Corporate Travel Management: Air Ticketing, GDS Booking and Hotel Contracting Course

Programme Summary

Corporate travel management, air ticketing, GDS booking and hotel contracting is a five-day training course for travel managers and travel desk leaders at intermediate to advanced level, culminating in a travel programme improvement plan for their organisation or agency. Travel desks handle complex fares, changes and hotel bookings under time pressure, and small errors become large costs. The approach moves from fare and ticketing rules through GDS practice and hotel distribution to policy, duty of care and cost control. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this programme in corporate travel management.

The Business Case

Air and hotel spend is a large controllable indirect cost, yet much of it is booked without fare rules being read, unused tickets tracked or hotel rates audited. Errors in reissues and refunds create debit memos and lost value, and weak policy leaves travellers exposed. Leaders who understand ticketing and hotel distribution in detail can tighten control without slowing the business.

• Average Ticket and Room Cost: Falls as fare rules, advance booking and negotiated rates are applied consistently.
• Ticketing Error and Debit Memo Rate: Drops as reissue, refund and exchange procedures are standardised.
• Traveller Safety and Policy Compliance: Improve as duty of care and approval controls are built into booking.

Principles and Evidence Base

• IATA Ticketing and Fare Rules: Fare construction, fare conditions and electronic ticket standards structure Sessions 1 and 2.
• Global Distribution System (GDS) Booking Logic: The passenger name record and ticketing workflow underpin the booking practice in Session 2.
• ISO 31030: Its guidance on travel risk management frames the duty of care work in Session 4.
• Total Travel Cost Principle: Comparing fare, fees, changes and hotel costs together guides the cost control analysis in Session 5.

Intended Participants

• Leaders who run corporate travel desks or travel management company accounts.
• Managers who approve air and hotel bookings and resolve complex itinerary changes.
• Procurement leads who negotiate airline and hotel agreements.
• Agency managers responsible for ticketing accuracy, refunds and supplier settlements.

The programme serves corporate travel functions, travel agencies, government travel units and event management organisations.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to construct air fares and interpret fare rules for one-way, return and multi-sector itineraries.
2. Participants will be able to diagnose errors in PNRs, e-tickets, EMDs, reissues and refunds.
3. Participants will be able to evaluate hotel booking channels and rate types for corporate travellers.
4. Participants will be able to design a corporate hotel programme with negotiated rates and audit controls.
5. Participants will be able to justify travel policy rules that balance cost, flexibility and duty of care.
6. Participants will be able to prioritise savings opportunities from travel spend data.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Air Fares and Air Ticketing Rules

How are air fares built, and what do their rules allow?

• Airline Distribution and the Role of Fare Filing
• Fare Construction for One-Way, Return and Multi-Sector Journeys
• Fare Basis Codes, Booking Classes and Fare Families
• Fare Rules: Advance Purchase, Minimum Stay, Changes and Refunds
• Taxes, Fees and Carrier-Imposed Charges

Day 2: GDS Booking, Ticketing and After-Sales

How is a booking created, ticketed and changed without loss?

• GDS Booking Workflow and Passenger Name Record Elements
• Electronic Tickets and Electronic Miscellaneous Documents
• Reissue, Revalidation and Exchange Procedures
• Refunds, Voids and Unused Ticket Tracking
• Debit Memo Prevention and Ticketing Quality Checks

Day 3: Hotel Reservations and Hotel Contracting

Which hotel channels and rates serve corporate travellers at the right cost?

• Hotel Distribution: Direct, GDS, Online Agencies and Consolidators
• Rate Types: Best Available, Negotiated, Dynamic and Package Rates
• Hotel Request for Proposal and Corporate Rate Negotiation
• Cancellation, Attrition and Group Booking Terms
• Rate Audit, Availability and Last Room Availability Clauses

Day 4: Travel Policy and Duty of Care

How do policy and controls protect both budget and travellers?

• Travel Policy Design: Cabin, Advance Booking and Approval Rules
• Travel Management Company Selection and Service Levels
• ISO 31030 Travel Risk Assessment and Traveller Tracking
• Emergency Response and Disrupted Travel Procedures
• Visa, Documentation and Traveller Profile Management

Day 5: Applying Corporate Travel Management to Cost Control

Where can the travel programme save money and reduce risk next year?

• Travel Spend Data Analysis and Savings Opportunities
• Airline Corporate Agreements and Performance Review
• Testing Day 4 Policy Rules Against Day 1 Fare Conditions
• Auditing Day 3 Hotel Rates and Day 2 Ticketing Quality
• Travel Programme Improvement Plan Completion

Methodology

The programme combines structured exercises on fare rules, booking records and hotel contracts with case analysis of corporate and government travel programmes. Each session moves from a short briefing to tasks drawn from real itineraries.

• Suggested activity: Pricing a multi-sector itinerary and checking change and refund conditions.
• Suggested activity: Correcting a reissue that would trigger a debit memo.
• Suggested activity: Comparing hotel proposals for a corporate rate programme.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a travel programme improvement plan for their organisation or agency. It covers ticketing quality controls, hotel programme design, policy changes, duty of care arrangements and prioritised savings, ready to present to finance or senior management.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is corporate travel management training suitable for experienced travel consultants?

Yes. It is set at intermediate to advanced level and assumes working knowledge of bookings; it extends that knowledge to fare rules, after-sales, hotel contracting and programme control.

Which rules and standards does the corporate travel management course rest on?

It rests on IATA ticketing and fare rules, GDS booking logic, ISO 31030 guidance on travel risk management and the total travel cost principle.

How is the travel programme improvement plan from corporate travel management training used at work?

You can use it to present savings and control proposals to finance, renegotiate supplier agreements and update your travel policy.