Corporations Book Majority of Rez Online

SAN DIEGO — GetThere, a provider of corporate travel reservation technology, announced the results of its fifth annual Corporate Travel Benchmark Survey. GetThere distributed data from the survey at the annual National Business Travel Association Convention & Trade Show in San Diego. The survey, which tracks business travel patterns at America's leading corporations, revealed that 65% of travel reservations at responding corporations are made online. This figure, up from 60% in 2004, is more impressive when contrasted against the 26% online adoption rate reported in GetThere's first Benchmark Survey in 2001.

Senior executives at top companies are endorsing online booking as the preferred booking method and, in many cases, are mandating employees to book online simply because of the measurable savings these programs can generate. This year's survey shows that trips booked online averaged 49% lower agency fees and 14% lower airfares — representing approximately $100 in savings per booking.

With the continued focus on cost-cutting, companies overwhelmingly cited executive support and mandates as the most effective means for driving online adoption. Nearly 60% of responding companies have expanded online travel programs internationally, up from 41% last year. This dramatic growth took place despite many companies from various regions and industries facing similar obstacles, such as cultural differences, on-screen language/translation issues and accessing specific supplier inventory. Large multi-national companies continue to report higher overall global adoption.

The Corporate Travel Benchmark Report is based on a survey of 150 GetThere customers that spend from $5 million to more than $100 million annually on air travel.