Until now, small and mid-sized companies have had limited options to manage online travel booking for employees. These businesses can now gain the benefits of an online booking system, reducing the travelers' time and hassle in making reservations and ensuring that a company receives a full picture of its business travel expenditures. Companies can choose from two different American Express products: RezPort, which provides the core interactive booking and reporting capabilities, and RezPort+, which incorporates preferred vendors, negotiated rates and policy guidelines. Unlike many unmanaged travel sites, both RezPort booking solutions are integrated with a global network of local travel offices -- the American Express customer service network, which includes dedicated travel counselors in more than 1,700 travel offices worldwide.
"American Express has moved very quickly to reinforce its leadership in providing e-business services to companies of all sizes," said Rich Miller, Vice President of Small Business Travel. "The GetThere Marketplace provides a robust and flexible technology platform that lets us deliver powerful online travel solutions that were previously available only to the largest corporations."
"After entering into partnership with American Express in September 1999, we've developed new solutions for their corporate clients," said Gadi Maier, president and CEO of GetThere. "Beyond supporting Corporate Travel Online, American Express' online product for large corporations, which was introduced in June of this year, GetThere can now bring the benefits of online booking to smaller organizations. These are companies that are eager to implement online tools because they can see quick, tangible savings and can better support their tech-savvy travelers."
The GetThere Marketplace
The GetThere Marketplace has the largest base of corporate travel buyers and leading travel suppliers of any Internet-based B2B travel marketplace. It provides comprehensive online booking to corporate employees by connecting them with suppliers of travel services, such as air, hotel, rail and car rental companies. The GetThere Supplier Network enrolls major travel suppliers as direct participants in the GetThere Marketplace. The members of the Supplier Network are working with GetThere to develop direct connect solutions that further improve booking speed, enable new services and content, and provide economic efficiencies to corporate buyers and suppliers.
About American Express Corporate Services
American Express Company (www.americanexpress.com) is the leading global provider of commercial cards and one of the world's largest business travel agencies. Through its Corporate Services group, formed in 1982, the company counts more than 70% percent of the Fortune 500, along with tens of thousands of mid-sized companies, as customers of its Business Travel, Corporate Card, Corporate Purchasing Card and Consulting Services.
American Express Company is a diversified worldwide travel, financial and network services company founded in 1850. It is a leader in charge and credit cards, Travelers Cheques, travel, financial planning, investment products, insurance and international banking.
About GetThere
GetThere operates the world's largest Internet marketplace focused on business-to-business travel services. GetThere's systems are used to provide online travel procurement to employees at leading corporations such as Boeing, Chevron, Cisco, Cox Enterprises, Lucent, MetLife, Nike and Xerox. GetThere also powers online travel sites for leading airlines, including Alitalia, All Nippon Airways, America West, British Airways, Northwest Airlines, TWA and United Airlines. GetThere can be found on the Web at www.GetThere.com.
NOTE: GetThere, the GetThere logo, The GetThere Marketplace, and The GetThere Supplier Network are trademarks of GetThere Inc.
Information in this press release that involves GetThere's expectations, beliefs, hopes, plans, intentions or strategies are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All such forward-looking statements are based upon information available to GetThere as of the date of the release, and GetThere assumes no obligation to update these statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results could differ materially from current expectations. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are described in GetThere's reports and documents filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including GetThere's Form 10-K filed on April 21, 2000.
