JTB Takes 'Cafeteria Approach' with New Affiliate Program

Travel management company JTB Business Travel has launched a global affiliate partner program targeting midmarket-focused TMCs that need à-la-carte-style offerings to service their client bases.

JTB's FlexConnect program includes access to JTB's global fulfillment network, supplier relationships, technology, after-hours service and consulting services. Partners can select which of those services align with their client needs rather than a "walled-in proposition" typical of affiliate programs, JTB general manager and VP Geert de Boo said.

"Particularly in the SME space, there's much more of a need for what we call a cafeteria approach, where there may be particular needs but not others," he said. "Maybe there's a need for global fulfillment but not on the supplier or technology needs, or it could be the technology needs, particularly with [New Distribution Capability]."

For example, a TMC might have an intimate client base in the U.S. market, and one of its clients opens an office in the U.K. or France. FlexConnect would allow that TMC to grow with that client, providing fulfillment or after-hours support to the overseas employees without the heavy investment of expanding its own operations globally, de Boo said. Or, a TMC might need support for training if it has been struggling to attract talent.

Help with NDC will be a particular draw, de Boo said, as "it's a confusing time for the smaller players in the TMC space, and we can provide dedicated travel technology support to help them."

Fulfillment services offered by FlexConnect currently covers 20 countries, including the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Brazil, 11 markets in Europe and a few in Asia, such as Singapore and Japan, where JTB got its start, de Boo said. That will expand, as the full JTB network currently has a network in 88 cities across 36 countries.

The initial partners in the program will be announced in the coming weeks, and participation will not be limited just to TMCs, de Boo said. One of those first partners is a tech startup that needs fulfillment services in multiple markets. 

"We're open, and we want to innovate," he said. "We're curious to see what other needs we are not aware of that may be out there."