Now the alliances are cracking down. The airlines have long used analytic tools - i.e. data-interpretation programs to figure out if the corporate customer was fulfilling its side of contracts. They want to see if the company is actually delivering on what it's promised, from the number of flyers to the number of segments it has agreed to use; in return, the airline is supposed to make sure that it gives the corporate account access to certain airfares. Now, as the global alliances take a larger and larger share of corporate accounts, these big groupings are moving to crack down, too.
The latest sign is that oneworld has signed up to use the Prism sales management system for data analysis to structure corporate deals. Eileen Yeager, the oneworld manager of corporate sales, says that "all ten oneworld carriers fully support the alliance approach with prism." She added that any new members would also have to adapt to Prism. Several oneworld members already use the Prism system, although British Airways was a hold out. It will now do so.
Star also uses Prism and although its use depends on the lead carrier; when United or SAS is the lead, it comes into play. Prism is also in use at Skyteam, making it an all-alliance tool. While Prism is a weapon for the airlines, the customer also has an increasing number or tools.
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