The World of Corporate Travel

A friend of mine, Random Randee Bassen, recently transitioned into a new position in the travel industry and asked to share her story on the Penta Blog. Of course we welcomed this idea and here is her entry...

About 3 months ago I changed careers from the world of lead generation/data sales for infoUSA to corporate travel sales for JourneyCorp Travel Management. Prior to joining the travel industry, I was unaware of the intricacies of corporate travel, i.e. adhering company policy mandates, vendor negotiations, VIP travel, etc. and the many ways the industry fights to adhere to the demands of our savvy travel clientele: high end retailers, demanding finance executives and penny particular yet wealthy insurance agencies. The personnel our agents deal with want to get the best price for the least amount of money and always, always want to travel with convenience and in luxury. Five years ago this was easy, today everyone is a penny pincher and it's not so easy anymore to trust just anyone with your money.

So, we come to a fork in the road where we have to decide if its time to change the way things are done or keep them exactly where they are until the bubble in the market bursts. This is where I come into play. Do I stay in a job that is comfortable or do I switch into the volatile travel industry? What is happening to this industry? Laptops are now being seized at airports, to check 1 bag is now an extra fee, only small liquids can be carried onboard (which limits the in take of Keils and Sephora products), extra costs for blankets and pillows, extra pricing for aisle seats, etc. Continental is dropping corporate relationships to cater towards the consumer market, but who are these consumers? I'll tell you who -- the airline executives, the comfortable and rich people, the consumers who buy insurance, who buy high end retail and invest in hedge funds and stocks while they are low. I finally realized if your spending hundred's of thousand's of dollars, if not millions on travel, this market is yours, this market is ours.

American Express and every other public corporation is outsourcing to call centers in India or middle America where things are just not "New York City", where rent isn't reaching its highest peak-where people still travel post 911 without a flinch. Invest while you can! Fly while you can, with discounts! Get attention now because when the market picks back up, the focus isn't going to be on saving your dollar, its going to be on spending your dollar. So I finally realized that these fashion, finance and insurance executives want me, want JourneyCorp. They want to know that now they can pay for coach yet sit in first class, be invited to Airport VIP lounges, and demand higher discounts from us because if it weren't for them, we wouldn't have a business and if it weren't for us, the airlines wouldn't have a business.

Now CFO's are first zeroing in on software that tracks every dime spent on t&e (http://www.journeycorp.com/periskope_rollover.html), online booking tools that cost half as much as voice booking (http://www.journeycorp.com/periskope_rollover.html), and meeting with me! So, if your company wants attention from the 4th largest corporate travel agency in America that focus's on you, your customer service (yes, we also do book personal travel for our corporate clients), if your company wants to keep its prestige, to be avant-garde and run with the Trumps (yes they use our services), and if you're ready for what's best, then we are ready for you.


And now from her co-worker's point-of-view. Here's Laura Zaremba's outlook...

I started working in the travel industry in 1985, first for a mega agency and the last 16 years with JourneyCorp. I got into the industry because I loved to travel. I remember the days when people used to get dressed up to fly and flying was considered a luxury. The industry has undergone dramatic changes through the years, including deregulation, airlines eliminating commissions to agencies, reduction in travel and enhanced security measures following 9/11, people booking their own travel on the internet, difficult economies and sky-high fuel prices.

In response to these challenges, JourneyCorp has become more proactive and nimble with our business strategies. We operate more efficiently. We embraced on-line technology – both for reservations and management reporting, and, when thousands of agencies folded, JourneyCorp grew to be one of the largest and most-respected travel management firms in the nation. One thing I know for sure, change will always happen and you have to learn to adapt. So kick off your shoes with glee when you're going through security, traveling has never been safer. We're a resilient industry and a resilient nation. Yes airfares are on the rise, but the traveling public has been spoiled for years by unrealistically low fares. Fortunately, JourneyCorp maintains formidable buying power with industry vendors and is able to continue to pass on deeply discounted rates to our clients.

-Christina