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7 essential TMC services for crew travel management

Crew travel management is complex and often unpredictable. Discover how a specialist travel management company (TMC) can provide an all-in-one, seamless travel solution for your crew travel management needs.

Access to specialised air fares

You’ll only have access to marine, offshore and green energy fares – for employees travelling to or from a rig, vessel or renewable energy project for work – via a TMC that specialises in travel for the Energy & Marine sectors.

A specialised TMC works with airlines that understand the complexities of Energy & Marine sector travel. It offers fare flexibility with cancellations, changes and preferences for re-arranged flights.​ This means airlines can be more flexible on changes and permit full refunds, allowing for better cost management and savings.

Access to reduced hotel rates

As well as access to Energy & Marine air fares, a specialised TMC has well-established relationships with hotels. This enables them to negotiate rates, monitor rate checkers and ensure bill back is in place. Savings can also be made with preferred suppliers. And a TMC can organise for vouchers for hotel stays, meaning employees won’t need to use a credit card.

Reed & Mackay offers an exclusive Global Hotel Programme with more than 8,000 hotels globally, with access to discounted rates at more than 750,000 properties through multiple distribution channels. A global in-house supplier relations team manages our travel supplier relationships resulting in long-standing preferred relationships with numerous industry suppliers.

Using a specialised TMC for crew travel management delivers programme efficiency

Streamlined processes for programme efficiency

Crew travel regularly means complex routes where multiple tickets are required for one trip. A specialised TMC provides the booker with live, up-to-date information for crew sheets. Reed & Mackay clients also have visual access to multiple itineraries and quotes via a user-friendly view on one platform.

Our unique technology supports everything from Energy & Marine crew changes and corporate travel to meetings and events and VIP travel. This technology then drives efficiencies for the booker across cost containment, travelling tracking, duty of care and sustainability.

It also allows the traveller quick and easy access to everything they need about their booking via our mobile technology. The mobile check-in facility delivers total visibility of the multiple layer check-ins at different points of the trip.

And our straightforward, efficient approach to invoice management significantly reduces administrative costs and time for bookers. What once could take an organisation weeks to handle can be streamlined, allowing for complete control and confidence in managing and reporting budgets. Consolidated invoices reduce the processing significantly, saving an average of two to three days a month.

Assisting and reporting on sustainable travel options

Sustainability will play a key part in the future of the Energy & Marine industries, with more eco-friendly travel likely to be one of the significant focuses for the sectors.

Clients may want sustainable options on quotes and, crucially, to work with a TMC that has the ability to report on carbon reduction, particularly as legislation – such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive – comes into force. 

Reed & Mackay clients can view CO2 emissions data relating to all air, rail, car hire and hotel options available to book. In addition, technology updates are part of a series of user-experience enhancements that are being rolled out across Reed & Mackay’s proprietary platforms. These CO2 features allow custom travel policies to be designed and implemented beside a corresponding approval flow, based on projected CO2 emissions across air, rail and ground travel and hotel stays. This will give travellers better visibility of travel options that are in policy, whether booking via R&M/Book or with a Reed & Mackay consultant.

Risk management services are crucial for the Energy & Marine sector

Access to 24/7/365 risk management

The Energy & Marine sector is a 24/7 industry. So it’s essential the right risk management and travel support is available any time. Reed & Mackay works to a 24/7/365 model and helps companies deliver duty of care via access to a 24-hour risk management platform. This provides real-time updates related to travel disruptions; a rapid response unit; and proactive re-accommodations before your travellers are disrupted.

Access to essential visa services

Having the right visas in place for crew travel is paramount, which can be a complex issue as immigration rules in different countries can change regularly.

Having partnerships with visa companies is therefore crucial to maintain seamless crew travel.

Reed & Mackay works with a number of partners in this area. One latest development is providing access to the Panamanian Seaman’s Book via Reed & Mackay’s partner Nomadic. This essential document ensures compliance with international maritime regulations.

Personalised operational support

A TMC’s consultant knows where you can save money on travel. They find the right routes to suit each traveller and provides travel solutions tailored to the Energy & Marine sector.

As well as strategic account management – which includes communication plans, service level agreements, consistent data and reporting, insights and actions from the reporting, booker and end-user experience – Reed & Mackay’ specially trained consultants have crucial knowledge of any new projects clients are working on. This enables them to source hotels in new locations in which the client may be operating, pre-empting what the visa process for those locations will be and help establish how the project can work more efficiently when onboarding new crew members.

Get in touch

Or mail DavidHutton@reedmackay.com to discuss all of your Energy & Marine travel and event management needs.

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