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ASK THE EXPERTS


BY BARRY DUNSTALL How to build successful relationships with airlines BUY AND FLY


PITY THE POOR LEISURE TRAVELLER trying to arrange a break with family or friends: spending hours researching dates, cities, hotels – and, of course, airline fares. Then spending even longer trying to coordinate everybody’s diaries and budgets. Finally, the plans are agreed, and he goes back online to make the bookings, but


then realises every air fare has now risen dramatically, way beyond your group’s budget. Back to the drawing board. You can’t negotiate with a website, after all. So he looks at the business world with envious eyes. Corporate travel managers


have big purchasing power, direct relationships with airlines and the ability to negotiate rates years in advance... don’t they?


THE BUYER


AMANDA TAYLOR, head of travel, Lush (handmade cosmetics)


A MAJOR CHALLENGE FOR A CORPORATE TRAVEL BUYER is predicting the poten- tial volume of traffic on routes. Regular traffic could reduce on previously popular routes when the focus of the business changes to another region. That new region might not be served by the same airline – or alliance – with which you were flying before. The most cost-effective corporate


travel programmes involve the use of both client negotiated rates with airlines and spot buying. You have to ask: is it viable to commit all our travel through


38 BBT JULY/AUGUST 2016


one airline to secure rates, when working across a mix of published, negotiated and consolidated rates will provide lower overall fares? Airline fares can fluctuate as a result of the changing geopolitical landscape and major savings can, for instance, be achieved through consolidated fares through a supplier versus full published fares, without compromising on quality. As our brand grows on a global scale,


it’s become clear we are travelling certain routes more regularly than before, which puts us in a better position to secure contracted rates. I’m gathering informa- tion from across our business regions to understand the routes they under- take, which will help when negotiating with airlines. My advice to a corporate travel buyer seeking to secure the best results in airline negotiations would be to develop a full understanding of your business, working out where the potential growth exists. Then ask yourself if there is an airline/ alliance that could operate these routes with either direct flights or using a central hub as a connection point. In my experi- ence, the airlines I’ve worked with most recently have been hugely supportive in our discussions and have worked to understand our business needs.


BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM


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