​The role of procurement departments has certainly changed over the years, with value, levels of service and duty of care all becoming significant considerations when taking on a new supplier. However, there is one aspect of the procurement process that has stood the test of time and underpins everything that procurement department’s work towards and that’s cost.
I’m often asked to benchmark against existing practices but what is the best way to do this?
 Understanding transaction fees and how they relate to your overall spend is a crucial element in selecting a TMC.

Equipping yourself with as much industry knowledge as possible is the best way to get the procurement process off to a good start. If you’re keen to drive online bookings then, by doing research, you should be able to find a realistic online adoption rate expectation. The volume of online bookings your organisation makes will have a direct impact on the fees you pay, as online bookings are usually charged at a lower rate than offline bookings.

Don’t focus exclusively on offline fees.

In recent years there has been a real drive within the business travel industry to increase the amount of bookings made online. With transaction fees for online bookings being typically lower, this has been a great result for travel buyers. However, the same kind of fees should not apply to offline bookings. When it comes to offline assistance, it really is a case of you get what you pay for. It is imperative you work with your TMC to work out how realistic your online adoption rate really is, if you have a lot of multi-sector long haul travel I’d suggest you will be doing more offline than online but if it is simple point to point low cost travel a higher online adoption is probably realistic.
 
TMCs do not all have access to the same fares and so will not deliver the same online/offline booking ratios. If you really want to know what it would cost to work with each TMC you need to tailor your analysis based on your research and their figures.
 
Once you’ve done your calculations, based on a tailored online adoption per TMC, you can then work out what percentage of your total travel spend the transaction fees would equate to. The industry average sits at around 5%, so if you’re preferred TMC comes in less than this, with excellent customer service and a great all-encompassing solution as well, then from a cost perspective they are very much worth considering.

Get in in touch and we can show you how much we can help you and make life easier for you.
​Give us a call on 0131 467 7000 or email us on edinburgh@ttce.com
​The Travel Company Edinburgh

​
Many people believe that because they are regular travellers this makes them best equipped to make their own travel arrangements and whilst they may have best intentions, by acting in this way it may in actual fact not only be false economy but it could be leaving the company wide open in terms of risk management. Organisations have legal and moral obligations to provide safety and security to their people, as much as possible, as they travel on business; that comes in the form of duty of care and a travel management company (TMC) should offer you access to tools and services that support you in looking after your travellers and help you in holding up your end of the duty of care bargain.
 
So next time you are booking your business trip and you think you can save a couple of pounds by booking your hotel room through some 3rd party website or going on a price comparison site for your flight just think about the following:
 
If you don't book through your TMC, they won't know where you are, which means they can't help you in a crisis.
Let's say you book a hotel on your own, and when you arrive, you are not happy with the condition of your room or worse still, the hotel doesn't have a record of your reservation. Who do you call for help? No one. That's who.
You are probably NOT even saving your company money by finding the deal of the century even if you think you are.  Want to know why? Your company negotiates deals with specific suppliers on an annual basis. These deals frequently include behind-the-scenes incentives based on quantity of bookings. The TMC may well be offering your company a rebate on commissions earned and you also have to factor in time, your time to make the booking and your finance department who then have to spend time cross referencing your expense claim.
 
So you may be an experienced traveller and you may feel that a TMC restricts what you can or can’t book. This is very rarely the case, we work with all of our clients to give the end user a pleasurable experience, give them choices and a high level of personal service all whilst controlling the companies spend, making sure the staff are as safe as possible and streamlining the back office processing.

Get in touch so we can help you. edinburgh@ttce.com +44 (0)131 467 7000

How to write a company travel policy?
It is surprisingly common to come across organisations that despite having significant expense in terms of travel, they do not have a travel policy to adhere to and whilst it is possible for a company to get by without ever formally documenting rules on employee travel and expenses it is inadvisable.
Each company has to find a program that matches its size, travel pattern, and culture. Yet for all these unique considerations, the importance of getting it right is universal, as are the basic principles that go into designing the right policy.
So why do you need a travel policy?
Cost Control - Smart policies don’t just protect against overspending, they actively encourage saving.
Employee Satisfaction - Business travellers want the right amount of guidance from their company policy. Not having defined rules can leave employees confused, but having too many rules can be counterproductive. By creating more work for an employee during booking, and giving them too few comfortable and convenient options on the road, overly-strict policies encourage travellers to go rogue.
Reporting - T&E is one of the largest expense categories at a typical organization, often ranking behind only salary and rent. Because a company’s travel policy determines how employees book and submit expenses, it has a huge effect on whether spending remains visible.
 
By identifying specific priorities, you’ll know where to focus your attention. Here are some possible objectives:
Reduce average trip cost
Replace some travel with virtual meetings
Promote use of approved suppliers
Secure negotiated hotel rates
Increase advance booking
Improve employee satisfaction with flight and hotel options
Speed up expense reimbursement process
 
Once you have established the objectives, we work with clients and potential clients in order to write a travel policy that is comprehensive, covering every stage of trip from booking through to reimbursement, and at the same time comprehensible. 
Below are a list of examples that could be included in a travel policy:
Where should employees book their travel?
How should they pay?
How are trips approved or rejected?
What class of flight?
Flight selection criteria
Hotel star class
Allowable expenses whilst in a hotel
Rail v plane
Economy v Business Class
 
Are you struggling with your travel policy? Why not get in touch today and see how we can help.

Get in touch edinburgh@ttce.com +44 (0)131 467 7000

One thing that is so important when considering your travel policy is the security and safety of your travellers.
Companies often overlook this element, not on purpose of course as they have a company-wide travel insurance policy in place and then assume that this will cover everything they need. A normal company travel policy or insurance does not usually provide the cover that is required to all destinations especially if your travellers are travelling to a destination that is advised against travel by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office  (FCDO) or there is a change in the advise while they are abroad. 

The help and advise that we, as a travel management company (TMC), can give is invaluable.
We can arrange and assist with numerous things, the below is just the tip of the iceberg:

• Arrange for Travel Insurance with provide full benefits, up to the policy limits, for all destinations including countries under FCDO and government essential and non-essential travel advisories.
• Give you and your travellers 24 hour support in the instance that they need us for a simple enquiry or something that is more in depth and urgent, such as getting a traveller on the next possible flight home or arrange to move them to a safe destination.
• Provide an immediate report when required of where all your travellers are staying or what flight they are on should you need that information.
• Give you advise on the travel restrictions in a country and whether there are any travel alerts in a destination before or during a travellers stay.
• Provide security personnel and armoured vehicles in destinations where required.
• Provide medical personnel to travel with clients if they need the assistance.

Your staff are the most important part of your company and we are here to ensure that they stay as safe as possible. 
​
Get intouch to discuss options for your company, we are here to help and make life easier for you and your company!

Call us on +44 (0) 131 467 7000 or email on edinburgh@ttce.com
The Travel Company Edinburgh

​'Why should I use a TMC when I can just book everything myself?' is something that we have heard alot in the past. 
​
I love it when someone asks us this as there are so many answers depending on the company or situation of the person. A big one right now is that we are watching the developments on the Covid-19 travel restrictions globally so that we can inform all our clients of the situation in the destination they want to travel to and the situation with quarantine upon returning. Therefore if the traffic light system in the UK changes then we will let you know and help you get home or to the destination you need to go.
With regards to and other thing that people also say; "I can just book everything  online": You can still book everything online if you want to, using our booking system, or you can just ask us to do it for you and save a lot of time with all the searching especially when it is a busy destination! PLUS you have the backup of a 24 hour team of experienced professionals to help should you need it.
Why wouldn't you use a TMC?!
​ Just image this situation:

• You are the person responsible for booking accommodation, travel and meetings for your team, along with your other job responsibilities.
• You have made hundreds of bookings this week as well as doing the job you were actually employed to do, it is now Friday at 5:30pm and time to go home for the weekend - Hurray! 
• You pickup your things get in the car and are driving home, you start thinking about what to have for your dinner or where you are going out to that evening.
• You get home and are now all dressed up to go out, your taxi arrives and the news comes on.
• You hear that there has been a problem at one of the airports that you regularly use and you know you have some of your team flying through there coming home from a week away. Also the traffic light system has changed due to Covid-19.
• OH NO!! What do you do?
• What flights were they all on?
• Which team members are travelling at the moment and where are they all?
• What do you need to do to sort it out?
• Are they covered if they can not get home? 
• Will they need to quarantine now upon returning to the UK? or can you get them back before the change in 'traffic light' status?
• You will have to go back to the office and sort it all out!
• That will ruin your weekend plans!
• What a Nightmare! - not if you are using a TMC

SOLUTION: Just give us a call:
When using us as your TMC there is no need to panic we can help you. We have all the information in one place and can tell you exactly what flights and hotels are booked and for who and help sort all the flights, re-book alternative flights, book trains if flights are grounded, book hotels where required or anything that you need.

So the answer to the question is:
Why would you not use a TMC when you have the support of our team of experienced professionals to help you and we have all the up to date information about the travel restrictions with regards to Covid-19.

Get in touch and we can tell you how we can help you with your situation email us
The Travel Company Edinburgh
+44 (0)131 467 7000
​edinburgh@ttce.com

Business travel has come to a complete halt in the first few months of 2020, as the world grappled with the COVID-19 crisis. With stay-at-home orders in place throughout the country, a large percentage of the workforce were forced to work from home and cancel all travel plans indefinitely.
It’s no secret that pandemic has not been easy for the air travel industry. But as restrictions and travel bans are easing across the country and the world, things are looking up again for the future of flying.
COVID-19, however, may have changed air travel as we know it forever.
Let us take a closer look at how the pandemic has changed the way people travel for business.

Demand for Private Aviation Surges
While the idea of flying private for business isn’t new, the demand for private jet flights has surged over the past few months as more and more companies turn to private aviation as a safe and efficient means of transportation.
Private jets inherently tick all the right boxes for those who need to fly right now, whether for business or leisure. Aside from providing a personalized business travel experience, chartered flights eliminate most health and safety concerns that people have with traveling during a pandemic, particularly the need to traverse through crowded airports and fly with strangers.
With so many flights getting rerouted or cancelled, flying private has become a viable and convenient option for travellers.

More Time Spent at The Airport
Gone were the days when it’s okay to show up at the airport an hour or two before your flight. To ensure everyone’s safety, airports and airlines are now implementing strict disinfection processes prior to boarding. Commercial flight passengers are advised to be at the airport three or four hours earlier to complete all the necessary health, sanitation, and safety protocols.
A lengthier immigration process is also to be expected when traveling to another country during the pandemic.

More Travel Requirements
A passport used to be the only thing you need when traveling out of the country, but not anymore. Aside from a clean bill of health, a negative COVID test result, and travel insurance, those who are traveling for business may need to produce proof that their travel is essential, especially when the destination is a known COVID hotspot.
You’ll also likely need to present a recent negative COVID test result before being allowed to board a flight back to the country.

Business Trips Becoming Longer
Up until COVID-19 happened, it was normal for businessmen and corporate employees to take short business trips outside the country. These days, however, this has become impossible.
Many countries require incoming passengers to isolate until they get their negative COVID test result, while others implement a mandatory two-week isolation period even after testing negative.
That being said, organizations have to take a case-by-case approach when assessing the viability of employee travel nowadays. They have to be more flexible with the travel plans and budget to accommodate last-minute changes and ensure the safest routes of travel for their representatives.
 
Air Travel is More Flexible Than Ever
If there’s one silver lining for traveling in the time of COVID-19, it’s that air travel has become more flexible and accommodating towards passengers. Airlines used to charge passengers for changing or cancelling their flights, but that’s no longer the case.
Some airline companies have waived change fees for this year amid the ever-changing travel bans, while others have cancelled them indefinitely. Also, most flight vouchers issued during the pandemic are valid for up to two years.
These days, it does seem like passengers have the upper hand. The balance of power has shifted to consumers, and it’s likely to stay that way for a while.
 
Business Travel Rebounds Slowly Amid the Pandemic
Although virtual conferencing platforms have made it possible for businesses to hold meetings and discussions from different parts of the world, it is not always enough. Some deals are best negotiated face-to-face.
The good news is that despite the huge blow that it has sustained for most of 2020, air travel, whether for business or leisure, is bound to pick up in the next few months as COVID vaccines become widely available.
The airline industry is expected to slowly rebuild itself as domestic travel restrictions are lifted and the country opens itself up for flights from all over the world. 

If you would like more information about Private Jets please get intouch:
edinburgh@ttce.com +44 (0)131 467 7000

About the Author
Melissa Hull is the Content Marketing Strategist for Aviation Charters, a West Trenton, New Jersey-based private aviation company that provides on-demand aircraft charter, aircraft management, and aircraft acquisition services. Aside from her passion for writing, she loves to travel and read espionage books