In the intercontinental flight segment, the percentage of business class bookings amounted to 34. German companies exceeded this average, with a business class share on long-haul flights of 41 percent. Swiss companies were at the top of the list with a business class booking rate of 45 percent. At 11 percent, US companies lagged behind.

The reason why the more comfortable service class is being booked more often, especially for long hauls – companies have come to realize that reaching a destination well rested and motivated to start a business appointment right away is far more cost effective than scrimping on flight tickets.

According to an AirPlus analysis of the European market, women appear to plan and carry out their business trips differently than men. The basis for this statement: More than twelve million flights booked annually throughout the world. In the process, men and women were identified by the Mr./Ms./Mrs./Miss code on the ticket. The data provided insight into the various aspects of planning and taking a trip.

What is true for many jobs and industries is also true for business trips: They are, for the most part, a man’s domain. The subjective impression at the airport or hotel is supported by market observations. On flights, for example, the proportion of female business travelers is currently 12.8 percent. Also, this figure is trending downward: In 2007, the number of female business travelers was at 13.1 percent. But there are clear differences between male and female business travelers that go beyond this numerical ratio. The methods of travel planning and travel itself are also very different between men and women. Do their standards for private sector travel also apply for business travel?

From kindergarten to the airport
An interesting point: Women plan their business trips earlier and are more frugal in doing so. For women, there’s an average of 19.2 days between booking a trip and departure, while for their male colleagues this average is only 15.4 days. This proves that women are more forward-looking in planning and booking. However, in contrast to men, women cancel and change their trips more frequently: In 2009, 12.8 percent of women’s business trips were changed or canceled. Compared to previous years, the trend is actually increasing; in 2007, this figure was 12.3 percent. This is another indicator that women need to react more flexibly and spontaneously to changes and adjustments in their day-to-day lives. Men are apparently better able to comply with the requirements for more accurate travel planning: In 2007, men in Germany canceled 4.2 percent of their trips, and in 2009 they canceled just 3.4 percent.

Women are better savers
In their personal lives, women are often in charge of managing household expenses. For most, dealing with money in an economical manner is a matter of course. This also seems to influence their behavior in booking business trips. The lesson: With regard to business travel, learning from women means learning to save. For those who doubt this, just take a look at what women pay for a ticket. A quick comparison with men’s travel expenses is astonishing. On average, a woman business traveler in economy class purchases her ticket for €230. In contrast, men pay €277. That’s a full €47 more. Or, to say it more clearly: Men pay roughly twenty percent more. This can also be demonstrated with another example: Women primarily fly in economy class, whether on intercontinental, continental or domestic routes. This begs the question: Are women better business travelers? From the perspective of those responsible for company expenses, the answer is yes: Women buy less expensive tickets, book earlier, fly in economy class more often and spend less during the trips.

In addition, 46 % of business travelers prefer early bookings, if they have the chance to plan their trips in advance. Only four percent of all travelers think that it is not always cheaper to book in advance compared to short-term bookings.

This is the result of the current AirPlus survey: “Do you book business trips as early as possible in order to save money?”.

A new survey is now being held on the right-hand side under the headline ‘Poll’.

You can find the overview of all polls here:
http://www.airpluscommunity.com/pollarchive/

It is apparently neither the desire to follow in the tracks of Santa Claus nor the inclination to view New Year’s Eve fireworks from high in the sky that kept many business travelers in action during the holiday season. The AirPlus Business Travel Index shows that nearly 5,000 AirPlus customers took care of business between December 24th and 31th in Germany alone last year. Although the number of business trips during this period is distinctly lower than on classical working days – when up to 30,000 German customers begin a business trip daily – the figures are still surprisingly high.

But the fact that hundreds of business trips are booked during the holidays does not necessarily indicate selflessness on the part of employees. After all, 40% of all employees in Germany try to avoid their company Christmas party¹  and only every third employee is really excited about Christmas Eve² . But it may well be that many a business trip is scheduled in order to combine the useful with the enjoyable.

¹ FORSA survey 2008, commissioned by Stern; © Statista.org 2009
² EMNID survey 2008 © Statista.org 2009