Flight Centre Travel Group strengthens FCM tech offering

The Flight Centre Travel Group (FLT) has announced the acquisition of Compli.ai, a US-based company that has developed an industry-first browser extension, Shep, that will be integrated into FLT’s FCM travel management business. FLT aims to use Shep’s software to put its own content and augment the user experience on third party websites that corporate customers use. Shep was founded in 2017 as a leakage tool for SME clients. It has since evolved into an enterprise-focussed communication platform targeted at multinational corporations. Chris Galanty, corporate CEO of FLT, said: “In the technology area, the FCM Platform delivers that all-important flexibility by providing customers with a globally consistent user experience, while still allowing them to incorporate online booking tools and other third-party solutions they want to use in their travel programmes. “The Shep tool allows us to customise offerings further by injecting important and relevant FCM content on online booking tools and third-party websites that travellers are accessing.” FCM hopes this will provide customers with greater consistency across the globe, while also delivering better control, duty of care, sustainability and communications benefits. Galanty added: “It can detect if employees are trying to book outside of travel policy and push them back to an approved booking site, which is very important to companies as they reinitiate their travel programmes with a greater emphasis on duty of care in the post-pandemic world.”