How can a company ensure that its employees travel in the best possible conditions whilst keeping within the company’s budget? The increasing number of parties involved, including travel agencies, hotels, car rental firms and software companies offering expenses management solutions, complicates decision-making. AirPlus’s payment and expenditure control tools help its clients to see clearly when faced with such a multitude of suppliers.
AirPlus is neither a subsidiary nor a shareholder of a travel agency; it is an independent operator that remains focused on its core business of business travel management. The company’s expertise is recognised by more than 32,000 clients worldwide, including 500 of the top European companies. “Companies have understood the importance of better control of travel costs. This is, after all, the third largest item of non-production related expenditure,” explains Philippe Besançon, Manager for France at AirPlus International.
Small and medium sized companies are gradually improving their business travel expenditure control procedures. According to recent market research conducted by AirPlus, whilst 75% of such businesses analyse their data, only a third use analysis tools, compared with 57% of large companies. Because AirPlus understands the expectations and requirements of SMEs, it came up with a solution especially designed for them: the Carte Logée compact. This account, which is offered in partnership with BNP Paribas bank, is set up in the company’s name at its travel agency and provides a centralized payment system for all spending on tickets (air, rail, etc.), car rental and transaction costs.
The Carte Logée compact is offered to companies with an annual travel budget of between 50,000 and 500,000 euros. This solution is different because it is easy to set up and use. There is no likelihood of Carte Logée compact being refused by an airline since it is accepted by more than 260 traditional and 25 low-cost companies. Airplus’s awareness of market requirements also led it to offer a totally new insurance product for SMEs. “For some of our clients, travel insurance was the determining factor in choosing AirPlus,” points out Philippe Besançon. AirPlus’s insurance covers not only a company’s employees, but also their guests when tickets are paid through Carte Logée compact. Companies find this unique ser-vice, as well as the compensation levels (up to 600,000 euros), extremely reassuring. The Carte Logée compact solution can also be associated with BNP Paribas Visa corporate cards to enable employees to pay travel expenses such as taxis, restaurants and hotels.
Saving money and time
Every month, AirPlus sends its clients a detailed statement of transactions carried out with their Carte Logée compact. Statements can be sent as a hardcopy or electronically. Thanks to a partnership between AirPlus and Deskom, e-statements can even be tax-compliant.
In addition to travel expenses related savings, Carte Logée compact also saves companies’ time because the process is fully automated, eliminating the need for manual data entry for accounting purposes.
AirPlus also provides a Carte Logée for larger companies. This offers the same benefits as the compact version, but with many more features, inclu-ding the reporting tool AirPlus Information Manager. “This enables your company to see whether it can negotiate better rates with certain airlines, save on hotel expenses and to see employees’ expenditure,” explains Philippe Besançon.
Finally, to enhance its customer service even further, AirPlus provides a single contact person. “This enables companies that choose AirPlus to operate within a totally personalized environment and to receive advice that is tailored to their specific needs,” points out Philippe Besançon.
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