During the past 12 months, 75 percent of travelers encountered a mishap while traveling to their business destinations, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) says in a new survey of 500 business travelers, entitled Business Traveler Mishaps: The Real Risk of Business Travel.
GBTA says the most frequently reported issues during travel included:
1. Travel delay due to weather (54%)
2. Delayed flight/train departure (48%)
3. Airplane incident (mechanical issue, late arrival, etc.) (40%)
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Frequent travelers are also concerned with safety while on the road, GBTA said. The main concerns during a business trip included:
1. Location of hotel (50%)
2. Airline safety record (36%)
3. Safety of ground transportation (35%)
“Delays, cancellations and mechanical issues are an unfortunate, unpredictable aspect of business travel,” said GBTA vice president of research Joseph Bates. “Travel managers face all of these challenges and leading companies are working to address these issues. This research looks to provide travel managers with data that can help them uncover new methods and polices to ease stress for their business travelers.”
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Surprisingly, GBTA reports that nearly half of the study’s respondents (46%) said their company does not provide travel insurance or assistance services and they have not purchased these benefits from an outside agency. The benefits from these insurance policies compensate frequent travelers for trip interruptions and other unexpected expenses, which can help alleviate the burden from the traveler and improve the overall business travel experience.
“It’s important for individuals to feel confident in their travels, whether for business or leisure,” said Scott Ackerman, senior vice president, sales, Travel Guard. Travel Guard was a co-sponsor of the study. “To learn that business travelers have concerns about their safety, in addition to worries about travel disruptions that could derail their plans, is understandable, but they need not feel helpless. There are resources that offer 24/7 access to travel emergency and assistance services, which can help business travelers move beyond the travel disruption and keep business moving forward.”
Visit www.gbta.org