More than half of 410 respondents to an April 2024 survey by tClara said most of their travelers “don’t care” about carbon emissions from their flights. When asked why employees would be reluctant to travel, climate impact ranked lowest on the list; time away from home and office was the highest.

Among 174 executive respondents, achieving successful business trips, protecting travelers’ health and well-being, and reducing travel-related carbon emissions were the top three travel-related priorities, in that order. They all topped paying less for business travel.

Eighty percent of U.S.-based executives and managers believed their companies could use their travel budgets more wisely to achieve strategic goals. On average, they said, 20 percent of company trips were “low-value” and one-third could be replaced by virtual meetings. About eight in 10 respondents agreed their companies “should make more disciplined decisions about which trips are approved.” Roughly the same percentage said companies should ask travelers if they have concerns about upcoming trips, and nearly as many said travelers should document trip purpose beforehand.

Asking for a trip’s expected ROI was cited as the most helpful question for pre-approving or rejecting a trip. Asking about the trip’s value creation was also high on the list. Many trips that don’t pass muster are replaced with virtual meetings.

The 174 executive respondents included presidents, partners, C-suite execs and VPs. The 236 managers comprised directors, GMs, supervisors and managers. Across all of them, their companies, on average, employed 3,800 people. They managed an average of 30 employees and approved an average of 10 to 15 business trips in the prior six months.

The tClara survey and corresponding paper were sponsored by Amadeus and Traxo.

Read up on wellness considerations for corporate travel, pre-trip approval policies and processes, and more insights from consultant Scott Gillespie of tClara.