We know that when our customers save money on travel, this frees up much-needed resources that can be more efficiently spent on accomplishing their organisational missions.
How Key Travel helps reduce travel spend
Reducing travel costs is about more than finding the cheapest fare or hotel rate. The total cost of travel can also be affected by booking behaviour, changes and cancellations, travel policy compliance, supplier agreements, workflows and the way travel is purchased.
Key Travel helps organisations manage these different areas together, combining specialist travel content, booking technology, supplier relationships, travel data and expert account management to help customers make better use of their travel budgets.
Access specialist fares designed for purpose-led travel
Through our relationships with airlines, Key Travel provides access to specialist academic, humanitarian and charity fares on eligible routes.
These fares can offer savings compared with published fares, but their value often goes beyond the initial ticket price. Depending on the fare, benefits can include additional baggage, longer ticketing deadlines, greater flexibility and reduced change or cancellation charges.
For organisations whose travellers may need to change plans at short notice, these conditions can help reduce the overall cost of a journey.
Reduce the cost of changes and cancellations
The lowest fare at the time of booking is not always the lowest-cost option overall. Research, humanitarian work, conferences and other purpose-led travel can involve changing schedules and uncertain travel dates. A highly restricted ticket may therefore become considerably more expensive if a traveller needs to change or cancel their journey.
Key Travel's specialist and flexible fares can provide reduced change fees, refundable options or more flexible conditions, helping customers consider the total cost of travel rather than simply the initial ticket price.
Increase travel policy compliance
A well-designed travel programme can help organisations control spend by making it easier for travellers and bookers to choose options that meet their organisation's travel policy.
We embed our customers travel policies, so that they are incorporated into the booking journey, whether online or offline, helping users identify appropriate options and reducing unnecessary out-of-policy purchasing.
Centralising bookings through Key Travel also gives organisations greater visibility of their travel spend, rather than expenditure being fragmented across different booking channels.
Identify further savings through travel data
Travel data can reveal opportunities that individual bookings alone cannot show.
Through KT Insights and regular account management, organisations can analyse areas such as booking patterns, supplier spend, online adoption, advance booking behaviour and travel policy compliance.
This helps identify where changes to travel behaviour, supplier agreements or programme configuration could generate additional savings.
Reduce the cost of booking travel
Straightforward journeys can be booked through KT Online, our lowest-cost booking channel, while our travel consultants are available when an itinerary requires more complex support.
Encouraging appropriate bookings online can reduce transaction costs while allowing specialist support to be focused on journeys where human expertise provides greater value.
Exclusive Accommodation Rates
Our hotel booking service gives customers access to 2 million hotel rates, including from the world’s leading hotel providers.
Key features include:
- The best rates and conditions however a customer chooses to book including “do-good” rates, which give an instant discount of 10% or more on hotel rates from one of the world’s largest hotel aggregators, just for booking through Key Travel!
- Flexible rates across multiple suppliers and contracts, with cancellations or amendments possible until the day of arrival
Other services
We provide access to competitive rates for:
- train travel
- other ground transportation such as car rental, coaches, taxis and transfers
- ferries
- airport parking
- lounge passes
- travel insurance
- passport and visa processing
Frequently asked questions about reducing business travel costs
How can a travel management company help reduce travel costs?
Key Travel saves our customers money through negotiated fares, specialist travel rates, policy compliance, online booking, supplier management and analysis of travel spend, plus much more including:
- Exclusive specialist air fares with travel providers
- Expertise negotiating with suppliers
- Centralised booking platform combining OBT and Omni-channel content
- The most successful online tool in the sector, the channel with the lowest booking fee
- Maximising policy compliance and minimising unauthorised spend
- Duty of Care optimisation through our travel risk management tools and processes
- Workflow efficiencies
What are specialist air fares?
Specialist fares are negotiated or specially available fares designed for certain traveller or organisation types. Key Travel were the very first TMC to pioneer academic and humanitarian specialist air fares and we continue to offer the largest portfolio of specialist travel content in the not-for-profit sector. Our unique fares and negotiated rates deliver meaningful savings while maintaining flexibility and protection for your travellers.
Key benefits include:
- Discounts vs published fares
- Extended holding periods
- Fewer fare restrictions, such as Saturday night stay
- Low or no change or cancellation fees
- Fully refundable fares
- Extra luggage allowance
All our specialist air fares are available through KT Online, our online booking tool, alongside other air fares – including from low cost carriers.
Are specialist fares always cheaper than public air fares?
Not necessarily, however the lowest price you see online is not always the lowest overall cost or value. Sometimes the overall value comes from baggage allowance, flexibility, refundability or reduced amendment costs. Taking a slightly more strategic approach to fare selection can often reduce overall travel spend in the end.
Specialist fares combine to make a significant difference, in cost and flexibility for all travel plans including complex or those subject to change.
How can travel policy compliance reduce costs?
Steering people towards approved booking channels, preferred suppliers and agreed travel rules reduces leakage and thereby gives you more overview, control and complete spend data, in addition to saving admin time related to expense and invoice reconciliation.
Reduce the cost of changes and cancellations
Through the advanced KT Insights reporting we provide, it is possible to review and interrogate travel data around:
- unused preferred supplier opportunities
- offline versus online booking behaviour
- booking lead times
- policy exceptions
- fare selection
- hotel spend
- missed specialist-fare opportunities
Being able to view and understand this information, allows opportunities to be identified to reduce travel spend.