Australia’s Citect is a leading provider of industrial automation software solutions with offices in seven countries on four continents. The company’s annual air spend is US$580,000, with 10 to 12 travel executives booking for 80 to 100 employees. Domestic travel accounts for 70 per cent, and the rest international.

Its travel management company, Travelforce Australia, is a Galileo customer and uses both the Galileo GDS and the corporate booking tool, Travelport. Since November 2004, Citect has been using Travelport to book its tickets. Before, Citect did not use an online tool.

Cendant Travel Distribution Services director of product management and marketing Asia-Pacific, Mr Kurt Knackstedt, said: “According to Citect’s CFO, Mr Phillip Harvey, Travelport gives his travel booking executives more flexibility and efficiency during the reservation process. It also allows them to view more options of flights during booking which in turn generally means a lower cost option is chosen. This has the potential to save Citect a significant amount in average ticket price.”

Mr Knackstedt said the main benefit was to have a robust and flexible online policy within the booking tool. The tool does not drive the policy. Rather the policy drives the tool.

For example, Citect’s policy is lowest fare of the day, so if the lowest fare is not available from a preferred supplier, the Travelport tool is smart enough to offer the alternative option.

“Another example would be if a traveller is booking a destination not well-serviced by a preferred supplier, it will not restrict the traveller from searching. It will offer alternative options, even though they are not on a preferred carrier. It offers flexibility for the traveller,” he said.