Enhanced AirWEB Authorizer- More and more organizations are incorporating travel authorization procedures into their T & E management practices. Trondent’s popular AirWEB Authorizer product, automates the cumbersome and inefficient process of reviewing and approving employee travel (prior to ticketing). Recent enhancements include the ability for an Authorizer to request changes to an itinerary (in addition to simply approving or declining), the flexibility of multi-level Authorizers, who can register "Out of Office" status so that travel requests move to the next level Authorizer and finally, the ability to display car and hotel rates with reason codes for expanded audit capability.

GroupASSIST Is Hot!!! - One of Trondent’s hottest selling products has been GroupASSIST. GroupASSIST retrieves pre-travel data on air, hotel, car, rail and OTH segments and robotically identifies changes…a huge time saver for meeting planners. GroupASSIST has been recently enhanced for Service Bureau users with numerous reporting improvements, including a more user friendly and clean, report look, as well as the ability to combine multiple groups. We encourage GroupASSIST license users to contact us soon to find out about all the reporting upgrades available to Service Bureau users.

Infuzer Personal Assistant- A new feature has been created for Infuzer that allows an individual to authorize another user with the ability to “Infuze” events directly into their electronic calendar. Personal Assistant is designed to manage and bridge both professional and personal activities. Now, you can have your administrative assistant, team/family member, or trusted friend populate your calendar with your itinerary or events so you never miss anything!! To ensure complete control at all times, the user has the option of being alerted every time someone is trying to "Infuze" their calendar with an event.

Infuzer is integrated into Trondent’s AirMAIL and AirWEB document delivery products so that users can automatically copy their itinerary dates/details into the respective date slots on their electronic calendar. Users simply download Infuzer and are ready to start Infuzing any event where the Infuzer icon resides. The service also provides a 5-day global weather forecast, major sports schedules and country specific holidays. Visit www.infuzer.com for more information.

ProFILER & Online Booking Integration Continues- Trondent’s popular ProFILER technologies support a growing number of online booking tools including, GetThere, e-Travel, Travelport, Travelocity and ResX, allowing the bi-directional, real-time synchronization of profile data between the GDS and these online systems in a fully automated environment. Trondent will continue to program interfaces with the growing number of online systems for universal coverage…more to follow.

Enhanced eTRAK Reports- In our continuous effort to present data in the most meaningful and relevant format, be on the lookout for a complete redesign of our eTRAK reports. The new design incorporates color, graphics and a cleaner layout for optimal viewing. Thanks to our clients for their thoughtful input during the redesign process!!

Extended Support Hours- To support an increasingly global client base covering all time zones worldwide, Trondent continues to increase staffing and Support Desk hours. The Support Desk is fully staffed from 11:00 pm (CDT) Sunday evening, through 10:00 pm (CDT) Friday, with weekend coverage provided via pager.

• Looking, But Not All Booking - A 2004 study by YPB&R/Yankelovich Partners revealed that 69% of business travelers now use the Internet to plan some aspect of their business trip, up from 55% in 2002. But only 51% of those business travelers will actually book travel online, preferring to use an agent. Other highlights of business traveler practices:
  
  
  • 80% went online to reserve hotel accommodations
  • 68% to book airline reservations
  • 45% to book car reservations

• Hotels Thriving - Unlike the airlines who continue to incur staggering losses, hotel profitability is healthy. 2004 projected industry profitability is $16.6 billion, a 30% increase over 2003. Projections are for continued profitability in coming years as well, 25% and 21% year over year increases for 2005 and 2006 respectively.

• World travel and tourism is expected to grow 5.1% this year, down from a rebound of 6.8% the year before, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The world travel and tourism economy is forecast to expand to $7.8 trillion in 2005 as it returns to more normal growth rates. Asia represents one of the greatest growth markets, especially because of the rapidly growing numbers of Chinese and Indian tourists, said WTTC President Jean-Claude Baumgarten. Expansion in the 25-nation European Union (EU) is estimated at 4% this year, the same as in 2004.

• Low-Cost Carriers Most Punctual according to full-year, 2004 on-time performance data:
  
  
  • JetBlue: 82%
  • Southwest: 80%
  • ATA: 80%
  • United: 79%
  • US Airways: 79%

Trondent continues to experience explosive growth. We thank each and every one of our customers whose commitment, support and referrals have been the key to our success.

CUSTOMER SURVEY- Trondent conducted an in depth customer survey in the fall of 2004 to assess current product performance, new development ideas and overall client satisfaction and perceptions. Client participation was excellent, with over a 40% return. We thank everyone who participated in this critical exercise and provide the following highlights:

• Current Product Satisfaction- Generally, respondents rated satisfaction levels with current products consistently high (Over 3.8 and higher on 5.0 scale).

• New Product Development- Highest rated concepts (over 4.0 on 5.0 scale) were in systems that integrate pre and post data from multiple booking and back-office channels, and a Supplier Direct Interface that allows for bookings made on supplier sites to generate a shell PNR in the GDS for data collection and service support. Trondent is in the process of exploring how these concepts can be incorporated as enhancements into existing products.

• Positive Overall Impression- One of the highest ratings of 3.94 was received in agreement to the statement that "I would recommend Trondent" products and services to others. We are grateful for this endorsement and the referrals this has translated into.

• Areas For Improvement were cited in product training, education and documentation, which Trondent is already in the process of overhauling. In addition to creating more detailed FAQ’s and product documentation, Trondent will soon be launching a series of online, product demos and presentations where clients can exchange questions and learn more about the capabilities of the products they have.

A PARTNER TO AGENCIES & CORPORATIONS WORLDWIDE- Trondent has always been a strong advocate and partner to agency networks, consortiums and GDSs worldwide. Our commitment to the numerous organizations we support can be best evidenced by the conferences we attend, where we train clients on Trondent products and services. Most recently, Trondent attended and presented at ABC Corporate Services Annual and Regional meetings in Cancun and London respectively, as well as Synergi’s EMEA meeting in Milan.

Trondent Delivers 2005 MLB Baseball Schedules to Electronic Calendars - Using its innovative Infuzer technology to populate the 2005 Major League Baseball Team schedules directly into your personal calendar, you now have the ability to arrange tickets and plan corporate outings for any game all year long. As an Infuzer user, this service is provided free of charge with an opt-in, premium service that will update calendars with final scores and game recaps.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN- It is that time of year again when Trondent participates in key industry events and trade shows. Shows that Trondent recently exhibited at, or plan to attend include:

• Business Travel Show- London, February 2005.
• Corporate Travel World- New York, March 21-22, 2005.
• ACTE 2005 Global Conference- Vancouver, May 1-3, 2005.
• NBTA Annual Convention- San Diego, August 14-17, 2005.

IN THE NEWS- - Trondent continues to make news as pioneers of relevant and advanced technologies. Given Trondent’s dominance in the Profile Services field, we were recently profiled in the January issue of BTN with our client Merck, for an innovative and custom solution we developed. Merck required a highly secure system that would integrate and automate the flow of traveler profile information from Merck’s HR system, to the GDS and its online booking system in a completely seamless and secure way, with no manual intervention. Merck selected Trondent’s leading edge ProFILER WEB technology as the foundation for its solution, which was further customized to realize Merck’s vision. Click here to access details of this solution as described in the press release.

GLOBAL EXPANSION- Trondent products are recognized around the world for the value they provide and the functionality they offer. Trondent products are at work in virtually every corner of the world, but to bring sales and support closer to the client, we maintain partnerships with reputable, technology distributors worldwide. Recognizing the importance of the Pacific Rim/Far East region, Trondent has recently aligned with Tramada Systems, a premier technology provider based in Sydney, Australia to sell and support our growth in this region.