4 BIG Takeaways from GBTA 2023: NDC, Trip Changes & Savings, Oh My!

We’re coming off the whirlwind of a jam-packed GBTA this year in Dallas. Between weathering the Texas heat, being on our feet constantly, and connecting with the 6,000+ attendees, we learned a ton. Here are some of our big takeaways from the show last week:

1. NDC was front and center

In addition to our primary message focusing on NDC - you may have seen our booth with the slogan shouting “WHERE’S THE FARES?” - there were plenty of sessions about the hot topic of New Distribution Capability. We even hosted the always provocative Cory Garner at our booth both days during the expo, where he shared his take on how NDC has ever-changed the way we consume and manage business travel. Check out amtrav.com/ndc for more information on how NDC is affecting fares today and what the future holds.

WATCH THE VIDEO

2. Change Trips LEAD THE WAY

While we have been providing travelers with the ability to change their trip itineraries for quite some time, we had a big announcement during the conference about the new enhancements to our Change Trips feature. Now travelers can change, cancel, and upgrade their trips without having to speak to a travel advisor and make those changes all at once to any part of their trip. Watch our CEO, Jeff Klee’s talk about the feature updates during the GBTA Press Day event below. You can also learn more about this industry-leading feature at amtrav.com/change-trips.

WATCH THE VIDEO

3. Savings for the Middle Market 

While the event is inclusive and offers content for travel programs of all sizes, the middle market can often feel forgotten. So, we hosted an education session and workshop specialized for middle market travel managers bright and early on the first day of the show. The room was packed wall to wall with program managers looking to learn how they can find savings in this increasingly costly travel world. Our crafty customer, Jeff Houdek, CFO of Praying Pelican Missions shared hacks on how he cuts costs for his group including having his travelers stuff their travel pillows with clothes to save space and avoid extra check bag fees. We thought that one was genius!

4. Sustainability FTW 

GBTA put a big emphasis on sustainability during the show dedicating many keynotes and education sessions to how businesses travel is tackling one of the industry’s biggest challenges. Luckily, we’re taking strides of our own by giving travelers the opportunity to choose the most sustainable options by calculating emissions on aircraft type, flight length, airline, seat type and dimensions, and other factors, then share this data with bookers right in our platform to help them make CO2-smart choices. can confidently monitor and report on CO2 emissions from travel.

We’re excited about what we took away from the show and what we were able to share with the attendees. The future of travel is bright as GBTA anticipates market growth to reach pre-pandemic levels in 2024 and AmTrav will be there every step of the way, especially with our NDC-ready solution.

Book a time to meet with us today to see how we’re saving travel programs big with our modern platform and service.