AirPlus Survey: Most Companies Tightening Travel Policy

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AirPlus Survey: Most Companies Tightening Travel Policy

By Seth Harris

OCTOBER 19, 2009 -- The number of travel managers who expect their company's travel policies to become tighter in the next 12 months for the first time has crossed 50 percent, according to an AirPlus International survey released today. The survey of 1,500 travel managers—100 each from 15 countries, including Brazil, China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States—was fielded in February and March.

While 58 percent of all respondents said their companies' policies would become stricter, 62 percent of U.S. respondents said they would. An increasing number of companies also are implementing policies for all aspects of their travel program, with 70 percent of respondents indicating their companies do so, up from 57 percent last year.

The forecast for more restrictive travel polices comes as, for the first time in the five editions of the AirPlus study, respondents who expect their number of trips to fall at 35 percent exceed those who expect trip increases. Only one-quarter of the travel managers surveyed anticipate spending more on travel in the next 12 months, down from the 58 percent who last year predicted they would spend more. One-third of respondents anticipate reducing travel spending.

An all-time low of 26 percent of respondents said their air trips would grow in the next 12 months, while nearly one-third said they anticipate such would decrease.

There also are stark differences in hotel spending expectations compared with past surveys. Twenty-two percent of respondents expect growth in their hotel expenditures, down from 53 percent last year.

Fifteen percent of respondents expect an increase in their car rental transaction levels, with those anticipating a decrease tripling to 27 percent compared with last year's survey.

Global meetings expectations also are dim with just 17 percent of travel managers anticipating an increase in the number of meetings their companies would hold in the next 12 months. Among U.S. respondents, which have the second-worst meetings outlook behind Singapore, 45 percent expect their meetings numbers to fall.

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