Trust, Transparency, and Technology are Shaping the Future of Corporate Travel
Brook Armstrong, co-CEO and co-founder of Blockskye, sat down with Business Travel News’ (BTN) Elizabeth West at the Business Travel Show in London to discuss what's driving change in corporate travel management today.
Their conversation explores why travel buyers increasingly question traditional TMC relationships, how transparency drives real program savings, and what it takes to manage diverse traveler needs within a single program. For travel managers running complex global programs, Brook offers a roadmap for working with—not against—the forces reshaping corporate travel distribution.
The evolution of trust in travel management
"Our buyer is very wary of the current market structure. They are convinced that the content that they're seeing is not agnostic, that it's driven by an agenda that's not theirs nor the suppliers'."
This observation sets the stage for why companies may question their TMC relationships.
Everything flows from that first concern about content neutrality—the structure of account management, how servicing happens, what the commercial model looks like. It's the first domino that starts a chain of questions travel managers ask about their programs.
The solution? Three principles: Trust, transparency, and technology.
These address what buyers want as they evaluate their options.
Travel managers aren't just questioning costs anymore—they're questioning the fundamental structure of how corporate travel gets bought, managed, and serviced. And that questioning opens doors for new approaches to partnership.
Building corporate travel programs around trust, transparency, and technology
Trust comes from alignment—when your TMC's success ties directly to your program's success, not to supplier commissions or hidden fees.
The end of commissions
"Our view is that commissions, upfronts, overrides, marketing dollars, anything that functionally qualifies as a commission because they're given a lot of names to slip around contract words—our view is that that's going to zero."
Why? "Because over time suppliers are going to control this market and people come to this market for airlines and hotels. So they're naturally going to get closer."
In this new world, transparent transaction fees replace the complex web of hidden payments. Buyers know what they pay for. Suppliers know their costs. Everyone sees the same numbers.
Technology that actually works
The technology piece enables this transparency. When Blockskye turns on a supplier outside the GDS, travelers can shop, book, change, cancel, notify, select seats, and manage unused tickets—everything works from day one.
"There are other folks in the market who move faster and will turn on alternative content without having all those boxes checked. We spend a lot on meeting suppliers in the deepest connectivity, but then when we turn it on, everything works."
The direct booking breakthrough
This commitment to full functionality explains how Blockskye achieves something remarkable: 55% of bookings flowing through supplier direct channels while maintaining complete TMC service. This isn't about cutting corners—it's about building the right technology foundation from the start. The technology captures all booking data regardless of channel, maintaining visibility and duty of care.
Meeting diverse traveler needs within one program
Managing different types of travelers within a single program remains one of the biggest challenges facing travel managers today.
The shift in travel booking
"Most travel managers are coming to realize that there is a generation of traveler that's not policeable. And being in conflict with that traveler is not a winning proposition."
These travelers will book outside your tools anyway, so it's better to enable their preferences while maintaining visibility than to mandate tools and lose sight of their travel completely.
The solution isn't monolithic. Some clients run three or five different programs within their spend. Those 20-somethings who book everything on their phones might do fine booking directly with United and Bonvoy. But that needs to be part of a larger program that maintains duty of care.
When you still need expert TMC management
Complex travel still requires skilled intermediaries for:
Shopping across multiple options
VIP and executive travel
Groups and meetings coordination
Complex payment methods
Unused ticket credit management
Global servicing requirements
Multiple points of sale
"When you've got shopping, you've got VIP, you have groups and meetings, you've got complex payment methods, you've got your paying or maybe your customer is paying, unused ticket credit management, global servicing, multiple points of sale—that's when you start getting into, you need a middleman to help oversee that spend."
The key is meeting every trip and every profile where it's at, then bringing all that data back together. "If you've got five programs within an umbrella, you're bringing that data back in and you're really managing from the fundamentals of the data."
This shift is generational and cultural. "We're there to help that travel manager out. But that travel manager also knows exactly how to run a kick-ass M&E and VIP program."
The data that validates the approach
The numbers Brook shares paint a clear picture of what's possible:
$1 billion in managed annual travel spend
55% direct booking rate (vs. 6% industry average)
"We've been fairly public in the market and our partners have been public in the market about the existing cost of sale with the existing infrastructure and about exactly how much funds are at stake when you shop through the Blockskye door versus shop through the traditional door," Brook explains.
"We've been surprised at the data that we've seen from our existing customers—how they shop, how they spend, the rates that they get access to, how and when they use agents. It seems like every week we're getting a new data point."
The vision for the future is clear: "Do I go to bed every night dreaming about waking up and being able to put on a website—if this is your spend, this is what you're going to get with us? I think at some point we will get there. I want people to go to blockskye.com, put in their program, and calculate how much they can save."
Global expansion and strategic partnerships
Blockskye's global expansion reveals careful, deliberate growth: "We're heavily focused on moving suppliers forward and making sure that our entire platform works because if we don't have a reputation, then we don't have a business."
For enterprise travel managers with global programs, this measured approach means Blockskye's services maintain consistency across regions. The same direct booking capability, the same full TMC service, the same transparency—whether travelers book in Houston, London, or Singapore.
Circling back to trust
The conversation between Brook and Elizabeth ultimately returns to where it started: trust. In a market where travel managers question whether their partners truly represent their interests, the path forward requires transparency in commercial models, technology that actually delivers, and the flexibility to meet travelers where they are.
For travel managers evaluating their programs, Brook's insights offer a framework for asking the right questions: Does your TMC's success align with yours? Can you see where every dollar goes? Are you fighting your travelers or enabling them?
The answers will determine whether you're ready for what's next.
Blockskye partners with KAYAK for Business to deliver comprehensive corporate travel solutions. Want to see how our integrated approach delivers on trust, transparency, and technology? Schedule time here.
