U.K-based travel management company Reed & Mackay has acquired Business Travel Direct from Ickenham Travel Group. The acquisition is part of Reed & Mackay's strategic growth strategy. This year, Reed & Mackay has acquired Australian TMC Concierge Travel Group, partnered with Chinese TMC Connexus and opened a joint office with travel agency Munckhof Business Travel in the Netherlands.
Business Travel Direct is an interesting acquisition for service-oriented Reed & Mackay. Both companies are client oriented, but Business Travel Direct has taken on certain initiatives that Reed & Mackay has not. This includes a close partnership with Concur by which Business Travel Direct recently became the first TMC to enable British Airways New Distribution Capability bookings through the Concur platform. That's an all-or-nothing proposition, however, that takes all air content out of the global distribution system workflow for clients that flip the switch on the Concur side. In March, Reed & Mackay joined Sabre's Beyond NDC program, which focuses on access to NDC content through the GDS channel.
The companies' differences may complement each other, and, according to a Reed & Mackay spokesperson, Business Travel Direct will operate as a stand-alone business for the foreseeable future. Managing director Julie Oliver will continue to lead Business Travel Direct.
Reed & Mackay CEO Fred Stratford told BTN sister publication The Beat that Business Travel Direct CEO Peter Reglar has been quasi-retired and will not join Reed & Mackay.
RELATED: Reed & Mackay Fortifies U.K. Position with Business Travel Direct (The Beat, subscription required)