Other findings were:
- Younger generations are demanding that employer policies reflect issues such as sustainability. 61% of companies encourage travelers to book sustainable travel, with rail travel being encouraged over air travel by 74% of companies.
- Seating class (i.e. business class, economy) continues to be an area for tinkering so policies can meet employee and management needs when it comes to balancing managing costs with traveler preferences and wellbeing. Currently, only about half of companies allow employees to use mileage points to upgrade to business class, and 45% allow business class for senior executives. Other employees are eligible for business class when the flight duration exceeds a set threshold ranging from 4 to 10 hours.
- As consumers are increasingly opting for vacation rentals over hotels, companies are realizing the cost benefits in incorporating vacation rentals in their travel policies with 53% of companies allowing travelers to book lodging through vacation rental sites or directly on a hotel or other site to save money. Some companies prohibit the use of vacation rentals for business travel because of duty-of-care concerns, but the majority have evolved to allow vacation rental sites.
- 54% of business travelers prioritize the integration of travel, payment and expenses for automated expense reporting, and nearly half (47%) would like the ability to book wherever or however they want.
The findings were based on one survey of 265 corporate travel decision makers responsible for global travel in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America & the Caribbean, and the Middle East & Africa; and another of 151 business travelers in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific who travel six or more times a year on domestic or international business trips.
