Economy or Business? Look at the Whole Picture!

Posted in Blog, Industry Topics by AirPlus Editor
Tags: business class, business travel, flight class booking, travel policy

Booking an Economy Class flight does not always pay off – Reaching your destination rested and relaxed, working during flights: Business Class can make sense, not only on long-distance flights – What counts is having clear travel policies.

The trend in business travel has remained unchanged for the past few years – Economy rather than Business Class. The reasons include the increasing, and indeed sensible, introduction of travel policies and the acute pressure to economize due to the recession over the past two years. Large companies were the first to react to the crisis; smaller ones followed soon after. However, saving money by booking Economy Class tickets does not necessarily show the whole picture of long- or short-haul flights. The health of the travelers and the potential opportunity costs must also be considered when booking a flight.

Read more

Rating

0.0

RSS

No Comments

Interview: International Travel Management in Finland

Posted in Blog, Industry Topics by AirPlus Editor
Tags: AirPlus Global Reach Editorial Office, Finland, International Travel Management

AirPlus Global Reach Editorial Office talks with Anna-Maria Kirchner – Account Manager Finland – about trends, opportunities, challenges and developments in the Finnish travel management market.

AirPlus: What are the main trends and developments concerning Travel Management in Finland?

Anna-Maria Kirchner

AK: In 2009, the financial crisis has hit Finland as well as all the other Nordic and European countries. The Finnish companies are still hesitant though and are afraid that the crisis is not over yet. Many big corporations have switched from Business Class to Economy Class as we have also realized in other countries. Low cost carriers are going through a boom period and are becoming a big competitor again.

We have also observed that the trends are industry-specific. Most of the companies that have cut business travel costs tremendously are from the automotive as well as other manufacturing industries. However, companies in the pharmaceutical sector, for example, are maintaining the same volume or are even increasing.

Read more

Rating

0.0

RSS

No Comments

Interview: Travel Management on an International Level

Posted in Blog, Industry Topics by AirPlus Editor
Tags: AirPlus Global Reach Editorial Office, International Travel Management, Israel

AirPlus Global Reach Editorial Office talks with Paula Silva – Sales Manager Middle East + Northern Africa – about trends, opportunities, challenges and developments in the Israeli travel management market.

AirPlus: What are the main trends and developments concerning travel management in Israel?

PS: The main trends in Israel, which are on a rise precisely due to the financial crisis, are cost cutting and monitoring of travel policy compliance. Companies are attempting to save money by purchasing lower booking classes and by having their employees travel economy class instead of business class. The price of the airfare is more important than ever.

Paula Silva

AirPlus: How mature is travel management in the Israeli market?

PS: Travel management is highly mature in Israel and well perceived by the Senior Management. There is a Travel Managers Forum that is quite active in organizing events and meetings for its members.

Read more

Rating

0.0

RSS

No Comments