QBT pitches for the long haul

The free reign ends for established TMCs, QBT is back in black returning to profit after 36 years.

QBT was thrown a lifeline after nabbing the biggest travel contract in the country last year. Travel Weekly chats with group general manager, Russell Carstensen on how they are shaping up to deliver.

Beating heated competition against the likes of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, FCm, HRG and American Express Global Business Travel, for the $500 million four year contract for the whole of the Australian government travel was awarded to a single TMC, Helloworld’s QBT business division last December.

The move to consolidate from five TMCs to just one was somewhat surprising even after winning the tender, QBT group general manager Russell Carstensen admitted, adding that incidents such as MH17 highlighted the need for a more streamlined approach.

Carstensen said the transition is on track for completion at the end of the month, despite encountering some “bumps in the road”, adding the transparency of its business model to be a key factor in winning the contract over the “smoke and mirrors” operandi of other TMCs.

“Nothing is more complex than a Federal government contract … deliver what you promise … if you’re not doing a good job, they’ll find out,” Carstensen said.

QBT, which is powered by GDS Amadeus’s technology, was described by both parties as “intrinsically linked” in order to win the contract, with the tech giant even bringing in experts from overseas to attend presentations during the tender process.

“We couldn’t do it without Amadeus and they couldn’t have done it without us,” Carstensen said.

Amadeus managing director, Tony Carter said the company operates with a “partnership approach” and was able to offer adaptable product for QBT to showcase to government officials, adding that “there’s continuous improvements with new products,” referring to the prospect of QBT securing a further 3 years with the government.

Looking to the future, both QBT and Amadeus agree transparency, ability to deliver a high quality instantaneous user experience, provide a duty of care to travellers and offer value of money to companies would be big trends in the marketplace.

Carstensen said following the win the company has received numerous leads for business growth.

“In five years, we’d like to be five times bigger,” Carstensen said.

Pictured: Russell Carstensen & Tony Carter

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