More than 30% of respondents scaling back business travel due to disruptions: Survey

Aug 19, 2022

Nearly one-third of respondents to The Logic’s survey say they plan to cut business travel plans as a result of recent disruptions, as subscribers reported issues ranging from client meeting difficulties to rising travel budgets.

Many respondents said they directly experienced disruptions. Of those who’d experienced travel headaches, major delays and flight cancellations were the most common answers.

Methodology

The Logic emailed subscribers a private link to an online survey on Aug. 15 and the survey closed Aug. 17. Respondents’ identities were kept anonymous and duplicates were removed as needed. Subscribers were asked, “How are recent disruptions impacting your business travel plans for the coming year?” and could select “I plan to travel less,” “I plan to travel the same amount,” “I plan to travel more” or “I didn’t have any business travel plans.” If they answered that they didn’t have business travel plans, they skipped to the fourth question. If they selected any other answer, they were asked a second question: “To what degree has your organization been affected by travel disruptions?” and had the option to answer “Greatly affected,” “Somewhat affected,” “Barely affected,” “Not affected at all” or “I don’t know.” They were then asked, “Did travel disruptions have any of the following effects on your organization?” and could select either “No effect” or as many as they wanted out of the following options: “Deal-making was more difficult,” “Meeting with clients was more difficult,” “Affected relationships with suppliers/service providers,” “Affected ability for team to meet and work together,” “Travel expenses affected budget” and “Other.” All respondents were asked the fourth question, “How much have your personal travel plans been affected?” and could answer either “Greatly affected,” “Somewhat affected,” “Barely affected” or “Not affected at all.” Finally, respondents were asked, “Which travel disruptions have you experienced, if any? Check all that apply.” They had the choice to select either “I haven’t experienced travel disruptions” or choose as many as they wanted of the following: “Flight cancellation,” “Baggage lost,” “Major delays to travel times,” “Hard to book plane tickets,” “Hard to book train or bus tickets,” “Hard to book rental cars,” “Hard to book accommodations,” “Travel prices were too high” and “Other.”

Airports around the world have been dealing with slowdowns and staffing shortages, but Canada has seen some of the worst. Toronto’s Pearson Airport ranked as the world’s worst airport for delays in July, with the highest percentage of delayed flights. Meanwhile, Air Canada cancelled thousands of flights this summer, citing “unprecedented strains” on its operations.

Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra was called to testify before a House of Commons committee this month, as the Liberal government faces growing backlash for its response to chaos at some of the country’s largest airports.

While 32 per cent of respondents said they would be travelling less for business, 44 per cent were undeterred, saying it would stay the same. About nine per cent planned to increase business travel, and 15 per cent didn’t have any such plans.

Of those who had business travel plans, 55 per cent reported that their organizations had been somewhat affected, and just over 10 per cent had been greatly affected.

“A flight to San Francisco is now an all-day block on the calendar because flights are generally running three to eight hours delayed (and then sometimes cancelled after that),” one subscriber wrote. “We have to have contingency plans every time we travel in case flights are cancelled (and they generally are).”

Another subscriber said disruptions resulted in “lots of cancelled flights” and “employees having to stay extra nights.” It also meant they had to hire staff “closer to customer sites” because they couldn’t rely on air travel, they said.

Delays and cancellations made it more difficult for respondents to conduct business, the survey found. For those with business travel plans, most subscribers said travel pains were impacting their organizations’ budgets, with 46 per cent of respondents selecting it as one of their answers. About 37 per cent of respondents said it has posed difficulties for teams that need to meet.

“Much of the focus has been on airlines underperforming, but hotel costs are astronomical,” one subscriber said. Others said cancelled trips resulted in lower travel costs, an unexpected positive.

About 28 per cent of respondents said their personal travel plans had been greatly affected by disruptions and 38 per cent answered that they had been somewhat affected. About a third said they were barely affected or not affected at all. Several respondents answered that they were avoiding air travel for personal trips and travelling by car instead.

“I didn’t get to see my family for over three years; the ticket prices have soared while services deteriorated,” one subscriber said. Another wrote, “Every personal trip this year has had changes in flight times and a couple resulted in unplanned hotel stays.”

Respondents also said they experienced a range of disruptions. The top travel disruption subscribers faced was major delays, with about 60 per cent selecting it as an answer, followed by flight cancellations and difficulties booking rental cars. High travel prices and issues booking plane tickets were also common disruptions.

Nearly a fifth of respondents, meanwhile, said they hadn’t experienced any disruptions.

Many subscribers said the cost and availability of rental cars is a challenge. “I have given up [on] getting a rental car in Ontario,” one subscriber wrote. Another said while they could afford it, the price increases for hotels and rental cars were “really surprisingly large.”

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In response to disruptions, one respondent said they were pricing in “danger pay” into client proposals. “If clients need me to fly for a meeting, I need to be compensated for COVID risk and related recovery time,” they wrote.

Others said they’re resorting to more virtual meetings despite the lifting of restrictions, while one subscriber took a more stoic approach to work-related travel: “One has to do what has to be done.”

#Subscriber Survey #travel