Global travel brand JTB Business Travel has teamed up with travel data and analytics expert, Cirium, to offer its clients proactive Airline Waiver Notifications to minimise flight disruption.
Flight disruption caused by weather conditions, airport closures, labour strikes and natural disasters are often unavoidable, so being proactive and able to quickly alert travellers is essential. Cirium’s Waiver notification technology allows JTB Business Travel to further improve and get ahead of trip disruption for business travellers around the globe.
Through the new partnership, JTB Business Travel, which is part of JTB, one of the world’s largest travel companies with annual sales of over USD $13 billion, uses the new airline waiver service to enhance the business traveller experience and reduce cost for their clients.
This customised notification service automatically alerts travellers via email or text message when waivers are available, enabling them to make immediate alternative travel arrangements at no extra cost if their flight is disrupted.
Airlines issue exceptions to their change fee policies in the form of waivers for travellers when severe disruption affects a traveller’s trip. However, these often go unused, as identifying, communicating, and changing travel plans has traditionally been a slow and frustrating process for passengers.
The need for automating the process has never been more urgent. According to Cirium data, more than 3.9 million flights – or 10,700 a day – were cancelled or delayed over 30 minutes or more globally in 2018. This affects more than 470 million people around the world and can severely impact their experience. The repercussions can also add up to a huge financial impact on a travel program.
Jeremy Bowen, Cirium CEO, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with JTB Business Travel. It will be great to see the cost savings, streamlined operations and improved end-to-end traveller experience for the travel management company and its corporate clients as a result of implementing the service.”
