Carlson Wagonlit gives access to Virgin Blue

SINGAPORE - Carlson Wagonlit Travel, in partnership with Arnold Travel Technology, is billing itself as the first Travel Management Company in Australia to deliver direct access to Qantas and Virgin Blue via one online self-booking solution.

According to Matthew Carracher, CWT Product Manager - e-Solutions, "By developing this flexible technology we are able to provide travellers and travel arrangers with desktop access to search for and book the lowest business fares available from both Qantas and Virgin Blue (via the CRS) in one user friendly and policy compliant system."

The Central Reservations System (CRS) to Virgin Blue is provided via Sabre. According to Hans Belle, Sabre's VP of Marketing, Asia Pacific Region, "Sabre has been working closely with the Virgin Blue team to develop the Open Skies to Sabre connection and all the operational aspects required for effective fare and inventory distribution."

As an important and unique feature of CWT's self-booking tool, 'SoloAct' now provides corporate clients with a low fare search and booking engine across all Qantas and Virgin Blue low business fares, plus they can be booked and are priced by individual sector rather than by return trip, allowing users to select the absolute lowest fare combination.