Legacy Travel Management Giants Face Off Against Growing Startups


Skift Take

The biggest travel management companies keep getting bigger, but the digital era has ushered in a wave of startups that are rapidly winning over business travelers. The legacy companies will have to modernize to compete in the years ahead.

Consolidation within the corporate travel industry has changed the landscape for many companies and travelers. Whether this change is a good or bad thing depends on who you ask, but it's undoubtedly a rapidly accelerating trend. Travel management companies like BCD Travel and American Express Global Business Travel continue to expand their global reach, regularly acquiring new businesses. At the same time, smaller startups such as TravelPerk and TripActions are continuing to emerge and grow, tackling some of the problems in corporate travel that the bigger companies never seem to address. Lack of flexibility and a clunky user interface keep the business travel experience far behind the leisure travel experience.