Business Travel Management

Renting a car?  In a recent Seattle Times article, travelers are warned to ready themselves for sticker shock as rates go up, and rental-car companies begin charging fees just like the airlines.  Reacting to a downturn in business due to the global recession, car rental companies reduced their fleets as much as 25 percent by replacing fewer cars. "That created an artificial demand and higher prices," says Neil Abrams, a consultant for New York-based Abrams Consulting Group, which tracks car rental rates. Although we saw record rate hikes in 2009, Abrams predicts more modest rate increases this year.  Other changes are afoot, however. Just as airlines started charging for checking bags and hotels began charging for canceling reservations, car-rental companies are looking for ways besides price increases to boost their bottom lines

According to Travel Pulse, the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) applauds the Obama administration for addressing issues vital to the corporate travel industry in its FY 2011 budget proposal. The requested budget addresses several priorities of critical importance to NBTA, including enhanced aviation security, funding for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), and an increase in the number of Federal Air Marshals on international flights.  NBTA Executive Director and COO Michael W. McCormick said, “We were pleased to see the president's budget proposal include recommended funding for initiatives critical to the business travel community. The budget request includes investments in aviation that will support the safe and efficient facilitation of business travelers, a concept at the heart of NBTA's key mission and a driving force of our nation's economy.”

Business travellers have voiced confusion by the new Indian visa rule that requires people with multiple entry tourist visas to wait for a period of two months before returning to India.  Initially, it was deemed relevant only to those holding five and 10 year tourist visas. However, the consensus now seems to be that it affects all categories of tourist visas.  Even if you have a six month multiple entry tourist visa and you leave India, you won't be allowed to return to India for two months.  Exceptions can be made by applying for special permission from an Indian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate abroad.  The new rule is causing great confusion to travellers, particularly because it is not widely understood, even by Indian authorities, or consistently applied.

Source: The Anvil Group

Southwest Airlines has made the decision to install a rather high-tech frill for a discount carrier — on-board Wi-Fi. According to swabiz.com, Southwest's business travel website, the system is being installed on some flights this year, with plans to outfit all of Southwest’s 540 aircraft with high-speed internet by 2012.  Consumer Traveler reports the cost to run from $2 to $12 per segment, but this, as well as many other questions, still need to be worked out. One concern is the short flight-times involved and a cabin crew's ability to control the use of the Wi-Fi during critical times.  For an airline that likes to keep things simple, Wi-Fi could be a complicated issue.

Delta Air Lines completed the integration of Northwest Airlines’ reservations system this past weekend and retired Northwest flight numbers, as well as the company’s website, NWA.com. Northwest has flown into history. The Star Tribune reports that, according to Delta, those who booked Northwest flights are now booked on identical Delta flights and can use the same confirmation numbers.