A lot can happen in a year – especially when it comes to the travel industry.
And 2024 was no exception.
Over the last 12 months or so, we’ve been talking about how essential it is to #rethinkbusinesstravel as things continue to evolve at quicker rates than ever before.
Though it’s always been important for us to be willing to adapt, various factors (like new technology, content, rules, etc.) have only intensified the race to be bigger and better in as many ways as we can.
Ergo, there’s probably been a few moments this year when you looked at your travel program and thought… “Geez, can we get a moment to catch our breath?”
It seems like as soon as we get used to one update… Here comes another… and another… AND another…
But, truthfully, even in the difficult times, #teamgant lives and breathes this fast-paced change. (Not that we really have a choice, because the industry isn’t slowing down anytime soon.)
Many travel suppliers, vendors, and developers (including us) are just getting started on some pretty major updates coming your way over the next year.
There’s a good chance that 2024 will seem like a cake walk once we get into the thick of it.
Per usual, we’re here to support you – and all your travelers – every step of the way. Part of our commitment to our clients is keeping you informed and prepared under any circumstances.
With that being said, here are some things you can expect in 2025…
Technology updates
SAP Concur Evolution of Travel (EoT)
If you’re a Gant client who uses SAP Concur Travel as your primary online booking tool (OBT), we’re sure you’re (at least somewhat) familiar with the EoT updates that began earlier this year.
Whether you’ve heard about these UI / UX changes they’re making to the platform from our communications – which there’s been A TON of – or SAP Concur’s communications, you can probably agree that things haven’t stopped changing since the initial launch. And they won’t stop changing in 2025, either.
More updates to the Concur Travel platform are expected to be released in early 2025 as different account types are transitioned to the new experience and remaining phases of the launch continue to roll out. We are doing everything we can to stay ahead of these changes so that you will be prepared for what’s to come for your travel program. Any additional training resources will be provided as soon as they are available to us.
TripCircuit enhancements
Gant clients who utilize our in-house OBT, TripCircuit, can also expect some exciting technology updates in 2025. Our development team has spent a large chunk of the last 12 months finding ways to make TripCircuit as efficient as possible for travelers and travel champions alike.
The first enhancements coming your way are designed to improve your form of payment experience within the TripCircuit tool. It may not seem like a huge feat, but when it comes to business travel technology, there’s no easy way to achieve the credit card changes we’ve managed to pull off.
TripCircuit users will soon be able to use multiple credit cards to complete a single booking. For example, if a portion of an itinerary should be paid for with a company card, and the rest should go on the traveler’s personal card, your organization is going to have the ability to split the cost of these reservations from directly within the OBT. Another form of payment change that’s coming soon will give travel champions the option to add more than one ghost card to the platform for traveler use.
“Our development team didn’t just meet challenges—they conquered them, creating enhancements that will not only serve us today but shape the future of how we work. Their passion and brilliance are woven into every feature, and their legacy is one we’ll celebrate for years to come.”
Samantha Kerr, Gant Director of Strategic Initiatives
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In addition to these OBT updates, we’ve also been working behind the scenes to improve our AI offerings. Not only are we going to be rolling out new Chat features that provide even smarter bot assistance, but we’ve also used AI to enhance the speed and quality of our email support. Travelers will soon be able to send a chat/email request and receive faster assistance through Gant AI than ever before.
Content updates
New rate codes
If you know a thing or two about competition in the business travel industry, you know that content is king. Especially with the new types of content being released (aka New Distribution Capability fares).
At Gant, we’ve spent A LONG time developing crucial partnerships that can take our content portfolio to the next level. We have excellent relationships with all kinds of travel vendors, including airlines, hotels, car rental companies, and more. Which means: We have the necessary connections to provide as many booking options as we can to your organization. When new travel content is made available, we’re usually one of the first (if not the very first) to hear about it and receive access to it.
Thanks to these relationships, you can take advantage of brand new hotel discounts in 2025. Our Gant preferred hotels program, powered by our partner ABC Global Services, will include new rate codes (automatically loaded into our systems for you) that connect to an expanded list of hotel chains and properties providing exclusive discounts around the world. These discounts can range from 5% off best available rate all the way up to 25% off best available rate, depending on the chain/property. And some of them even come with premier amenities – which you don’t need loyalty status to access.
Gant International
Speaking of new content… We’ve known for a while now just how important international travel is to our clients. However, it’s far from simple to expand our North American based travel management services into other countries. We’ve always had the capability to offer international reservations, but we haven’t been able to provide a full international travel solution.
That ends in 2025.
Drawing on decades of experience and client feedback, we’ve decided to launch a new service called Gant International. It’s a one-of-a-kind combination of robust travel offerings that can be adjusted to fit most any program’s needs. Designed for organizations headquartered in North America with divisions based overseas, Gant International includes the same technology-centric travel support and easily customizable components and capabilities that provide teams a better way to strategically manage their travel globally.
Keep an eye out for more information about this new offering coming early next year.
NDC updates
The initial roll out of New Distribution Capability (NDC) fares almost two years ago had the entire travel industry scrambling to keep up with the plethora of changes related to this content.
Through NDC, an overwhelming majority of airlines are customizing the traveler experience with new ticket packages and continuous pricing models. It’s become the new airline industry standard that aims to modernize the way airlines sell their products and services through travel agents and other distribution channels.
American Airlines was the first carrier to begin using NDC content to push customers to book through their direct channels in April 2023. This involved a total restriction of NDC fares in Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) used by travel providers, including Gant. Other major airlines like Air Canada, Air France, and Virgin Atlantic were quick to follow in their footsteps.
Fast forward to mid-2024… Airlines decided to redirect their approach to “meet their customers where they are” and began to introduce their NDC fares in legacy channels, specifically through GDSs that previously didn’t have the ability to make these connections.
New NDC strategies
Moving into 2025, airlines have committed to this path and are expected to keep providing NDC content across all types of channels. Week after week, more airlines are updating their distribution agreements with GDS providers to include NDC. In fact – most airlines now have deals in place with at least one GDS (either currently active or will be next year).
Airlines that chose to sit out of the initial NDC roll out also plan to join the pack sometime in 2025. Delta Airlines announced their intention to start releasing NDC fares to their customers as early as the spring season. In preparation for these plans, Delta officials have already signed agreements with multiple GDSs they will distribute their NDC content through.
With so many NDC updates in motion, travelers can anticipate better access to these personalized (and oftentimes cheaper) fares over the next year.
Airline updates
Expanded flight schedules
Along with their new fare options, airlines are announcing new flight routes left and right. Many US-based carriers have updated their 2025 schedules to include more domestic and international offerings.
United Airlines is preparing for their “largest international expansion” ever in summer 2025. Starting in late May, a total of eight new routes will be added to their flight schedule. Travelers are going to have the option to connect major US cities with destinations like Dakar, Senegal; Faro, Portugal; Nuuk, Greenland; Palermo, Italy; and Tokyo, Japan.
Southwest Airlines also plans to launch red-eye flights at the beginning of next year. From February 13, 2025, until March 6, 2025, overnight routes to/from cities like Denver, Colorado; San Diego, California; Sacramento, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, California; and Phoenix, Arizona, will be made available.
Additionally, Southwest will add multiple new flights between popular US destinations early next year. Beginning in April 2025, customers will be able to connect Nashville, Tennessee, with places like Albany, New York; Jackson, Mississippi; Memphis, Tennessee; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Providence, Rhode Island; and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
New airport processes
In other airline news, US-based carriers are making important changes to their airport processes that could impact your travel experience throughout 2025. Travelers will want to be aware of these new security options and boarding procedures coming soon (if they haven’t already started).
At security checkpoints –
Multiple airlines will allow travelers to use Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck Touchless ID in certain airports. United Airlines and Delta Airlines recently added Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) to their growing list of airports where Touchless ID or Digital ID is available. American Airlines also plans to introduce this service to their AAdvantage rewards members “in the months ahead”. Touchless ID permits eligible travelers with a PreCheck membership and valid credentials to pass through security without having to show a physical form of identification.
At the gate –
American Airlines is testing new technology that will ensure passengers board flights in their assigned boarding group. As part of this technology, those who attempt to board too early are going to hear a designated sound when their boarding pass is scanned. According to a spokesperson for the airline, “The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease and helps improve the boarding experience by providing greater visibility into boarding progress for our team.”
Southwest Airlines also modified their boarding policies by doing away with their open-seating policy, which was in place for over 50 years. As of summer 2024, passengers are no longer permitted to choose their seat upon boarding Southwest aircraft. Seats are now assigned/selected at the time of booking similar to processes used by other carriers like Delta Airlines and United Airlines. Airline officials plan to uphold this decision in 2025 and said it was based on customer feedback and the need to increase revenue.
Strategy updates
Account management processes
Travel vendors aren’t the only ones adjusting their strategies ahead of the new year…
#teamgant is actively doing the same as we continue working towards our goal of be(coming) the best TMC on the planet.
Part of achieving that goal involves enhancing our account management processes wherever/however we can. In 2025, we are setting new standards that will make our Gant account managers even more proactive than they are now.
We’re also introducing new services to ensure your travel programs are as comprehensive as possible. Our back-end systems are currently being updated with new technology pathways that will identify when important changes related to traveler profiles and forms of payment need to be made. So… If one of your travelers is missing necessary profile information, they will soon receive an automatic email notification prompting them to meet those requirements. Plus, in the event that your company credit card expires, travel champions will be notified accordingly and asked to modify their form of payment information.
On top of that, we’ve created (or are in the process of creating) brand new reporting/analytics dashboards to help you keep expanding your travel program’s return on investment (ROI) next year. Our targeted data options allow travel champions to manage their organization’s travel more efficiently by visualizing booking behaviors and spend patterns. These visualizations may be used to leverage policy updates that could make a huge difference in the overall success of your program in 2025.
For instance, our new Annual ROI Review Dashboard compares your travel program assumptions made during the sales process with your actual ROI in the last year. You can expect to find the same kinds of travel data in the Annual ROI Review that we provide through other reporting options – it’s just broken down further and displays your initial program predictions.
–
If you couldn’t tell by all that information, there’s an abundance of travel industry changes coming your way in 2025 (to say the least).
Staying up to date on these industry changes and proactively managing a fiercely dynamic travel program are the only viable and actionable paths forward.
On the brightside… #teamgant is here to help you #rethinkbusinesstravel and navigate the industry no matter what the new year brings.
–
Not a Gant client yet? Get in touch at [email protected] whenever you’re ready to talk.
Not quite ready to reach out yet? Read other recent posts linked here to see what else we can do for your experience and ROI.
You can also see what the Champion, Finance, and Traveler experience looks like here at Gant Travel.
