Travelport Bringing Jobs to Atlanta
Despite the fact that the number of first time unemployment benefit claimants rose , Georgia’s jobless rate dropped in the month of November from 4.7 percent to 4.2 percent, according to the Georgia Department of Labor. The 16 percent increase partially resulted from seasonal layoffs in the manufacturing industries. DOL statistics said that 48,150 initials filed first-time claims, which is 1.4 percent more than the previous year. The number of claims in Atlanta rose 3.4 percent, going from 17,044 individuals to 17,632 between October and November. Also, during this time frame, 12,600 Georgia jobs were created.
Travelport, one of the world’s largest airline reservation companies, will soon add 300 new jobs in Atlanta. The company purchased Georgia-based Worldspan in August of 2007, planning to use it’s location at 300 Galleria Parkway as its North American global distribution system headquarters Approximately 200 of these new jobs will be located there, which are made possible by the company’s consolidation of their operations in Rosemont, Ill., Parsippany, N.J, and Denver. The additional 100 jobs in Atlanta to be provided by Travelport will come when the company expands its data center. Overall, Travelport plans to invest some where around $33 million in the Atlanta area.
Governor Sonney Pardue said that “Travelport’s decision to locate a division headquarters in Atlanta signals that our position as a hub in the travel and IT industries is second to none.” He went on to say that “The addition of these high paying jobs will provide more opportunities for Georgia’s best and brightest to stay in the state and continue to grow our economy.”
This decision, and the Atlanta jobs created as a result, was likely effected by the success of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which has had the title of the nation’s busiest airport in terms of flights for three years.
Travelport handles travel reservations no only for airlines, but also for hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines and rail operators. The company provides service to both on-line and off0;ine travel agencies in more than 145 countries, along with running a large portion of the internal reservations and related systems used by airlines such as Delta Air Lines, Inc.