Nearly 91 percent of BT-e readers surveyed book their own travel for business trips, with nearly half taking care of this online, highlighting the fact that our readers are largely in control of planning their own itineraries. Considering that 31 percent believe it’s extremely valuable for an airline to have an easy-to-navigate Web site (the most important factor was the ability to redeem mileage, at 50 percent), it’s clear that airlines can’t afford to have anything less than a user-friendly booking arena, with attractive loyalty benefits.
At 40 percent, most respondents book their business trips 15 days to a month in advance, but if given an option for a cheaper flight within a two-hour window of their first choice, 34 percent of those surveyed would only consider swapping if the savings were greater than $200.
And despite the popular belief that business are cutting back on travel to stay afloat, most respondents (59 percent) said that they feel only moderate or no pressure to cut business travel expenditures. The pressure isn’t carrying over to the number of trips business travelers are taking, with more than half of those surveyed anticipating the same number of outings over the next three months as taken over the past three months.
It also doesn’t change the way people are flying. In fact, BT-e readers are largely unwilling to sacrifice the comfort and convenience that comes with first- and business-class tickets. According to the survey results, the majority of readers would continue to fly in first or business class on international flights, even if it would save their company money by traveling in economy class. (That’s 40 percent, compared to 29 percent who would fly in economy for savings.) Extra room and lie-flat seats rank among the most important factors justifying the expense.
Stay tuned for the next installment in the Orbitz for Business/Business Traveler Quarterly Trend Report, one of the most comprehensive barometers regarding the state of business travel today, thanks to your candid input.
