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p34 biztrav dec5 12/2/08 4:05 PM Page 34
Business travel
Martin Ferguson
020 7921 8011
maferguson@ttgbusiness.com
Keep up with the latest business travel news at ttgbusiness.com
In brief
Rail sales
■ HRG posts £6m interim profit
HRG has reported a pre-tax profit of £6.1 million
for the six months to September 30, an increase
of 24.5% on the same period last year. The travel rocket in
management company has won new global con-
tracts with technology company Smiths Group
and Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo.
summer
■ Qantas issues plummeting profit warning
Qantas has warned that its full-year profits
could fall by nearly two-thirds to $323m as the for GTMC
global credit crisis hits the Australian airline’s
core business travel market. The warning came
from Geoff Dixon, who stepped down as chief
executive last week. He said further capacity cuts
would be equivalent to grounding 10 aircraft. The
reductions would lower the number of flights by
4% in the next six months and reduce its planned
growth in the 2010 financial year from 10% to 2%.
ttglive.com
For the latest business travel news,
visit ttglive.com/ttgbusiness
Uniglobe signs
with Iraq agent
UNIGLOBE has expanded its global business
travel network into war-torn Iraq. Guild of Travel Management Companies posted a 16% year-on-year rise in rail bookings between July and September
The organisation has signed a deal with
Baghdad-based agency Dahlan Travel and Tours.
Martin Ferguson.
that air travel is up 2% over last year and hotel
Derek Hearl-Maunder, president and chief MEMBERS of the Guild of Travel Management and rail transactions are positively booming.
executive of Uniglobe British Isles, said the deal Companies have enjoyed strong rail and hotel British business clearly still sees business travel
means its travel management company mem- bookings in the third quarter of the year despite as a vital aspect of trading during a downturn.”
bers will be well positioned to service companies the economic downturn. However, Carlisle warned: “As the economic
taking part in efforts to rebuild the country. Figures published by the GTMC revealed cycle tightens we expect to see business travel
Although western troops still occupy Iraq, overall bookings for air, car hire, rail and hotels impacted.
European and American companies have already were up 8% on last year. “But the impressive growth in hotel and rail
secured major contracts from the new regime. But rail and hotels enjoyed the strongest transactions may indicate that corporates will
Hearl-Maunder said: “The exchange of local growth, up 16% and 18% respectively. Both have switch their business travel buying strategies
market intelligence [with Dahlan Travel] and seen significant rises since the start of the year, rather than cut back completely.”
global deals will benefit our agents.” with rail up 19% and hotel bookings up 24%. Car rental continued to struggle with a 3%
Air travel, car hire and ancillary bookings have decrease compared with the same quarter in
started to dwindle. 2007 and a return of no growth at all in 2008.
Polish deal: Uniglobe this week signed a deal In the third quarter air bookings were up 14%, Other business transactions, such as travel
with Polish agency Orbis Business Travel but for the year so far they were up only 2%. insurance procurement, passport and visa order-
Management, a subsidiary of Accor. Philip Carlisle, GTMC chief executive, said: ing, airport taxi bookings and chauffeur drive,
“The results are remarkable when one considers were down 3% on the same quarter last year.
34 05.12.2008
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