Boston – It’s folly to look for consensus on which way corporate travel policy is moving. Speakers at the Global Business Travel Association convention here last week displayed a wide range of approaches and opinions. On one panel, a travel manager wished his company’s policy was stricter while his co-panelist said she strives for a softer touch and… Read More »
Efforts encouraging corporate travelers to do the right thing run the gamut. Punitive measures for policy noncompliance range from informing managers to withholding reimbursement. Short of requiring pre-trip approval, other strategies use incentives like gift cards, cash or simple positive reinforcement. Why not reward travelers with loyalty program points? Frequent flyer, guest and renter programs are the lifeblood for… Read More »
U.S. authorities this week said an expanded “laptop ban” is “still on the table.” A prohibition on large personal electronic devices in passenger cabins on all transatlantic flights would decimate productivity. The International Air Transport Association estimated the impact at $1.1 billon annually. How did it come up with that number? Moreover, do corporate travel managers work out… Read More »
[UPDATE, July 20, 2017: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security no longer bans large electronic devices in airplane passenger cabins for flights coming in from overseas. The last of the 10 airports affected by the restrictions had the ban removed this week.] [UPDATE, April 19, 2017: Emirates cited revised U.S. government policies for its decision to reduce flight… Read More »
This site’s readers are well aware of the parade of startups looking to tackle small-market or unmanaged business travel. None has gone quite as niche as Compl.ai. The new firm from Daniel Senyard, formerly of Tripchamp, is aiming to bring a policy tool to small businesses. That’s right, it’s a travel policy startup. Reminiscent of ProcureApp — which disappeared within… Read More »
Sometimes the things we write about peter out. Sometimes more developments happen, but they don’t warrant an entirely new article. In other cases, something unexpected or counterintuitive is noteworthy in its continuance. Hence, the Updates post. Click to jump to United’s carbon emissions pledge to corporate clients, Upside’s launch, proliferating Basic Economy airfares, PayForTrip’s pause, the federal government’s… Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense spends billions on travel every year. Its policies have grown unwieldy. The Defense Travel System has been widely derided. Travel payment processes are rife with errors. Projects now underway aim to fix a lot of that. DOD since June has been running a limited pilot of the newest version of DTS. It coincides… Read More »
New York — Corporate travel departments are always pointing to service, savings and safety as reasons for travel management policies and practices. Here’s another: fiscal self-preservation. Aiming to reduce transnational tax avoidance, more than 100 jurisdictions around the globe last year adopted plans to update international tax rules. Governed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the… Read More »
Travel suppliers want to provide personalized offers to travelers. Some travel managers want to customize travel policies to better fit individual travelers and the specifics of a trip. The problem is, some online booking tools can’t or don’t easily handle the nuances. OBTs connect with traveler profiles. Those often include basic data like an employee’s level in the… Read More »
[UPDATE, Feb 3, 2017: We published new information related to this article here.] [UPDATE, Jan. 19, 2017: American Airlines’ version of Basic Economy goes on sale Feb. 21 for travel starting March 1, first in 10 select markets. Like Delta’s and United’s, AA’s new bottom-level product is meant to provide more choices for customers and a defense against… Read More »