MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Lucent Technologies will roll out GetThere.com software to
about 60,000 of its employees following a successful pilot program
designed to test effectiveness of the Web-based corporate travel
reservations program.
Lucent said bookings during the pilot were made more
efficiently, and cheaper, on average, than bookings made through
its agency, American Express
"With Lucent's broad global presence and customer-centric
approach, travel is a critical aspect of our business," said Janet
Lasten, global travel manager at Lucent Technologies. "Internet
travel procurement provides Lucent a way to manage costs while
optimizing traveler efficiencies."
GetThere.com, based here, allows users to book corporate
negotiated air fares, hotel rooms and car rentals from the
employee's desktop.
The GetThere.com software, which competes against similar
programs by American Express, WorldTravel Technologies and others,
enables companies to limit the range of vendors and air fares
booked through the system, thus ensuring greater compliance with
corporate travel policies.
GetThere.com said the Lucent account helps validate its system,
which already has many high-tech customers. Lucent, based in Murray
Hill, N.J., designs communications software, data networking
systems and other telecommunications devices.
"Lucent is highly regarded as a company that leads in technology
excellence, for its products and its internal business systems, so
we are pleased to be its choice for its internal business systems,"
said Gadi Meier, president and chief executive officer of
GetThere.com.
In a separate deal, GetThere.com entered an agreement with Bell
Mobility to provide wireless access to travel information
services.
Customers of Bell Mobility. a top provider of wireless voice and
data services in Canada, will be able to access schedules, flight
status information and other services through Mobile Browser, a
Bell Mobility service that allows Internet access through digital
PCS telephones.
"At Bell Mobility, we believe that people on the go should not
have to sit at their desktop in order to get up-to-date travel
information," said Charlotte Burke, vice president of services
development at Bell Mobility.
"Adding GetThere.com services to the Mobile Browser will enable
busy Canadian travelers to track flight status and schedules
wirelessly, minimizing the impact of delayed flights and other
inconveniences of frequent travel."
Bell Mobility launched the Mobile Browser in May 1999, making it
the first company in North America to offer Web access on a PCS
browser. Mobile telephones are widely seen as the next wave of
growth in electronic commerce, along with personal digital
assistants and other mobile devices.