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9 Essential KPIs for Effective Corporate Travel Management

Are you looking to optimize your corporate travel policy and enhance cost savings? Understanding and measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of your travel management program . In this guide, we’ll explore nine essential KPIs that can help your organization streamline processes, improve compliance, and achieve significant savings on corporate travel expenses.

• Booking Tool Adoption Ensure maximum utilization of your booking tool or travel management platform by measuring the percentage of employees who exclusively use the tool for making travel arrangements. Evaluate the ROI of your online booking tool and track the adoption rate to assess its effectiveness in streamlining processes and ensuring compliance with corporate travel policies.
• Use of Approved Payment Methods Monitor compliance with approved forms of payment to streamline the reimbursement process and prevent occupational fraud. Measure the percentage of travel-related spend made using company credit cards to gauge adherence to payment policies and identify areas for optimization.
• Percentage of Bookings Made Within Policy Evaluate the level of policy compliance by tracking the percentage of bookings made within the corporate travel policy . Identify trends and reasons for policy violations to enhance booking efficiency and ensure alignment with organizational objectives.
• Savings from Corporate Travel Discounts Assess the effectiveness of securing corporate travel discounts by measuring the percentage of savings achieved through negotiated rates and exclusive vendor deals. Calculate the savings obtained from discounted airfare, hotel accommodations, and car rentals to optimize cost management strategies.
• Traveler Satisfaction Prioritize traveler satisfaction by regularly soliciting feedback on travel experiences through satisfaction surveys. Identify areas for improvement in transportation, lodging, expenses, and booking processes to enhance employee satisfaction and retention rates.
• Percentage of Changes, Rebookings, and Cancellations Minimize additional expenses and disruptions by monitoring the percentage of changes, rebookings, and cancellations in travel arrangements . Analyze patterns and reasons for changes to identify opportunities for process improvements and cost savings.
• Percentage of Advance Bookings Encourage proactive planning and cost savings by tracking the percentage of travel arrangements booked in advance. Evaluate the average lead time for bookings to optimize travel booking processes and policies.
• Number of Travel Incident Reports Ensure employee safety and compliance with duty of care obligations by monitoring the number of travel incident reports. Implement risk management policies to address potential risks and enhance safety measures during business travel.
• Carbon Footprint Demonstrate commitment to sustainability goals by measuring the organization’s carbon footprint from business travel. Identify opportunities for reducing emissions through sustainable travel practices and initiatives such as carbon offset programs.

In conclusion, by monitoring these nine KPIs, organizations can effectively evaluate the performance of their corporate travel management program and implement strategies to enhance cost savings, compliance, and employee satisfaction. Utilize data-driven insights to optimize travel policies, streamline processes, and achieve your organizational objectives efficiently.

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A Guide to Strategic Travel Management KPIs: Driving Corporate Excellence

Enhancing Corporate Travel: Crucial KPIs for Success

In the realm of corporate travel management, the effective utilization of employee travel data stands as a paramount concern. This comprehensive dataset, spanning from travel expenses to adherence to travel policies, holds invaluable insights. It is imperative for travel managers not only to identify and track pertinent KPIs but also to harness these metrics to refine and optimize their travel management strategies. Presented below are nine pivotal KPIs that serve as indispensable benchmarks for evaluating the efficiency of corporate travel policies and practices.

Comprehending Diverse Travel Management KPIs

Corporate travel KPIs encompass a wide spectrum, extending beyond mere cost containment. Consider these distinct categories of key metrics:

• Financial Metrics : These metrics revolve around cost savings and budgetary control. They encompass policy compliance, overspending mitigation, total travel expenses, and cost-saving initiatives. Factors such as cancellation costs and average expenditure per travel category (e.g., flights, accommodations) are also of considerable significance.
• Quality Metrics : These metrics pertain to traveler satisfaction, engagement with booking platforms, and vendor service level agreement (SLA) fulfillment.
• Business Metrics : Encompassing ROI and productivity metrics, this category measures aspects like trip success rates, productivity impact, and the influence of departmental travel.
• Sustainability Metrics : Gaining increasing importance, these metrics align with corporate social responsibility objectives and environmental regulations. They gauge CO2 emissions, carbon offset endeavors, and opportunities for eco-conscious travel choices.

The Nine Essential KPIs for Travel Management

1. adoption of booking tools.

Evaluate the extent to which employees embrace the designated booking tool. This adoption rate significantly impacts ROI and adherence to travel policies.

2. Utilization of Approved Payment Methods

Monitor the degree of compliance with company-endorsed payment methods. This metric holds paramount importance in fraud prevention, streamlined reimbursement processes, and adherence to financial regulations.

3. Percentage of Bookings Aligned with Policy

Assess the proportion of bookings that conform to your corporate travel policy. Patterns of non-compliance can shed light on policy inefficiencies or employee booking behaviors.

4. Savings Achieved through Corporate Travel Discounts

Calculate the savings realized through negotiated corporate rates and discounts. This metric offers a quantifiable measure of the cost-effectiveness of your travel management platform.

5. Traveler Satisfaction

Collect feedback regarding employee travel experiences. This input is pivotal for policy adjustments and can significantly impact employee retention.

6. Rate of Booking Changes, Rebookings, and Cancellations

Analyze the frequency of modifications to bookings. High rates may indicate a need for more flexible travel options or policy refinements.

7. Percentage of Advanced Bookings

Monitor the lead time for travel bookings. Early bookings often result in cost savings and improved travel options.

8. Number of Travel Incident Reports

Review the reports of safety and security incidents during travel. This data is crucial for fulfilling duty of care obligations and managing risks effectively.

9. Carbon Footprint

Measure the environmental impact of corporate travel. This KPI is essential for meeting sustainability objectives and can guide the adoption of eco-friendly travel practices.

In conclusion, these nine KPIs constitute a comprehensive framework for optimizing corporate travel management. By diligently measuring and acting upon these metrics, organizations can elevate their cost-efficiency, enhance traveler satisfaction, bolster business productivity, and demonstrate environmental responsibility. As a leading provider of travel management solutions, ORX Travel offers advanced tools and insights to assist businesses in mastering these KPIs. Explore our offerings at orxtravel.com to elevate your corporate travel strategy to new heights.

Elevate Your Travel Management with ORX Travel

At ORX Travel, our commitment lies in revolutionizing the travel management landscape. Our platform, tailor-made for small to medium-sized businesses, seamlessly integrates with contemporary expense management software, provides robust client and employee profile management, and offers a spectrum of customizable travel resources. Embrace the future of travel management with ORX Travel's innovative solutions, where cutting-edge technology converges with unparalleled service. Visit orxtravel.com to discover how we can transform your approach to travel management.

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Measuring The Top KPIs For Corporate Travel Management Success

Home » Corporate Travel » Measuring The Top KPIs For Corporate Travel Management Success

Corporate travel is a cost-intensive activity that leads to brand awareness and business growth.  Just like  any other business activity, corporate travel  needs to  be optimized and managed accordingly.  Measuring the top KPIs for corporate travel management success is crucial to understanding the ROI and identifying the changes required in the next trip. Travel admins should remain on their toes to record and send relevant data to different  departments of the organization . But a plethora of datasets  doesn’t  prove anything. Therefore, one should be diligent  enough  to find the top KPIs for better tracking, analysis, and optimization.  Let us discuss the top key performance indicators for corporate travel management success  in the blogs .  

Measuring the top KPIs for corporate travel management success: 

1. cost per trip.

One of the most standard metrics  of them all , cost per trip provides an overall and activity-wise cost breakdown of corporate travel. The trip cost will help you identify the different trends and cost-saving opportunities needed to optimize the total expenditure of various  kinds of  trips organized in your business.  It also helps  in setting realistic budgets and evaluating the effectiveness of cost-saving initiatives .

2. Travel expense savings

The KPI is  useful  to understand the effectiveness of employing new plans and opting for new travel partners. It is the amount saved on travel expenses when compared to the defined budget or cost of previous similar trips.  Favorable matrices can be achieved  with cost-conscious decisions such as making bulk bookings, negotiating rates, tracking and managing expenses, educating employees, etc. 

3. Travel policy compliance

Measuring the bookings made under the travel policy and made outside the policy can help you understand the inflation in the cost of the trips. Travel policy compliance is all about consistency in trips and mitigating risk costs associated with the travel.  Additionally,  By  monitoring compliance with travel policies regarding booking procedures, preferred vendors, travel approvals, expense reporting, and reimbursement guidelines , organizations can enforce accountability and streamline processes .

4. Booking platform adaptation

Another key  metric to curtail your expenses, maintain high policy compliance, and manage each trip with  ease,  is the percentage of bookings made through preferred platforms. The adoption will help you minimize the cost of dynamic pricing, leverage the benefits of negotiated deals, simplify the booking process, and   increase transparency, among other benefits.  To  have a high percentage of booking platform adaptation , training of the employees is essential .  

5. Traveler satisfaction

Traveler satisfaction is necessary to optimize future trips for maximum outcomes. If the  employee’s  feedback is negative, it is an indication that the ROI can go down and the overall trip can be a failure. Therefore  it  is  important  to use feedback as a constructive tool and enhance your employee’s experience during the travel. Surveys, feedback forms, or ratings allow organizations to gather insights directly from travelers and identify areas for improvement. Positive traveler experiences contribute to employee morale, productivity, and retention.

Suggested Read: Tips To Manage Business Travel Stress And Enhance Productivity

6. Reimbursement time

Reimbursement time is an essential matrix  that is  attached to the  employee’s  traveling experiences.  The KPI tracks the time required to process and  provide reimbursement of any expenses that  the employee does for business activities.   It is  important  to have a low reimbursement time after submission to increase  the trust of an employee  and boost overall morale.  Delays or inefficiencies in reimbursement procedures can impact employee faith, financial planning, and compliance with expense policies.

7. Travel program ROI

Calculating the return on investment (ROI)  of the corporate travel program  involves assessing the benefits gained from business travel against the total costs incurred.  It includes  factors such as  revenue generated from client meetings, sales presentations, training sessions, or networking events, as well as intangible benefits like relationship building and market expansion. A positive ROI demonstrates the value and effectiveness of the travel program in achieving business objectives.

8. Support lead time

Efficient support services are essential for addressing traveler inquiries, resolving issues, and managing emergencies during trips. This KPI measures the responsiveness and effectiveness of travel support teams in assisting travelers. Shorter lead times indicate prompt resolution of issues and enhanced traveler confidence in the support infrastructure.

Top KPIs for corporate travel management success assist in optimizing business trips and maintaining high ROI and compliance. Business owners, travel admins, and   managers should understand these KPIs and plan corporate travels accordingly. 

Suggested Read:  Benefits Of Cloud-Based Corporate Travel Management Platform

Top KPIs For Corporate Travel Management Success FAQs

What are kpis in corporate travel management.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) help evaluate various aspects of corporate travel like cost efficiency, policy compliance, traveler satisfaction, and return on investment (ROI).

Why are KPIs important in corporate travel management?

By tracking KPIs, organizations can identify areas for improvement, optimize travel processes, control costs, ensure policy compliance, and enhance overall business outcomes.

How can companies measure and track KPIs for corporate travel management?

Companies can measure and track KPIs for corporate travel management by implementing robust data collection and analysis processes.

Pratyush is a traveling enthusiast who always looks for innovations in business travel management. He has 5 years of experience writing content on corporate travel management and working closely with expert business travel facilitators.

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10 Key Performance Indicators for Your Corporate Travel Program

By Tiffany Zerby on April 10, 2019 9:05 AM

Topics: How-To Tips Travel Management travel policy

The second quarter of 2019 is well underway, and for many, this is a time to look back at our goals and main initiatives for the year to determine whether we’re on track. It’s also a time to look forward, as many any companies may be starting to prepare reports for mid-year management meetings.

The common expression, “time flies,” is no joke. Time is an unstoppable force, but that doesn’t mean it has to get away from us. To measure your company’s progress towards its travel management goals in the here and now, it may be helpful to review relevant key performance indicators (KPIs).

If you’re not sure what data to look at, don’t worry! Below is a compiled list of KPIs that can be used to effectively measure your progress, especially if your travel program goals are similar to those described in our article, “ How to Achieve Your Travel Program Goals in 2019 .”

1. Travel Spend Concentration

Analyzing travel spend is a given, but we recommend that companies dig deeper and make sure that they have a full picture (i.e. access to all global data). For example, how much is spent per country, region, or business unit/department? How concentrated is your travel spend on specific routes or cities? Understanding this information will help you plan accordingly as you grow and can also be leveraged to improve your supplier contracts.

2. Online Adoption

What percentage of your company’s airline tickets are booked through the online booking tool (OBT)?  If most of your travelers are booking through an agent as opposed to utilizing the OBT, this may be driving up costs, as agent-assisted bookings usually require a higher service fee.

3. Traveler Experience

Whether your travelers are booking online or with an agent, it’s important to check in with them to inquire about their experience and ask for feedback. This will help you evaluate the level of service received and how the online booking tool is functioning. It can also help you identify areas that need improvement. 

4. Negotiated Savings

If you have already negotiated rates with preferred suppliers based on volume and market share, it’s time to evaluate how much these negotiated rates have saved you. To calculate, take the market rate and subtract the negotiated rate, then multiply by the total amount purchased at the negotiated rate.

5. Supplier Contracts

How much of your spend is under contract? How competitive is your contract? Plus, how are you measuring up on your promises to suppliers? Answering these questions year after year is important for maintaining an optimized relationship with your suppliers.

6. Potential for Expansion

Are you continually evaluating your programs to see if you ought to contract with additional countries? This is where the travel spend concentration comes into play, as there could be unrealized opportunities to improve your program by utilizing in-country travel management services. Many countries, like Canada, even offer lower airfare when you book the travel in country.

7. Program Leakage

How many of your travelers’ bookings are not only out of policy but also made outside of the approved booking channels? Sometimes travelers do go rogue thinking that they’re saving the company money, but guess what? This could be costing you more.

8. Advance Booking Non-Compliance

Minimizing last-minute bookings usually results in lower airfares. Are your travelers booking far enough in advance? Need to compare your travelers’ bookings against the recommended time frame? Check out our article, “ How to Reduce Travel & Expense Costs for Your Company ,” to learn the best times to buy your ticket depending on the season.

9. Re-booking Rate

Along with evaluating how far in advance bookings were made, it’s also powerful to evaluate how often bookings were changed after ticketing. Ticket changes often bring additional costs, so insight into how often changes occur could allow you to determine whether non-refundable fares should be allowed within your travel policy. Please note that while non-refundable tickets are often reusable in the U.S. this is not the case in every country.

10. Readiness to Respond

Do you have access to the location information you need to be able to act quickly in the event of an emergency? To calculate, take the number of travelers you have location information on and divide that by your total number of travelers at any given time.

Please remember that the above-mentioned KPIs are only a few general recommendations. If you would like to get specific suggestions from our team, or if you need assistance calculating any of the above, contact your World Travel, Inc. Account Manager or reach out to our sales team at [email protected] .

Are there other KPIs you would like added to this list?

Feel free to share these for fellow readers in the comments below!

Written by Tiffany Zerby

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A Guide to Mastering KPIs for Travel Managers

As the travel industry evolves, the role of travel managers becomes increasingly vital. In this dynamic landscape, effectively managing a corporate travel program requires not just a keen understanding of travel management but also a strategic approach to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). BNW Travel, a leader in providing innovative travel management solutions, is at the forefront of this transformation. This article delves into the nine essential KPIs that travel managers should measure to optimize their travel management programs, ensuring they align with their organization's goals and the industry's evolving benchmarks.

Understanding the Landscape of Travel Management KPIs

Financial metrics: the backbone of travel management.

Financial metrics are pivotal in travel management, encompassing aspects like policy compliance, total spend, and cost savings. These KPIs help organizations safeguard their bottom line, ensuring travel expenditures align with corporate budgets and policies.

Quality Metrics: Enhancing Traveler Satisfaction

Traveler satisfaction and engagement with booking platforms are critical quality metrics. They measure the effectiveness of travel management strategies in delivering a positive experience for employees, which in turn, impacts overall job satisfaction and productivity.

Business Metrics: Assessing ROI and Productivity

Business metrics focus on return on investment (ROI) and productivity. These KPIs assess the success rate of trips and their impact on departmental performance, providing insights into the overall efficiency of the travel program.

Sustainability Metrics: Aligning with Corporate Responsibility

Sustainability metrics are increasingly important in today's environmentally conscious world. They track the ecological impact of corporate travel, helping organizations meet their corporate social responsibility objectives and comply with environmental legislation.

Essential KPIs for Effective Travel Management

1. adoption of travel management tools.

Measuring the adoption rate of travel management platforms like BNW VoyagePro is crucial. It reveals how many employees utilize the provided tools for travel arrangements, ensuring compliance, streamlining processes, and maximizing savings.

2. Compliance with Approved Payment Methods

Monitoring the use of approved payment methods is key to maintaining financial control. This KPI helps in detecting policy deviations and streamlining the reimbursement process.

3. Adherence to Travel Policies

Understanding the extent of policy compliance is essential. This KPI identifies trends and potential policy violations, allowing travel managers to refine their strategies for better compliance and efficiency.

4. Realizing Savings through Corporate Discounts

Securing corporate discounts is vital for cost management. This KPI measures the effectiveness of travel management platforms in providing discounted rates and ensuring significant savings for the organization.

5. Traveler Satisfaction Levels

Regular surveys to gauge traveler satisfaction offer insights into the success of travel policies. Addressing any gaps in satisfaction can lead to improved policies and happier employees.

6. Managing Bookings: Changes, Rebookings, and Cancellations

Monitoring the frequency of booking modifications is critical. This KPI helps identify patterns and potential issues, leading to more efficient travel planning and reduced costs.

7. Advance Booking Practices

Evaluating the timeframe of travel bookings can unveil opportunities for cost savings and better travel experiences. Encouraging advance bookings can significantly reduce travel expenses.

8. Travel Incident Reports

Tracking the number of travel-related incidents is essential for ensuring employee safety. This KPI assesses the effectiveness of travel risk management policies and the organization's duty of care.

9. Carbon Footprint of Corporate Travel

Measuring the environmental impact of business travel is crucial for sustainability goals. This KPI helps in identifying more eco-friendly travel options and strategies for reducing the organization's carbon footprint.

Conclusion: Harnessing KPIs for Future-Ready Travel Management

In conclusion, mastering these nine KPIs is essential for travel managers to navigate the complexities of modern travel management. By focusing on these metrics, organizations can optimize their travel programs, ensuring they are cost-effective, sustainable, and aligned with corporate goals.

Embrace the Future with BNW Travel Solutions

BNW VoyagePro, a flagship product of BNW Travel, stands as a beacon of innovation in travel management. This comprehensive platform is designed to address the complexities of modern corporate travel, offering unparalleled support in monitoring and optimizing the aforementioned KPIs. By integrating BNW VoyagePro into your travel management strategy, you gain access to a suite of tools that enhance cost efficiency, policy compliance, and overall traveler satisfaction. Discover more about how BNW VoyagePro can revolutionize your travel management experience at BNW VoyagePro .

Learn More About BNW Travel

From managing booking to expense tracking and real-time reporting, BNW Travel streamlines your corporate/Agent travel management. Our all-in-one platform customized for your travel needs.

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Business travel management and optimization with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

In the era of digitization, companies need effective tools to optimize business travel processes and control associated costs. In this context, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) provide invaluable assistance to travel managers and other individuals responsible for business travel management within companies. We will introduce you to the KPIs that should be used in business travel management to achieve desired results and fulfill the company’s strategic goals.

What are KPIs?

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are metrics or indicators used to assess, monitor, and measure specific objectives and results within an organization. They are concrete parameters that allow estimating progress in achieving business goals. KPIs provide clear and measurable data, enabling informed decision-making and adjusting strategies for improving performance.

Building an Appropriate Set of KPIs

Step 1 : Determine the Company’s Strategic Goals

The first step in creating a KPI program is to identify the company’s strategic goals related to business travel. Sample goals may include:

1. Reducing costs related to business travel.

2. Increasing the adoption of corporate travel policies.

3. Enhancing employee satisfaction with business travel.

4. Increasing control over travel expenses.

5. Working towards sustainable development and reducing environmental impact.

Step 2 : Define Relevant KPIs for Each Goal

For each of the set strategic goals, it is essential to identify relevant KPIs that will allow for effective assessment and monitoring of the achieved results. Sample KPIs may include:

Goal 1 : Reducing costs related to business travel.

KPI 1 : Number of completed business trips.

Goal 2 : Increasing the adoption of corporate travel policies.

KPI 2 : Number of delegations that were executed outside the expenditure limits specified in the company’s travel policy.

Goal 3 : Increasing the adoption of tools for booking and expense management.

KPI 3 : Percentage of business travel expenses made through the preferred travel management platform and self-booking tools.

Step 3 : Identifying Key Data Sources

For each KPI, identify specific data sources from which necessary information can be obtained for assessing the results. In this case, reports provided by Travel Management Software like WorkTrips.com, self-booking tools, corporate credit cards, and travel expense management systems are essential data sources.

Step 4 : Analyzing the Data

Data collected from various sources should be analyzed, and in the case of results beyond the set KPI ranges, appropriate actions should be taken to improve efficiency and optimize business travel management processes.

Are There Universal KPIs in Business Travel Management?

Each organization should define its own KPIs based on its strategic goals. However, there are some universal KPIs that can serve as a basis for creating a personalized set. Below are a few key KPI categories along with examples.

1. Expenses and Savings :

– KPI : Contract Effectiveness – Percentage of company expenses on business travel resulting from agreements with service providers, such as airlines and hotels.

– KPI : Tool Effectiveness – Percentage of travel expenses managed through preferred travel agents/platforms and self-booking tools.

– KPI : Payment Effectiveness – Percentage of business travel expenses paid using corporate credit cards.

2. Travel Policy :

– KPI : Limit Compliance – Percentage of cases where delegations exceed the set expenditure limits.

– KPI : Travel Planning – Percentage of employees who adhere to established deadlines for submitting business travel requests.

– KPI : Tool Adoption – Percentage of employees using designated tools for self-booking travel services and expense management.

3. Safety and Corporate Social Responsibility :

– KPI : CO2 Calculation – Amount of CO2 emissions related to business travel to monitor environmental impact.

– KPI : Sustainable Travel – Percentage of travel conducted using low CO2 emission means of transportation, such as trains.

– KPI : Traveler Location – Percentage of employees who share their location during business travel and consent to receive real-time safety notifications.

By monitoring and analyzing KPIs, you can significantly streamline the work of travel managers and other individuals responsible for travel organization. Moreover, it helps optimize business travel processes within your company. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our specialists who will assist you in choosing appropriate indicators, establishing travel policies, and optimizing travel management and expense settlement processes.

Travel Management KPIs Your Business Should Measure

Travel Managers should establish and closely monitor important key performance indicators. What travel management KPIs are most relevant? Find out in our guide to corporate travel program metrics.

Is your travel program thriving or just barely surviving? Without the right travel management KPIs in place, your answer to that question is just an opinion.

But what metrics should matter? In many cases, businesses are awash in data that can be hard to sort through and leverage for actionable insights. If you’re trying to establish or rethink your travel management KPIs, focus on the following 10 metrics.

10 Travel Management KPIs:

1. existing contracts.

Every year, Travel Managers should evaluate all existing contracts. Sometimes contracts are great for your company — they deliver locked-in, below-market rates. And sometimes contracts are not-so-great for your company — they keep you paying higher rates than what you could get through other suppliers and vendors.

Spend time annually assessing total travel spend under contract and the competitiveness of those contracts. Also, actively anticipate the expiration of contracts as an opportunity to re-up with the current vendor or to find a better deal with the competition.

If you wait until the last minute to think about expiring contracts, you may be tempted to stick with the status quo — even if that’s not what’s best for the bottom line. Keep in mind that your contracts will heavily influence several travel management KPIs, which is why it’s important to get them right.

2. Savings Negotiated

Make sure you’re able to quickly report the total amount your travel program is saving through negotiated rates. Then, break up those savings by vendor type. How much are your negotiated rates saving on air travel? On hotels? On car rentals?

Reporting total savings is a great way to demonstrate your travel program’s effectiveness. Breaking those savings down by vendor type allows you to find opportunities for improvement.

For example, you may find that you’re saving twice as much on hotels than on car rentals. When your car rental contracts are close to expiring, you can seek out a new vendor who can help you save at a rate closer to the one you get with your hotel vendors.

3. Spend Concentration (and Related ROI)

Break your company’s total travel spend into spending per department, per region, per country, per route, per city, etc. You may be surprised to find that the business is spending a disproportionate amount of money on traveling to one place.

That’s fine — as long as concentrated spending is delivering a strong ROI. If you find, though, that spending is overly focused on a single team or destination that isn’t delivering revenue, it’s time to reevaluate that investment.

4. Traveler Experience

Also keep in touch with your Travelers. It’s important to understand how team members are feeling before travel (planning, booking, approvals), during travel (vendors, trip disruptions, communication) and after travel (expenses). Your traveling employees are your best source for ideas on how to improve the travel program.

How should you stay in touch with them? Try a quarterly survey that helps you track sentiment. You can also hold a yearly training or travel town hall with ample question-and-answer time. Travel experience is one of the most important and most overlooked travel management KPIs.

5. Risk Management and Duty of Care

Your company should be able to live up to its duty of care obligation for every employee at any given time, no matter where your team members may be traveling. Risk management is a hot topic in the business travel industry, and executives will expect that travel managers have in place a plan to effectively manage risk when necessary.

The larger your company gets, the more outside help it may need on the risk management and duty of care fronts. If your company is traveling at scale, consider a third-party risk management/duty of care provider.

6. Booking Tool Adoption

Booking tools are designed to streamline processes, ensure compliance and deliver savings. How many of your travelers have adopted your company’s online booking tool ? This percentage will go a long way toward demonstrating the ROI your company is enjoying for its investment in travel technology.

7. Advanced Bookings

Last-minute travel happens. It’s a reality of doing business. But, for the most part, advanced bookings are preferred because they deliver more options and lower costs. What percentage of your company’s bookings fall outside the time frame requested in your travel policy? What are the reasons for these non-compliant bookings? And how can your travel program minimize these last-minute bookings in the future?

8. Travel Program Compliance

Travel programs and policies exist to help both travelers and the company. They are meant to make the travel management process easier while also saving the company money. But how often are your travelers making arrangements that conflict with your policies?

Do some travelers think they are saving money by booking outside of approved channels? Do they want to use a non-approved airline, hotel or car rental company? Is it simply that they are reluctant to use new travel technologies?

It’s important to get to the bottom of why your Travelers are making non-compliant arrangements. When they do, it undermines the goals of making travel management easier while also saving the company money.

9. Travel Re-Bookings

How many re-bookings do your traveling team members make? What are the reasons for those re-bookings? And how can re-bookings be avoided in the future?

Re-bookings are expensive, of course, and they should be avoided if and when possible. American, Delta and United all charge $200 for re-bookings of domestic flights. Evaluating re-bookings is also an opportunity to look at travel waivers available to your company — and to ensure that they are being used to minimize the impact of re-bookings.

10. Future Expansion Opportunities

If your team members are traveling at a global scale, you may find that it’s time to establish travel management services in specific countries. For example, if your company often sends team members to the United Kingdom, you may unlock significant savings by engaging a UK-based travel management company.

Look again at how your travel spend is concentrated geographically. If you’re spending a significant amount in any given country, assess opportunities to more formally expand your travel program to that country.

We Can Help With Travel Management KPIs

It’s not always easy to establish and track the right travel management KPIs for your company. At JTB Business Travel, we provide comprehensive travel management services to companies large and small — including spend management tools, travel technologies and more. Behind every service we provide is a common sense approach to business travel. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help with your KPIs.

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Our Thriving Network of Global Partners Gets Better With Spotnana’s Booking Platform

These two like-minded companies are joining forces to ensure access to a next-generation booking platform plus world-class customer service for small- and medium-sized enterprises.  A new partnership announced earlier this month between JTB Business Travel Read more

Sustainability-Focused Airlines: How to Choose, Support and Fly Them

A lot of airlines purport to be “sustainable,” but are some airlines more sustainable than others? A look at the world’s most sustainability-focused airlines says yes. In some regions of the world, sustainability is a Read more

Travel by Train vs. Plane for Short Trips

When it comes to choosing travel by train vs plane, there’s a lot to consider: speed, convenience, price—and, of course, sustainability. Depending on where you live in the world, your first instinct might be to Read more

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• Sustainable Leadership in Business Travel: Top Examples in Aviation As World Environment Day, June 5, approaches, it’s worth recognizing sustainable leadership throughout the business travel industry. Which top players are setting new standards, and which might inspire you to set new standards of your own? It’s no secret. The aviation sector is responsible for a large amount of the carbon emissions that result fromRead […]
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• NDC Content: What to Expect from JTB Business Travel NDC has been in the works for more than a decade. However, it’s still a somewhat foreign concept to many who book travel for work. JTB Business Travel is channeling NDC content to make Travel Arrangers’ and Travelers’ experiences better. New Distribution Capability (NDC) has been touted as a new solution that will offer moreRead […]
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The state of tourism and hospitality 2024

Tourism and hospitality are on a journey of disruption. Shifting source markets and destinations, growing demand for experiential and luxury travel, and innovative business strategies are all combining to dramatically alter the industry landscape. Given this momentous change, it’s important for stakeholders to consider and strategize on four major themes:

• The bulk of travel is close to home. Although international travel might draw headlines, stakeholders shouldn’t neglect the big opportunities in their backyards. Domestic travel still represents the bulk of travel spending, and intraregional tourism is on the rise.
• Consumers increasingly prioritize travel—when it’s on their own terms. Interest in travel is booming, but travelers are no longer content with a one-size-fits-all experience. Individual personalization might not always be practical, but savvy industry players can use segmentation and hypothesis-driven testing to improve their value propositions. Those that fail to articulate target customer segments and adapt their offerings accordingly risk getting left behind.
• The face of luxury travel is changing. Demand for luxury tourism and hospitality is expected to grow faster than any other travel segment today—particularly in Asia. It’s crucial to understand that luxury travelers don’t make up a monolith. Segmenting by age, nationality, and net worth can reveal varied and evolving preferences and behaviors.
• As tourism grows, destinations will need to prepare to mitigate overcrowding. Destinations need to be ready to handle the large tourist flows of tomorrow. Now is the time for stakeholders to plan, develop, and invest in mitigation strategies. Equipped with accurate assessments of carrying capacities and enhanced abilities to gather and analyze data, destinations can improve their transportation and infrastructure, build tourism-ready workforces, and preserve their natural and cultural heritages.

McKinsey Live event: Faces, places, and trends: The state of tourism & hospitality

Thursday, June 13 at 10:30 a.m EDT / 4:30 p.m CET

Now boarding: Faces, places, and trends shaping tourism in 2024

Global travel is back and buzzing. The amount of travel fell by 75 percent in 2020; however, travel is on its way to a full recovery by the end of 2024. More regional trips, an emerging population of new travelers, and a fresh set of destinations are powering steady spending in tourism.

There’s no doubt that people still love to travel and will continue to seek new experiences in new places. But where will travelers come from, and where will they go?

We share a snapshot of current traveler flows, along with estimates for growth through 2030.

The way we travel now

Which trends are shaping traveler sentiment now? What sorts of journeys do today’s travelers dream about? How much are they willing to spend on their trips? And what should industry stakeholders do to adapt to the traveler psychology of the moment?

To gauge what’s on the minds of present-day travelers, we surveyed more than 5,000 of them. The findings reveal disparate desires, generational divides, and a newly emerging set of traveler archetypes.

Updating perceptions about today’s luxury traveler

Demand for luxury tourism and hospitality is expected to grow faster than for any other segment. This growth is being powered in part by a large and expanding base of aspiring luxury travelers with net worths between $100,000 and $1 million, many of whom are younger and increasingly willing to spend larger shares of their wealth on upscale travel options. The increase is also a result of rising wealth levels in Asia.

We dug deeper into this ongoing evolution by surveying luxury travelers around the globe about their preferences, plans, and expectations. Some widely held notions about luxury travelers—such as how much money they have, how old they are, and where they come from—could be due for reexamination.

Destination readiness: Preparing for the tourist flows of tomorrow

As global tourism grows, it will be crucial for destinations to be ready. How can the tourism ecosystem prepare to host unprecedented volumes of visitors while managing the challenges that can accompany this success? A large flow of tourists, if not carefully channeled, can encumber infrastructure, harm natural and cultural attractions, and frustrate locals and visitors alike.

Now is the time for tourism stakeholders to combine their thinking and resources to look for better ways to handle the visitor flows of today while properly preparing themselves for the visitor flows of tomorrow. We offer a diagnostic that destinations can use to spot early-warning signs about tourism concentration, along with suggestions for funding mechanisms and strategies to help maximize the benefits of tourism while minimizing its negative impacts.

Six trends shaping new business models in tourism and hospitality

As destinations and source markets have transformed over the past decade, tourism and hospitality companies have evolved, too. Accommodation, home sharing, cruises, and theme parks are among the sectors in which new approaches could present new opportunities. Stakeholders gearing up for new challenges should look for business model innovations that will help sustain their hard-won growth—and profits.

Unbundling offerings, cross-selling distinctive experiences, and embracing data-powered strategies can all be winning moves. A series of insight-driven charts reveal significant trends and an outlook on the future.

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Short-Term Rentals Haven’t Fully Caught On for Business Travel, but They’re Getting There

Elizabeth Casolo , Skift

June 7th, 2024 at 10:38 AM EDT

The uptake of vacation rentals for business travel depends on proving safety and reliability to road warriors and travel managers.

Elizabeth Casolo

A number of travel management companies and corporations are starting to allow vacation rentals as accommodations, but there’s room for growth.

A recent Mastercard survey found 53% of those involved in coordinating travel say their companies allow them to book vacation rentals.

Sabre’s Global Distribution System lists over 400,000 accommodations beyond hotels. Sabre also manages corporate booking tool GetThere, meaning those going on business trips can stay in these properties.

“The interest from our agency partners on this segment has been increasing, and we have been selectively adding more supply in this category based on their needs,” a Sabre spokesperson wrote to Skift. “The booking volume compared to hotels is still low, but the growth is encouraging and is in the high double digits compared to the same timeframe last year.”

Corporate travel and technology company BizAway spotted a “noticeable trend of increasing preference for short-term rentals among travelers.” 

A desire for flexibility, which mostly started around the pandemic, has impacted office and corporate travel culture. Vacation rentals could help meet this growing demand as some travelers want to extend business trips or “work from anywhere,” said Chad Wallace, global head of commercial solutions at Mastercard. 

Skift Research surveyed over 50 business travelers who stayed in short-term rentals last year. 

Out of these guests, 58% said they are “very likely” to book another short-term rental in the next year.

The Potential Benefits: Convenience, Comfort, and Cost

Location and comfort for longer stays were the top two reasons travelers opted for a rental. 

“We see that extended stay-type hotels are really popular for travelers that are going to be staying in a location more than three or four days,” said Jamie Lane, chief economist at short-term rental analytics firm AirDNA. “And likewise, that’s why short-term rentals can be popular for business travelers. You can stock a fridge. You don’t have to have every meal out, that sort of thing — and also just having a desk.”

BizAway observed how, among its clients, retail chains sending employees to train staff at new stores have gravitated toward short-term rentals. Companies involved in machinery and construction installations do, as well, “due to the lengthy nature of their projects.”

Some short-term rentals may also be cheaper , another consideration for business travelers. 

“Now, travel managers are adjusting their policies to offer more flexible options to not only meet employee demands for more convenient travel options, but also establish cost efficiencies for the organization,” Wallace said. 

The Divide Between Companies and Travelers

While just over half of decision makers permit vacation rentals on business trips, there is a discrepancy. In that same Mastercard survey, namely 74% of corporate travelers claim their companies allow vacation rentals.

Lane guessed this discrepancy could stem from how some companies “explicitly allow” rentals, while other employers may not outline a clear policy. This data could reflect how many employees are “actually doing it.”

What’s in the Way

Safety, and being able to track employee whereabouts, is a priority.

“As it became more and more popular, companies came out with specific policies against it if they didn’t want it,” Lane said. “And a big part of the decision to not allow it was to not be able to track it.”

Companies use corporate booking tools to keep tabs on their travelers and ensure employee safety. This can prove useful during lockdowns and other events, according to Lane.

“Six in 10 companies also require travelers to comply with certain minimums: use of a booking tool, travel management company, payment card, or all three,” Wallace said. “These minimums allow companies to provide duty of care [encouraging health and safety] to travelers and control costs, allowing the expansion of vacation rental policies to coincide with duty of care responsibilities.”

A potential pitfall of some short-term rentals is reliability.

“If I’m going for a night, I’m staying in a hotel,” Lane said. Time is of the essence.

Business travelers need to know they will get a decent accommodation when booking a short-term rental.

“You’re on business — you’re in and out, you don’t have a second to spare, you can’t deal with a problem. So you need that reliability,” said Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky in a recent interview with Skift.

This can deter travelers from considering rentals. There is more unpredictability, especially with individual hosts.

“There are some additional risks that go along with booking a short-term rental, especially through an individual host — that may not exist as much with if you’re booking through a larger property manager — of what is the quality and reliability that you’re going to get,” Lane said. 

Moving Forward

Chesky emphasized Airbnb’s shift toward “higher quality listings.”

“We have Guest Favorites, which have been hugely popular — two million [of] the best-loved listings,” Chesky said. “And I think the reason I bring this up is business travelers especially have a lower tolerance for error.”

With Airbnb as the most common choice for the surveyed business travelers, the company’s growing focus on reliability is essential.

“They’re sort of trying to call out and really build a brand within Airbnb of, ‘These are the listings that you can know are going to be reliable,’ in the same way that you consider a hotel room to be reliable and not a potential risk of booking for a shorter stay,” Lane said.

The future of rentals in corporate travel hinges on more widespread acceptance by travel managers and booking platforms.

This is something Mint House , a vacation rental and apartment company, still struggles with. At the Skift Short-Term Rental Summit on Wednesday, Mint House CEO Christian Lee explained how the company engages corporate travelers.

While Mint House can stock groceries and partner with local amenities to give guests an elevated experience, Lee said travel managers still need a bit of convincing. He described the back and forth as a “hand-to-hand combat exercise.” Lee hopes legacy systems, in particular, can harness technology to ease the traveler experience going forward.

Sabre is one platform that believes it can expand these offerings even more.

“We have the ability to add more of this inventory type,” the Sabre spokesperson said. “We will be driven by the needs of our travel agency partners, which includes solving for some of the duty of care requirements.”

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Tags: airbnb , brian chesky , business travel , duty of care , gds , getthere , global distribution systems , Mastercard , mint house , per diem , sabre , short-term rentals , travel managers , vacation rentals

Photo credit: Hotels aren't the only accommodation option for business travelers. Artem Zhukov / Unsplash

Flight attendant union rejects American Airlines' proposed 17% pay raise

The labor union that represents  American Airlines  flight attendants on Wednesday rejected a company proposal to immediately raise pay by 17%.

CEO Robert Isom offered flight attendants immediate 17% wage increases earlier Wednesday as contract talks continue without a deal, bringing the prospect of a strike closer.

The airline and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants have struggled to reach a new contract agreement, differing on major issues, such as pay. Flight attendants haven’t received contract raises since before the pandemic.

“We have made progress in a number of key areas, but there is still a good deal of work to be done,” Isom said in a video message to flight attendants.

The union said the two sides are scheduled to meet with federal mediators next week for a “last-ditch” effort to get a deal done, adding that flight attendants   were told to prepare for a strike.

Strikes are extremely rare among airline employees. The last took place in 2010 among Spirit Airlines pilots. If the two parties can’t reach a deal, a release by federal mediators would be triggered, a process that would take several weeks.

“So, to get you more money now, we presented APFA with a proposal that offers immediate wage increases of 17% and a new formula that would increase your profit sharing,” Isom said Wednesday. “This means we’ve offered increased pay for all flight attendants and are not asking your union for anything in return. This is unusual, but these are unusual times.”

Julie Hedrick, the union’s national president, said that the airline’s focus should be on preparing a longer-term deal with the flight attendants.

“This is not that,” she said.

Also on Wednesday, the union said it opened a “strike command center” with dedicated phone lines and other resources to answer cabin crew questions.

U.S. airline pilots largely locked in new labor deals last year, while flight attendants at American,  United  Airlines and  Alaska  Airlines are  still negotiating .

Last month, a bipartisan group of more than 160 House representatives wrote to the National Mediation Board, urging it to help  complete deals  with airlines and flight attendants.

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Measuring your corporate travel KPIs

In today’s digital age, travel managers have more power than ever to measure the success of their corporate travel program. At the click of a button, it’s possible to access travel itinerary details, supplier information, airfare costs, and a variety of other areas where large volumes of data exist.

But numbers, tables and charts in themselves prove nothing. To demonstrate improvement over time, travel managers need to establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and use data smartly in order to monitor progress against them. Here are the corporate travel KPIs you should consider to measure the success of your business travel program:

• Use of approved booking channels
• Traveller compliance with policy
• Supplier contract savings
• Traveller satisfaction and safety
• Carbon emissions

Spend and corporate travel savings

When you add up the cost of airfares, hotel rooms, ground transportation costs and meal expenses, it’s clear that your company is spending a significant part of its budget on corporate travel costs.

Therefore, tracking your spending and making corporate travel savings is an important KPI to set. You can measure these in different ways – such as by seeing how well you’ve negotiated supplier contracts, or how much visibility you have over bookings and payments. Here are some of the areas you could measure:

How many of your business travellers are using approved booking channels to arrange air travel, hotel rooms and ground transportation? Divide your ticketed and booked spend by your total travel spend and you’ll arrive at your level of booking visibility.

The higher this is, the more chance you’ll have of making big corporate travel savings. Ideally, 100% of your employees will be using approved booking channels such as your online booking tool – which only displays airfare results that fall within your corporate travel policy – so all spending can be recorded and measured.

• Use of approved forms of payment

It’s important to know the extent to which your business travellers are using approved forms of payment – such as a company credit card – to cover on-trip expenses like meal and taxi costs. Payment visibility is a key corporate travel metric – calculate it by dividing your travel-related spend on a company credit card by your total travel spend.

If all payments are channeled through company credit cards, you’ll find it much easier to monitor expenses and make further corporate travel savings. With the CWT AnalytIQs tool, travel managers can do this in real-time, and are able to react instantly when a booking is made outside of policy.

• Realised negotiated savings

How many corporate travel savings are you driving through discounts with preferred travel vendors? To work out the amount of corporate travel savings you can make by negotiating supplier contracts, multiply the difference between the market rate and the negotiated rate with the unit volume.

Make sure you’re using an accurate, realistic market rate by working out the fare a traveller would likely pay in the absence of a negotiated rate.

Corporate travel management policy and compliance

Corporate travel savings go hand in hand with a strong policy. According to CWT research, companies without robust corporate travel policies could be overspending by up to 15%.

A corporate travel policy provides clear guidelines that help reduce your business’s travel spend and meet your objectives, as well as improving employee security and well-being. The success of your policy can be defined by measuring a corporate travel compliance KPI that looks at:

• Cabin non-compliance

To what extent are your travellers complying with your cabin policy? With tickets in business class generally more expensive than seats in economy, this key component lets you know how much you could save by tightening up corporate travel compliance within your company.

By dividing the number of air and rail bookings outside existing policy by the total spend, you get your non-compliance rate. Ideally, you need to be aiming for zero non-compliance.

• Lowest logical airfare non-compliance

How many savings are you losing because the lowest airfare isn’t available? By subtracting the lowest logical airfare from the actual ticket price and then dividing the result by your overall airfare spend, you get your level of inadvertent non-compliance.

Again, this will ideally be zero. You can work towards lowering that figure with the CWT Price Tracking   – powered by Yapta’s FareIQ – which automatically cancels and rebooks tickets when it finds a cheaper deal to the same location, helping you to make key corporate travel savings.

• Hotel visibility

How many hotel reservations are being made through official channels? The more bookings made in this way, the more power you have to direct your travellers towards your preferred hotels, increasing compliance.

To find out your level of hotel visibility, divide your booked spend by your total hotel spend. Ideally, 100% of your employees will be using approved booking channels such as the myCWT   app, which allows travellers to book hotels that fall within the policy’s allocated star rating or price per room.

If your employees book their own hotels, CWT’s Hotel Intel provides three tiers of information to select from, with hotel reviews written by business travelers who have actually stayed at that property, allowing your employees to make an informed choice about where they stay.

• CWT Hotel Intel Directory lets travellers see overall scoring and popularity based on reviews.
• CWT Hotel Intel Core shows both CWT and company-negotiated rates, displays full peer traveller reviews and encourages travellers to leave reviews after their trips
• CWT Hotel Intel Enhanced incorporates the Core elements as well as providing quarterly travel manager reporting. It also lets you activate or deactivate review capture, enables you to display traveller names on reviews or keep them anonymous, and limits hotel displays to company-preferred content only.

For additional peace of mind, your employees will always be guided to company-preferred and policy-compliant hotels.

A significant proportion of your budget will go on the corporate travel suppliers you use – predominantly air travel, hotel and ground transportation providers. Choosing the right suppliers can cut costs on every trip, adding up to significant savings.

This corporate travel KPI will indicate how well you can negotiate the best deals with suppliers by monitoring:

• Contract support

How well are you supporting your preferred corporate travel suppliers? Divide your booked spend with a supplier by the total amount contracted – the higher that number is, the more support you’re giving to your suppliers and the stronger your negotiating position.

• Contract savings

How do your negotiated airline, hotel, and rental car company rates compare to the undiscounted rates? Your financial stakeholders will want to know how good a deal you’re getting from your corporate travel suppliers.

Compare a supplier’s contracted prices with their undiscounted rates, and multiply the difference by the unit volume produced. Do this math for all the deals you’ve ever made with the supplier and you’ll know the savings you’re making.

• Traveller satisfaction

How happy are your travellers with your corporate travel program? It’s important they feel supported and safe when they’re travelling, so they can stay focused on the job.

You could measure traveller satisfaction by regularly running a survey that factors in their thoughts about the corporate travel suppliers you use, how safe they feel, and whether there are any areas they feel need improvement.

Calculating the difference between the average satisfaction score and the highest possible score will give you an idea of how much work you’ve got to do to improve traveller satisfaction.

Your business travellers’ safety and security are an important part of your corporate travel policy. Your employees are your responsibility, so it’s vital to have adequate processes in place to measure your effectiveness in this area.

From political unrest to severe weather, your travellers could face a number of risks when they’re on the road. This corporate travel KPI will measure your company’s ability to protect them. You will need to monitor:

• Profile completion

How complete are your travellers’ profiles? Having up-to-date personal information for your travellers is an essential step in corporate travel security.

You can measure your progress in this area by creating a ‘completion score’ for each profile – taking into account name, address, phone number and other fields – and then dividing that number by the highest possible total.

If travellers’ profiles are all 100% complete, you’ll be able to reach them faster in an emergency.

• Location insight

Do you know where your employees are when they’re travelling? When an incident strikes – whether it’s a terrorist attack or a cancelled flight – you’ll be expected to react instantly.

Measure your readiness to respond by dividing the number of travelers whose whereabouts you know by the total number of travellers. CWT Program Messenger can also allow you to make contact instantly with any or all of your travellers, making it useful for an emergency.

The free myCWT  travel app allows your employees to make last-minute bookings and check schedules whenever they face travel risks, giving you extra peace of mind.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is more important than ever. Many potential customers and clients are more likely to choose a company with a CSR strategy that sends out a powerful statement about their commitment to tackling social, environmental, ethical and human rights concerns.

You could set a corporate travel KPI that measures your company’s ability to keep carbon emissions to a minimum by looking at:

• Carbon visibility

What’s the carbon impact of your travel program – and how well do you measure it? Set up a standard scale across each category of corporate travel – air travel, hotel stays and ground transportation – ranging from ‘excellent’, to ‘adequate’ and ‘inadequate’.

Give yourself an ‘excellent’ rating if you use a carbon calculator to work out your footprint in each journey, ‘adequate’ if you use a GHG Protocol-approved method for estimating your carbon emissions, or ‘inadequate’ if you don’t have a method in place. Attribute points to each rating and tally up your average score over time.

• Rail vs air

How often are your travellers using rail over air in markets that offer both options? As rail travel generally produces less carbon per passenger than air travel, you can calculate the environmental benefits of your corporate travel program by dividing the number of rail tickets by the total number of rail and air tickets.

While you couldn’t expect rail to account for 100% of travel, a higher number is better.

The specific corporate travel metrics and key components outlined in this guide will help measure the success of your travel program. However, they should be treated as suggestions.

When it comes to setting your corporate travel KPIs, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, because every business’s culture, goals and employee needs are different. It’s important that you set the KPIs that are right for your company.

Connect with CWT now to start your journey to more efficient corporate travel.

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Measure these 9 top KPIs for travel management success

What types of kpis for travel management should you be measuring, financial metrics, how travelperk makes tracking travel spend simple, quality metrics, business metrics, sustainability metrics, 9 top kpis for travel management, 1. booking tool adoption.

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2. use of approved methods of payment, need to measure the right metrics for your business travel programme, create a travel policy that works for your company, 3. percentage of bookings made within policy, 4. savings from corporate travel discounts, ready to enjoy cost savings on business travel, 5. traveller satisfaction, 6. percentage of changes, rebookings, and cancellations.

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7. percentage of advance bookings, 8. number of travel incident reports, 9. carbon footprint.

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Global airlines raise 2024 profit outlook as travel soars

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• Passenger yields expected to be 3.2% higher than 2023
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The best and worst airports to have a layover, according to a travel expert who flies 200,000 miles a year

• Connecting flights add travel time and a higher risk of delays or cancellations.
• Flight expert Gilbert Ott says some airports are better for layovers than others.
• The best have nice lounges, a variety of food, and are easy to navigate.

Nonstop flights are better than connecting ones — obviously. A trip with a layover adds travel time that would be better spent at a destination and opportunities for things to go wrong, from delays to cancellations.

Flight expert Gilbert Ott agrees, but sometimes, a layover is the only option.

"I try to avoid them, but a lot of the best places worth going to these days do not have direct flights from faraway places," Ott, who flies about 200,000 miles a year and shares his insights on his blog, God Save the Points , told Business Insider.

In Ott's experience, some layovers are more bearable than others based on where you connect.

In general, Ott says it's best to have a layover in an airline's hub airport in case of delays and cancellations.

"In any case, you want to be in a place where the airline has a strong presence because you're going to have layers of support," he said. "And if I miss a connecting flight , there's probably another flight because it's a hub."

But when it comes to killing time, navigating terminals, and minimizing chances of delays, some airports offer a better layover experience than others.

These are the best and worst airlines to have a layover in, according to Ott.

A variety of upscale lounges and an on-site hotel make Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport one of the best for layovers.

Ott said Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is one of the best for layovers because there are many premium lounges .

"It's one of those places where if you do have a layover and you really need to kill time, there are both top-notch lounges and an airport hotel directly in the terminal," Ott said.

Ott said one of his favorite lounges in the US is DFW's Capital One lounge . Amex Centurion and Delta Sky Club also have lounges in Dallas, and a Chase Sapphire Lounge is set to open there in the future.

Meanwhile, Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, is small, and there's not much to do there.

According to Ott, smaller airports are generally the worst for layovers.

"I think there's a just inherent advantage to being a big airport because big airports can attract retail," he said.

For example, Ott told BI he often has layovers at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky .

"I've been there a lot. It's not a fun place to wait for flights," he said. "You have nothing to do."

In 2019, BI's Katie Warren reported that the Kentucky airport was the smallest she'd ever been to, with just two runways.

However, travelers with a tight layover may appreciate that Blue Grass Airport has the shortest walk to the gate in the US at just 0.11 miles.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is ideal for shopping between flights.

"I like Seattle-Tacoma Airport because they've done a really good job of cultivating more local stores and Seattle-centric things," Ott said. "If you've got an hour and 45 minutes, it's easy to kill time there."

Ott added that he's enjoyed sifting through records at a music store during layovers and sampling Washington state wines at a bar.

Business Insider previously reported that the airport's shops reflect the Pacific Northwest experience, with stores like Show Pony, Made in Washington, and Discover Puget Sound.

"It doesn't feel as sterile and generic as some airports. You actually get a sense of Seattle. It's not just an airport somewhere," Ott said.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has many amenities, but it can be brutal for layovers due to frequent weather-related delays and cancellations.

No one wants to put their trip on pause over delays and cancellations — especially in a connecting airport.

According to Ott, this may be more likely to happen when flying out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia due to frequent storms. And the fact that it's the busiest airport in the world probably doesn't help. BI previously reported that the airport has had mass cancellations in summers and winters due to storms.

"I've had hellacious experiences in Atlanta because of the weather," Ott said. "It's a good airport in the sense that there are lots of flights and places to kill time. It's a bad airport in the sense that it's caught up in more storms than most airports."

Ott added that the airport has plenty of amenities but can be overwhelming to navigate.

"There are so many terminals, and you're taking a tram everywhere. They have some nice stuff in them, but it's a hike," he said.

Los Angeles International Airport is among the best for connecting flights because it offers easy access to upgraded terminals.

According to Ott, some airports don't allow passengers to travel between terminals they're not departing from.

Since many travelers don't leave the airport between connecting flights, waiting to board can be a drag for those flying out of terminals with few shops, restaurants, and amenities. Ott told BI that international terminals typically have better amenities than domestic ones.

But the terminals are connected at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which is why it's one of Ott's favorite airports for layovers.

"If you're domestic itinerary, you can still go to the international terminal, which has better food, shops, and lounges," he said. "You can kill time at LAX for hours."

LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal (Terminal B) was updated in 2023. BI previously reported that the terminal has comfy seating — each with its own power ports — a range of food and bar options, and an exceptional Sky Club.

The upgrade included adding a walkway connecting Terminal 3, which also received an upgrade, to Terminal B. The walk takes five to 20 minutes, so there's no need to catch a bus. This is an especially useful perk for those catching an international connecting flight.

But London Heathrow Airport may be the worst place in the world to have a layover because it's challenging to travel between terminals.

" London Heathrow Airport is an atrocious airport for connections — one of the worst in the world, by far," Ott said. Why? Getting from one terminal to another is a journey in itself.

"Some terminals are miles apart, and there is no tram that runs between all of them," he said.

For example, Ott said if you land in Terminal 3 with British Airways, you may connect in Terminal 5.

"You have to go through Terminal 3 and take a bus, which can take up to 30 minutes to arrive. Then, you'll take a long bus ride all around the airport to the other side," he said. "And then you may still end up with another tram or bus ride because Terminal 5 has three terminals within it — A, B, and C. It's an impossible airport for short connections."

According to the airline's website , traveling from one terminal to another can take up to 40 minutes or longer, depending on where you're headed.

Singapore Changi Airport is the best place to spend a layover. It offers local food, on-site hotels, and a ton of activities.

"For best, Singapore Changi Airport is just untouchable," Ott said.

Ott added that the airport has multiple hotels, local art shops, and no shortage of things to do, see, and eat.

"Some of the best local food is at the airport because the famous places in Singapore set up locations there," he said.

There's a movie theater, a pool, a butterfly garden, and a wide range of shops.

But the real spectacle is probably the Jewel . The retail and entertainment complex, connected to Terminal 1, is home to activities like a ropes course, hedge maze, and topiary walk. The centerpiece is the Rain Vortex — the world's largest indoor waterfall spanning seven stories.

"You can spend an hour just looking at that," Ott said of the Rain Vortex. "I would have a layover there any day."

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