Year-Over-Year Business Travel Bookings Increasing as are Number of Clients Flying in the "Front of the Plane"

Latest Travel Leaders Group Survey Also Looks at Flight Selections and Duty of Care

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Sep 25, 2014, 10:58 ET

PLYMOUTH, Minn., Sept. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Travel Leaders Group provided survey data specific to its business travelers in which nearly 86% of those polled stated business travel bookings are better than or on par with this time last year – in fact, there was a 3.3% increase in those stating year-over-year bookings are higher. Additional findings indicated a double-digit increase in the number of Travel Leaders Group business travel agents stating that "11% or more" of their business travel airline bookings are in First or Business Class. The survey also revealed an uptick in agents stating a majority of their business travel clients are selecting "Luxury" and "Upper Upscale" categories of hotel accommodations.

Travel Leaders Group Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Travel Leaders Group) (PRNewsFoto/Travel Leaders Group)

This data on business travel is based on responses from 346 U.S.-based travel agency owners, managers and frontline travel agents who indicated that 50% or more of their portfolio is made up of business travelers. These results are part of the larger 2014 Fall Travel Trends Survey conducted by Travel Leaders Group from August 4 - August 29, 2014, in which 1,054 travel agent experts from the flagship Travel Leaders brand, along with those affiliated with Travel Leaders Group's Cruise Holidays, Cruise Specialists, Luxury Travel Network, Nexion, Protravel International, Results! Travel, Travel Leaders Corporate, Tzell Travel Group and Vacation.com units participated.

"The data in our survey represents a well-rounded look at business travelers nationwide and across our different travel agency groups. We are particularly encouraged to see continued growth in the number of business travel bookings year-over-year, which leads us to two conclusions: economically, businesses are bullish on their economic futures and these clients see additional value in working with top-level travel management companies as part of their corporate strategy," stated Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben. "A nearly 11% increase in those polled stating that more than 1-in-10 of their business travelers are booking either First or Business Class airline tickets is another indicator of economic confidence. Whether or not our business clients are flying in the 'front of the plane,' we take a very strategic approach in reviewing, analyzing and managing their business travel programs and policies to continue providing the utmost return on investment on their travel spending."

First/Business Class vs. Coach
When asked "For your 2014 year-to-date business travel air bookings, what percentage of clients are purchasing 'front of the cabin'?" two-thirds (66.8%) of survey participants indicated over 10% of their clients are flying in the front of the plane, which is an increase of 10.9% compared to last year. This can be attributed to a lack of available upgrades to First or Business Class due to the consolidation of airlines – meaning more clients are paying to ensure they are seated at the front of the plane. In addition, Travel Leaders Group's business clientele increasingly includes CEOs and top-level executives requiring specialized travel planning.

	Fall 2014	Fall 2013	Fall 2012
11% or More of Bookings in First/Business Class	66.8%	55.9%	51.3%
1-10% of Bookings in First/Business Class	30.9%	38.9%	44.6%
0% of Bookings in First/Business Class	2.3%	5.2%	4.1%

When asked for the top reasons why their business travelers fly in coach, the top response was "company policy" (56.9%) followed by "cost" (35.8%) and "hoping for upgrade (1.7%).

Selecting Flights for Business Travel
Taking a closer look at corporate travel policies and business travelers' flight selections, we asked Travel Leaders Group's business travel agents, "When booking flights for your corporate travelers, do they most often choose ..." A mere 8.4% stated "lowest fare, period" while the top responses were:

A flight (not the lowest) based on time of departure/arrival –

as long as it meets the corporate policy

44.8%

The lowest fare for a nonstop, even if there is a lower priced connection

30.9%

A flight (not the lowest) based on preferred air carrier –

as long as it meets the corporate policy

13.0%

Year-Over-Year Comparable Business Travel Bookings
When asked "Comparing your overall 2014 business travel bookings so far to your 2013 business travel bookings at this time last year, which is true?" nearly 85% stated bookings were equal to or higher than this time last year.

	2014 Fall	2013 Fall	2012 Fall	2011 Fall
They're higher	57.2%	53.9%	55.0%	60.0%
They're about even	28.6%	30.4%	25.3%	23.5%
They're lower	14.2%	15.7%	19.7%	16.5%

Hotel Bookings for Business Travel

When asked "What percentage of your business travel clients add a hotel reservation to their travel itinerary?" ...
When asked "Which hotel category would you say the majority of your business travel clients book?" ...

To read the full news release – with additional data on hotel bookings for business travel, car rentals for business travel and duty of care – go here.

Travel Leaders Group is one of North America's largest travel companies – encompassing nearly one-third of all travel agents – and generated gross travel sales of approximately $20 billion in 2013. Travel Leaders Group is a leader in both the retail travel agency space and corporate travel, and it consistently ranks as one of the top travel companies nationwide.