PRODUCTS & SERVICES

LUTE for Corporate Travel

Control and Superior Content
Corporate and business travel today has undergone a radical transformation. The depth of new technologies for managing business travel has never been greater. The attention to cost control and quality of content while managing an ever widening supply chain has made the process harder and increasingly more expensive.
Travel Management Companies (TMCs) and Corporate Travel Departments (CTDs) have developed with a wide range of providers advanced tools for the service of the business traveller. LUTE is a provider of low-cost distribution technology with which travel managers can simultaneously increase agent productivity, and sustainably improve their customer value proposition.

Total Content Access
The LUTE Open Office Platform is a middleware solution that enables TMC’s and CTD’s to access content from virtually any travel data source, including:

• Farelogix direct connections to supplier host reservation systems
• Multiple GDS systems
• Private fare databases
• LCC hosts
• Independent pricing engines including SITA and ITA QPX
• Supplier websites
• Online inventory

All content is normalized and standardized, simplifying the process of dynamic multi-source management. Individual service providers can chose to take the complete platform or access only specific LUTE provided content. LUTE users and customers have full control over which content sources they elect to use, as well as how the data is presented at the point of sale.
Reservations booked through the LUTE platform are stored within the respective source system, as well as within the FLX Master Itinerary PNR database. The data is subsequently available for back office reporting using the Farelogix back office interface (MIR-FLX).

Sourcing & Channel Optimization
LUTE providers a master tool to manage distribution. Using our DM – Distribution Manager tool, TMC’s and CTD’s have full control over which content sources are accessed for searching, shopping and booking, as well as what other customer-defined rules should be applied and under what conditions.
There is no limit to the amount of user-defined rules (XML and server-side java script) that can be used to preference or otherwise customize requests to/responses and from travel sources.

The TMC or CTD determines which sources and rules are applied and under what conditions, and/or for which customer segments, channels or corporate clients. Sourcing and business logic may even be defined down to the individual traveler/itinerary level if needed. In this way, DM not only facilitates management of contractual relationships for TMC’s and corporations, but also allows for unprecedented levels of content and channel optimization.

Productivity at the Worktop
LUTE does not provide a generic Corporate Agent Desktop tool. It does provide a standard set of Agent or consumer tools for searching, booking and ticketing reservations. Innovative CTD or TMC users of the platform choose which reservation and productivity tool sits ‘on top’ of the underlying platform. The data processed through the middleware solution are normalized and standardized, allowing for a uniform and consistent display at the point of sale. This eliminates the need for agents to search multiple sources to obtain a full spectrum of travel results, and compiles all needed data within one consistent user interface.
Multiple POS options exist for Corporate users that are seeking to implement the platform with their own proprietary point of sale application, website, or corporate booking tool may use the LUTE version of the Farelogix Web Services API to easily integrate their POS with the platform. Alternatively, Corporate users may elect to use a point of sale application that is already fully integrated with the FLX platform. A sample of these fully integrated solutions is noted below:

• LUTE SPRK™ Model Office Platform
SPRK is a turnkey travel agency solution designed specifically for global multi-source direct channel distribution. The SPRK platform provides travel agencies with a best of breed point of sale solution inclusive of web-based (Hawkeye) and native command line based (FLX Commando) user interfaces, complemented by a multi-source PNR and integrated back-office reporting (MIR-FLX).

• Project Hawkeye™ (Open Source Development Platform)
Hawkeye is the travel industry’s first open-source, web-based travel management point of sale application. Built using Microsoft .NET and C# technology, Hawkeye supports a rich (and constantly growing!) set of functionality for shopping, booking, ticketing, PNR servicing, profile management, exchange, refund…and more. Users are able to build their own OpenSource applications.

• LUTE CommandPRO(sm)
CommandPRO is a new user interface solution that looks and acts like the GDS cryptic entries…but that is where the similarities end! Designed to handle multiple reservations format options, CommandPRO simulates cryptic GDS command line functions, allowing the seasoned travel agent to continue using these commands while behind the user interface, any type of content source is accessed through the LUTE platform set.

• Third Party UI/UE interfaces
LUTE supports a number of different third party user interfaces. For example VTO is a powerful agent user interface available from PASS Consulting. VTO supports a wide range of air, car, and hotel shopping, booking and ticketing capabilities for the corporate or leisure travel management company. In addition, the LUTE platform is also integrated (via web services API) with a number of proprietary travel agent, corporate, and consumer point-of-sale (POS) applications. Already certified are applications from Maxviva and Ypsilon. For back and mid office several different applications have already been certified including Softconex.

In addition to those listed above, the FLX platform is also integrated (via web services API) with a number of proprietary travel agent, corporate, and consumer point-of-sale (POS) applications.
Implementation of the platform in a multi-source environment provides a significant opportunity to lower total cost per transaction. Agent search (and total call) time is dramatically reduced simply by consolidating all source data into one environment and user interface. Utilization of business rules to automate travel policy enforcement and file finishing activities, as well as to optimize sourcing and channel management, combine to deliver even more minutes and dollars saved in the life of a transaction.
Independent Profile Solution

One of the most challenging areas for any corporate user seeking to use multiple different technologies, distribution systems and technologies is the management of traveler and corporate profiles. As portable devices, online booking systems, and new distribution channels proliferate, an increasing number of travel agencies are recognizing the need for centralized, low cost and effective profile solutions.  
Farelogix FLX Files™ provides independent profile solution for management and storage of traveler and corporate profiles. Using FLX-Files, corporations and travel management companies can lower the costs and inefficiencies associated with maintaining travel profiles in multiple places, and also supports application of profile information for multi-source environments. The solution ensures independent profile data ownership not tied to Farelogix or any other third party or distribution company.
User Services