2023 sales: $219 million
Previous ranking: 48
Employees: 207 full-time, 31 part-time
St. James Building, Ninth Floor
79 Oxford St.
Manchester, U.K. M1 6FQ
Phone: (44) 161-819-8900
Website Executives
CEO: Saad Hammad
DIRECTOR, GROUP FINANCE: Simon Conoley
DIRECTOR, GROUP IT: Dan Morris
DIRECTOR, GLOBAL OPERATIONS: Rachel Baxendale
MANAGER, GLOBAL PRODUCT: Bruce Teatheredge
MANAGING DIRECTOR, NORTH AMERICA: Mike Schields
DIRECTOR, UK COMMERCIAL: Paul Green
DIRECTOR, ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT EUA: Sabrina Pabois
COMPANY FACTS
* Privately held company.
* Elysian Capital Partners LLP is largest shareholder.
* Business-to-business, direct sales of travel products to the not-for-profit sector.
* Sales: 100% business.
* A member of Lufthansa City Center network, Advantage, Tourcom, Avitour.
2023 DEVELOPMENTS
* Revenue recovery was strong, and company returned to profitability for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.
* Invested in technology, including an enhanced mobile app with destination risk alerts, flight check-in reminders and the ability to purchase additional services directly from third parties.
* Developed online booking tool to include chat and a feature that identifies when flights have been booked but accommodation is yet to be secured.
* Launched a self-service portal to enable those who book and manage travel to have the ability to view, engage and track their cases. A self-help knowledge base enables customers to see most frequently asked questions and other information.
* Launched Key Travel WhatsApp, SMS and Webchat with screen sharing.
* Partnered with Tourcom and launched KT Marketplace, offering discounts and travel-related products from select partners; extended specialist airfares with more airlines, including Malaysian Airlines, which launched its first humanitarian and academic specialist fares.
* Established an internal recognition program, KT Heroes.
* Company's independently assessed environmental, social and governance rating improved; named as a finalist in several sustainable travel awards for its decarbonization innovations and products.
LOOKING AHEAD
* With "Lift-Off" as the year's theme, driving revenue growth in core business and winning greater share of existing customers' business as well as acquiring new ones.
* In the second phase of a $3 million IT investment, launched a Spanish language version of its online booking tool and automated several manual processes, including unused ticket reporting, credit card reconciliations and customer purchase orders.
* Persuading a major European carrier to introduce Do Good AirFares after the withdrawal last June of its NGO/academic fares.
* Among the trends the company sees: Cost concerns, with consumer price inflation still above 5% across many countries and some markets such as the U.K. officially in recession; airline seat capacity, which globally remained 3.7% down from 2019, likely keeping airfares above 2019 levels for a while; sustainability, with ESG considerations and some organizations announcing travel reductions to limit environmental degradation; travel complexity and risk, because of global political volatility and increased disruption from strikes, natural disasters and extreme weather; airline content and distribution model adjustments, with NDC fares creating continued challenges; and technology innovation, with AI improving productivity and customer service.
* Outlook for 2024 (including Q3 and Q4) is generally positive. There is still significant pent-up demand -- IATA expects total air traffic in 2024 to be up year-over-year and hit or exceed 2019 levels after 2023 ended up at 94% of 2019 levels.