EasyJet moves to attract business travellers

EasyJet is poised to unveil a deal to allow online billing and settlement of corporate bookings in a fresh move to attract higher-paying business travellers.

EasyJet is poised to unveil a deal to allow online billing and settlement of corporate bookings in a fresh move to attract higher-paying business travellers.

The low-cost giant has an agreement in place with eNett International, which provides billing-settlement tools and transactional data online.

ENett is a joint venture between Travelport, owner of the Galileo and Worldspan GDSs, and Melbourne-based PSP International. The company already has deals in place with Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Flight Centre.

EasyJet chief executive Carolyn McCall announced the deal to members of the Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC) on Monday.

McCall said the BSP (billing and settlement plan) of airline association IATA was “too expensive and too complicated” for easyJet to participate in, but said the eNett deal “will be the equivalent online.”

Speaking after the GTMC’s annual general meeting, McCall said: “It’s a virtual card solution. We will formally announce it in two weeks or so and roll it out after that. It resolves all the back office reconciliation issues and will be cost-effective for us and for the trade.”

EasyJet director of sales, distribution and business Andrew Hodges said: “Travel management companies will sign up for accounts with eNett and every transaction will be given a unique identifier. It will provide detailed records for back-office systems.”

McCall also revealed easyJet is in talks with Sabre and Galileo to extend its GDS distribution. The carrier is already on Amadeus.

She said: “We are talking to Sabre and Galileo and expect to come to agreements within months – possibly within weeks.”

GTMC chairman Ajaya Sodha (Key Travel) said: “We are happy with eNett. When asked for feedback, we told easyJet there was no incremental revenue from going into BSP.”

Anne Godfrey, GTMC chief executive, added: “EasyJet is an incredibly good partner and we are very happy with what they are doing. They are keen to work with the trade to make content available wherever our members want it.”

Sodha said: “There are lots of one-to-one discussions going on between easyJet and individual TMCs.”