SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 21, 2005–GetThere(R) yesterday recognized ten companies for their innovative and successful corporate online travel programs. The corporations were acknowledged during the opening session of the GetThere Customer Summit, an annual gathering that brings together hundreds of corporate travel managers within the GetThere customer community for educational and networking opportunities. This year’s event also marked GetThere’s tenth anniversary since launching its first online travel offering in 1995.
“When we started GetThere ten years ago, we never could have imagined what our corporate customers would accomplish with online booking and the millions of dollars they would save as a result,” said Bev Heinritz, general manager at GetThere. “We were hard-pressed to choose just ten award recipients this year from among the thousands of corporations that successfully use GetThere technology.”
Companies recognized for their accomplishments in corporate online travel included:
Brown-Forman – A producer and marketer of well-known beverage brands such as Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, Finlandia Vodka, Korbel champagne, Fetzer wine and Bolla wine, Brown-Forman reached 83 percent online adoption, in part by leveraging GetThere functionality to move more types of transactions online. The company uses GetThere DirectMeetings(TM) for group travel and new GetThere Online Ticket Exchange(TM) functionality to process voids, refunds and exchanges online.
CSC – This leading global IT services company increased adoption over the past year by actively marketing and communicating the financial benefits of online booking to senior management and travelers. The company also automated the transfer of profile data and made it easier for its thousands of travelers to sign into the booking tool.
Northrop Grumman – A global defense contractor with a multi-million dollar travel budget and more than 125,000 employees, Northrop Grumman reached 50 percent adoption of GetThere by securing executive support for online booking. Due to its success with online travel, the company now is implementing phased mandates for use of the tool.
Perot Systems – Perot Systems, a company that delivers technology-based business solutions to help organizations control costs and cultivate growth worldwide, has been a long-standing GetThere customer. The company has reached 81 percent online adoption of the system through the use of best practices, such as securing executive support and implementing a soft mandate.
The Stanley Works – In December, 2004, this worldwide manufacturer of tools and hardware products implemented GetThere’s Pre-Trip Approval functionality to streamline internal processes, and has seen online adoption increase to 75 percent in 2005.
Xerox – Xerox, a $15.7 billion technology and services provider of document solutions, has reached 90 percent adoption using GetThere and an 87 percent touchless transaction rate. Xerox was one of GetThere’s first customers back in the late 1990s, and recently automated the booking process for employees traveling to attend training classes. Approximately 500 additional transactions now go through the online tool per month as a result of this Six Sigma initiative.
About GetThere
GetThere is the world’s leading online corporate travel reservation technology. GetThere enables global corporations and government agencies to provide a convenient way for employees to book travel and plan meetings while significantly reducing costs. GetThere’s advanced technology works with all major global distribution systems (GDS) and all travel management companies. More than 3,000 corporations, including 60 percent of the Fortune 200 companies that have online booking sites, use GetThere. More information is available at http://www.getthere.com.
Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE:TSG) is a world leader in travel commerce, retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at http://www.sabre-holdings.com.
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SOURCE: GetThere
