p28 Biz Feb 6 3/2/09 17:24 Page 28
Business travel
Martin Ferguson
020 7921 8011
maferguson@ttgbusiness.com
Keep up with the latest business travel news at ttgbusiness.com
Click goes Direct
CLICK TRAVEL has become the first travel
management company to implement budget
hotel chain Premier Inn’s 2009 version of its
booking system Direct Connect.
Simon McLean, Click Travel’s managing direc-
tor, said TMCs needed more than the traditional
global distribution system to obtain the budget
hotel inventory.
He said: “Many corporates still don’t even
have access to Premier Inn hotels, because
their TMC has provided them with an old-hat,
GDS-based booking tool.”
McLean said his corporate clients will benefit
from the Premier Inn Business Account as it
allows them to pre-authorise room charges,
breakfast, dinner and car parking spend.
Business slump is
All Nippon’s loss
Martin Ferguson.
remain in the black with a £63 million profit. But
Video meetings
AS ALL NIPPON Airways predicts its first annual this was well down from its previous forecast of
loss in six years, the Japanese airline is blaming £430 million operating profit.
falling numbers of business travellers. Hidema said the recession had particularly hit
on the increase
The decline, it said, was particularly marked business travel. “Since autumn, we have quickly
in its European and North American markets. lost business travellers as many companies held
The company has forecast an overall loss of back making trips,” he said.
THE REGUS GROUP has reported a 40% rise in more than £70 million for the financial year to “The company is in a tough financial condition
the number of video-conferencing bookings since March 31. ANA had previously predicted a profit due to the slump in business class.”
the start of the year. of £134 million. In the previous financial year, the Airline bosses also blame recent currency
The company, which has a worldwide network airline made almost £100 million profit. exchange rates for the falling number of people
of public access studios, said the increase “We saw a severe drop in international pas- flying to Japan, pointing out that the dollar and
was down to evolving travel trends forced upon sengers on routes to Europe and North America, pound have both suffered in the last 12 months.
corporates during the recession. in addition to an already depressed China leisure “The tailing off of business activity and
“Given the tough economic conditions, we market,” said Tomohiro Hidema, ANA’s executive individual consumption have led to a cooling
expect the slowdown in business travel to vice-president for finance. in demand for business and leisure travel and
continue,” said Regus Group chief executive Mark On an operating level, the airline expected to cargo services,” said Hidema.
Dixon. “The quality of virtual tools available has
improved so dramatically in recent years that I
can’t imagine any company reverting back to its
OUT TODAY: ttgbusiness February/March issue
old ways of conducting meetings.”
Dixon predicted companies would only survive ■Read our eight-page Business Travel Show preview
by examining travel processes and making the ■New HRG boss Ian Windsor talks to Adam Coulter
changes necessary to compete. ■Find out how working abroad can help your career
Regus claimed a video-conference cut the cost ■Will meetings spend hold up in the downturn?
of business travel by an average of 75%.
28 06.02.2009
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