The Business Travel Magazine Oct/Nov 2019

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Ground transport / Rail spend management On the right track? Corporates and TMCs are demanding a more collaborative approach from train operators. Catherine Chetwynd examines the latest progress With trainfares something of a minefield and most train operating companies (TOC) refusing to negotiate with companies on the basis of volume discount, it was no surprise that the government launched a major review of the UK's rail market. The Williams Rail Review was due to report its findings in September but has predictably been delayed – the impact of Brexit on Whitehall rather than leaves on the line the most likely cause of its late arrival later this autumn. Even the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, recognised the need for an overhaul. In its submission to the Review, Chief Operating Officer Jacqueline Starr explained: “Increasing use of technology and remote working over the past decade has been accompanied by more employers offering flexible working; fewer people need to be in the office five days a week or to commute at peak times. We have seen this in falling sales of season tickets but with passenger journeys still reaching record highs. “The decades-old fares regulations have created an inflexible and confusing range of fares. Fares reform would also allow us to tackle crowding on some of Britain’s busiest commuter services by removing the cliff-edge price difference between peak and the first off-peak services.” Full steam ahead This, suggested Starr, could bring advantages for business, including tap-in tap-out, pay-as-you-go travel with price capping across the country, and a best-fare guarantee. Other bonuses could be increased competition on long-distance routes, creating a demand-led market and quicker journeys, more space per seat, faster wifi, and better service on board; at last the customer would feature large. But that is all for the future. What about the picture today? Virgin Trains has corporate fares which are available on key business routes on the west coast. These are for sale via TMCs only. “A travel manager’s objective is generally to bring down the cost of travel as much as they can and, conversely, ours is to maintain yield, so we aimed to meet them in the middle,” says Head of Corporate Sales, Claire Walton. “Business customers can fix their outbound journey but they get more value out of the flexible return. If somebody misses a train, it is expensive to buy a single fare home, or if a meeting finishes early and people arrive at the station hours before their booked departure that is a complete waste of time. Some of our Business Corporate Fares also come with a free first class upgrade,” she says. 70 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
Rail spend management / Ground transport THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com 71
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78 October/November 2019 THE FUTURE
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ARRIVALS Contents OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
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ARRIVALS Welcome Travel's got talen
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British Airways on a high BA’s fi
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EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE WITH SING
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ARRIVALS THE KNOWLEDGE How to... Ta
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O EAST MEETS WEST INTRODUCING NEW L
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ARRIVALS event report If you're pre
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THE BIG PICTURE Spanish costas SPAI
Page 19 and 20: SUSTAINABILITY The UK government ha
Page 21 and 22: SUSTAINABILITY Sustainable procure
Page 23 and 24: SUSTAINABILITY The hotel industry
Page 25 and 26: FOR BUSINESS AWARD-WINNING BUSINESS
Page 27 and 28: THE CONVERSATION in brief... Clive
Page 29 and 30: EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR NINE TO FIV
Page 31 and 32: PREMIUM ECONOMY Up and away Cost-co
Page 33: PREMIUM ECONOMY British Airways Je
Page 37: CABIN • Fully enclosed high priva
Page 40 and 41: MEET THE BUYER meet Jimena Alvarez
Page 42 and 43: TALKING TRAVEL Savouring the world
Page 44 and 45: Box, Box, Box... We enable agencies
Page 46 and 47: THE REVIEW T H E L O W D O W N IN B
Page 48 and 49: THE REVIEW I N T H E A I R Virgin a
Page 50 and 51: THE REVIEW R O O M R E P O R T Hyat
Page 52 and 53: THE REVIEW M e e t i n g p l a c e
Page 54 and 55: THE REVIEW O N T H E M O V E EVENTS
Page 56 and 57: Ground transport / Introduction Inc
Page 58 and 59: Ground transport / Introduction a
Page 60 and 61: Ground transport / Tech & tools Bri
Page 62: Ground transport / Tech & tools An
Page 65: Car hire / Ground transport this ye
Page 68 and 69: Ground transport / Car hire We are
Page 72 and 73: The rail API trusted by leading bra
Page 74 and 75: Ground transport / Rail spend manag
Page 78 and 79: Ground transport / Rail operator up
Page 80 and 81: Ground transport / Rail operator up
Page 82 and 83: Ground transport / Taxis CABBIE fev
Page 84 and 85: Ground transport / Chauffeur servic
Page 86 and 87: Ground transport / Data Hitting the
Page 88 and 89: GALLERY Advantage members meet and
Page 90 and 91: PREMIUM BUSINESS The finest experie
Page 92 and 93: DEPARTURES Focus on... the Gulf Sta
Page 94: DEPARTURES Factfile: the Gulf State
Page 97 and 98: DEPARTURES FLIGHT: AMERICAN AIRLINE
Page 99 and 100: Save the date september 15th-16th H
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