we are moving to mobile technology, and we’re talking about a lodge card for rail bookings when we get higher online take-up. But people are resigned to the fact that when you book rail travel, it’s bureaucratic. Most train operators run monopolies, so complacency sets in.” HRG’s Berry says that as demand for mobile booking apps increases, so does the need for a common pricing and ticketing platform. “A centralised system, incorporating ticket validation when boarding the train, improves the data available to both train operators and TMCs,” he says.
ANCILLARY SPEND Capita Travel and Events – the largest TMC supplier of rail bookings with nearly two million transactions a year – feels that corporates now want more than the rail ticket in the same
booking. The message about savings of up to 40 per cent achievable by online systems is well understood, but corporates want ancillary spend – such as onboard wifi, food and beverage, and station parking – included. Capita’s head of rail, Raj Sachdave, says: “Our Interactive Campaign Manager software, with ‘intelligent’ email confirmations, can deliver negotiated savings on these ancillaries, and we’re also building in a trial of taxi booking at the station to be billed back to Capita.” Sachdave says that plain-paper ticketing is a welcome development as more corporates buy advance tickets, but it isn’t the silver bullet. “Our customers have been teased too long about the introduction of mobile ticketing,” he says. “But there needs to be clearly-defined leadership by a government agency or a group of rail franchises under one company’s control. Technology companies are going one way and train operators another, when what we is need harmony. There is no point making
EUROSTAR MAY BE easily bookable on global distribution systems (GDSs), but booking other European operators is more problematic, and integrating rail and air bookings on the same display is taking a long time. Amadeus is the leading GDS for booking rail, claiming the “first truly global rail sales platform”, which includes Eurostar, SNCF (France), Thalys (international, based in Brussels), Lyria (Switzerland/ France), Trenitalia (Italy) and SJ (Sweden). In its report, The Rail Journey to 2020, Amadeus
predicts that long-distance passenger traffic in Europe will increase by 21 per cent (2.2 per cent annually) to reach over 1.36 billion journeys by 2020. Factors include an increasing number of high-speed lines, more competition, and more co-operation between train operators, and also between train operators and airlines. Amadeus says improved booking systems are a
vital part of this growth. Thomas Drexler, director of Amadeus Rail, explains: “Building standards for data exchange, booking and ticketing services will fundamentally change the way the traveller will view rail travel. It will make rail travel more accessible, and improve the perception that rail is the way to travel across Europe. This will, in turn, encourage the idea that through-ticketing is a must for this to be successful.”
“Corporate clients want the same booking, billing and data processes for rail as for air, and this has presented challenges”
mobile ticketing available when there are several ways of doing it.” According to Carlson Wagonlit
Travel (CWT), corporates are now booking rail travel an average of 7.6 days in advance – a major cultural shift over the last couple of years. CWT director Nigel Turner says mobile booking is essential as more TMCs and corporates adopt their
own mobile solutions. “Currently, 48 per cent of rail travel for all CWT clients is booked online, with some clients as high as 98 per cent,” he explains. “This, combined with the proliferation of mobile apps, has been described as a challenge for buyers looking to keep travellers in policy. However it could, and should, be recognised as an opportunity.” Turner says apps such as CWT
To Go can improve the traveller’s experience – they can sync itineraries and receive updates to their smartphones. “If integrated with the online booking tool and expense management system, it can capture data for the buyer, including information on behaviour patterns and spend.” n
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156