System for corporate travel planning and management

Abstract

A client-server system for corporate travel planning, expense reporting and travel management that utilizes a corporate database server to enable accurate and timely pre-travel and post-travel decision making that is fed by a travel planning process and an expense reporting process, plus a SABRE data feed of all booked data and back office system data as well as a hand-off of exchange and void ticket information that comprises a Travel Planning module, a Travel Decision Maker module, and a Travel Expense Reporting module. The system uses a corporate database environment communicating with a real-time CRS data feed that enhances the Travel Planning module by offering the traveler live choices of air, car, and hotel availability based upon company travel policy as well as live access to current or company negotiated fares while also allowing the Travel Decision Maker module to make comparisons between booked information and actual current travel data.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 951,630, filed Oct. 16, 1997, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 524,381, filed Sep. 6, 1995, now abandoned, which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates in general to a travel and transportation information system, and in particular to, a client-server system that communicates with an airline Computerized Reservation System and places travel information directly in the hands of the corporate traveler. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Historically, corporate travel has often escaped the close scrutiny by management that was used for every other function of the corporation. Travel dollars were seen as a necessary evil and were spent until the corporate balance sheet showed more problem than promise. Recently, corporations have aggressively examined ev...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is a client-server system for corporate travel planning and management. It includes a Travel Planning module and a Travel Expense Reporting module that work together to provide solutions for two of the most manual and costly areas of corporate business travel management. The Travel Planning module provides a desktop system for real-time travel planning and booking, while the Travel Expense Reporting module automates the preparation of travel expense reports and ensures proper reimbursement and timely reporting to a corporation's general ledger. The Travel Decision Maker module incorporates information from the Trip Planning and Expense Reporting modules to enable comprehensive pre-travel and post-travel reporting for Corporate Travel Managers and Department Managers. Overall, the invention streamlines the travel planning and management process, reduces costs, and improves efficiency for corporate travelers."

Problems solved by technology

Travel dollars were seen as a necessary evil and were spent until the corporate balance sheet showed more problem than promise.

This scenario compounds the already huge information deficit Corporate Travel Managers are struggling to resolve including travelers' circumvention of corporate policy which results in travel data being totally lost.

Present methods which combine manual and automated forms may require repetitive data input of previously requested travel information for report presentation.

These estimates may be inaccurate, however, if the traveler made on-the-road trip changes, did not comply with usage of corporate travel agencies or credit card, or stayed in a hotel that is not the same as the one which was booked.

These summaries, however, were typically not provided on a timely basis, provided minimal information on a pre-travel basis, and provided no method for self-validation of performance.

Typically, this notification is insufficient or not timely enough to allow Department Managers to enforce corporate policy on a pre-travel basis.

Many of the limitations on the current corporate travel planning and management systems stem from the corporate traveler's dependence on travel management firms.

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