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News TRAINING RAIL
Artist’s illustration of the Canary Wharf Crossrail station
OTT and BBT offer range of new courses
ONLINE TRAVEL TRAINING SPECIALIST OTT has teamed up with Buying Business Travel to offer courses for travel professionals. New courses include a set of modules learning about Skyteam, one of the ‘big three’ airline alliances. Skyteam has 19 member carriers, and a range of products and services including more than 525 lounges around the world, Sky Priority frequent traveller benefits, and Skyteam’s Global Meetings service, which offers discounts and deals to event organisers and attendees. The Skyteam course is designed for UK travel agents, and covers
topics such as traveller benefits, products, trade tools and UK operations. Those who complete the course will be entered into a monthly prize draw. ■ Visit
buyingbusinesstravel.com/training
AIRLINES
GTMC QUESTIONS RYANAIR’S MOVE INTO BUSINESS TRAVEL
RYANAIR STILL HAS “a long way to go” in convincing business travellers that it’s a viable airline for their travel needs, according to the GTMC.
The no-frills airline has confirmed it aims to target business travellers with a new product that will enable passengers to access flexible tickets, reserved seating and fast-track through selected airports. Ryanair’s new head
of groups and corporate travel, Lesley Kane, also
told BBT the airline is ready to engage with GDSs, as it looks to strengthen its position in the corporate market. The GTMC said
Ryanair’s plans to target business travellers is a “step forward” but said “more is required” in order to build confidence within the sector. “Ryanair has a long way to go in convincing business travellers that it is a viable airline for their needs,” said GTMC chief executive, Paul Wait. “There are key
challenges to address, such as the destination mix – this needs to improve in order for Ryanair to be a real contender.
“In a short space of time they have made steps in the right direction to demonstrate they are putting their money where their mouth is. “However, Ryanair’s
biggest job is convincing the GTMC’s members that it is more than losses that are forcing them to address the business travel sector.”
BOMBARDIER WINS £1BN CROSSRAIL CONTRACT
BRITISH-BASED MANUFACTURER Bombardier has secured a lucrative contract to supply trains to the London Crossrail project.
The train maker beat off foreign competition, including Japan’s Hitachi and Spanish firm CAF, to land the contract.
Bombardier confirmed the new trains will be manufactured and assembled at their plant in Derby. The contract will support 760 UK manufacturing jobs plus 80 apprenticeships. It also confirmed an estimated 74 per cent of
RESEARCH
TRAVELLERS WANT THE PERSONAL TOUCH
PERSONALISATION AND EFFICIENCY are set to be the key priorities for business travellers in 2014, according to research published by Amadeus. In a study of more than 400 UK business travellers, the
technology solutions provider found almost two thirds said services such as extra legroom, dietary requests and extra luggage are important to them, and 21 per cent said obtaining the closest hotel to their meeting is the top priority when travelling. The survey, Amadeus Business Travel Insights: Business
Travel Gets Personal, showed a small increase in trips in 2013, with an average of 13.1 trips being taken per person compared to 12.7 in 2012. The study also found more than half of business travellers have outstanding travel expenses, with 18 per cent being out of pocket by more than £100.
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contract spend will remain in the UK economy. The Crossrail project, which is half-completed, will see 26 miles of new tunnels constructed under London and link the capital to the south east of England. It is expected to open in December 2019.
The line is due to run
from Maidenhead and Heathrow Airport in the west, to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east. In 2011, Bombardier
lost out to German-based Siemens for a £1.6 billion contract to provide trains for the north-south Thameslink scheme.
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