Business Travel Tips

A study by The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and Egencia indicates that the growth of business travel in China and Japan will exceed U.S. growth over the next five years.

Rob Greyber, president of Egencia says: “Over the next five years, we’ll see countries like India and China grow at rates of 5.3 and 6.5 percent respectively, versus the U.S. projected growth rate of 0.3 percent.”

Overall, Asia Pacific is poised for substantial growth over the next five years, while US growth is expected to stagnate.

China is expected to lead market growth between 2008 and 2013, followed by Japan and South Korea. Measured in terms of the dollar increase in business travel spending, the United States is expected to be fourth in terms of growth, just behind India.

The study also shows that the North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific regions represent about 90 percent of the global business travel market, estimated to total $929 billion in 2008. This figure includes both domestic and outbound international travel. (source)

US Airways Will Start To Offer In-flight Wi-Fi Early 2010

US Airways will offer in-flight Wi-Fi services beginning early 2010. The carrier initially will install the service — Aircell’s Gogo Inflight Internet service — on its Airbus A321 jets on select domestic routes.

The US Airways routes offering in-flight Wi-Fi can be found here.
The airline says that next year customers will be able to see if Wi-Fi is available on a specific flight by looking for the Wi-Fi icon while booking their flight at usairways.com.

Price will depend on the length of flight and type of Wi-Fi enabled device used, with Aircell’s standard pricing structure currently ranging from $5.95 to $12.95.

Beginning August 4, Delta Air Lines will start charging those who pay for checked bags at airport ticket counters, kiosks and curbs $20 for the first checked bag and $30 for the second checked bag, for tickets purchased July 15 or later, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

With this move, which matches recent changes made by some other carriers, Delta has added a $5 surcharge for paying checked baggage fees at the airport instead of online.

Delta currently charges domestic passengers $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for a second bag. The fees for paying for checked bags online remain the same.

U.S. passengers stranded for more than three hours may be heading for a victory in a two-year campaign for the right to get off delayed flights, Bloomberg News reports.

The newspaper says: “A Senate panel is scheduled to vote today on legislation that would require airlines to let passengers off planes three hours after they become marooned by waits typically caused by weather or heavy traffic.[...] Carriers have fended off the proposed three-hour limit since flights that waited for as long as 10 1/2 hours in late 2006 and early 2007 put tarmac delays in the national spotlight. Airlines may no longer be able to avoid the standard now that President Barack Obama is in office, said Kate Hanni of FlyersRights.org, an airline passengers’ group that has made the three-hour requirement its priority. [...]

Gates Not Available
Airports may not have gates available to let passengers off, he said. Returns to gates also may put crews over duty-time limits, increasing cancellations and sending more delays rippling through the system, John Hansman, director of the International Center for Air Transportation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge said.
In the eight months through May that the government has kept detailed figures, 578 flights sat on the tarmac for three hours or longer, according to data from the Transportation Department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. There were almost 4.3 million flights in that period, so 0.013 percent of flights exceeded three-hour waits”. (source)

Companies with employees who travel overseas need to have robust travel policies and emergency procedures in place to protect their staff if an emergency situation occurs.

Below is a list of things companies can do to help their staff stay safe — as suggested by Marsh, world’s leading insurance broker and risk advisor.

- Distribute a formal travel policy to employees and list countries that require special authority for travel, including reference points for more detailed and up-to-date country risk information.
- Use a centralized booking system for flights and accommodation which enables you to capture requests for travel to problematic areas, and help you to monitor employees during visits. Any such requests should require sign off or refusal at executive level.
- Ensure all travelers know the procedures to undertake in a crisis situation, including medical emergencies.
- Make sure travelers take health precautions prior to travel, for example, any necessary vaccinations or courses of tablets.
- Use a reputable travel agent, airline and hotel. Try to pick a flight that arrives during daylight hours. If practical, arrange for the traveler to be met at the airport.
- Equip the traveler with emergency numbers: travel insurance, embassy, local police, company 24-hour emergency number; and agree a regular contact and monitoring routine with the traveler (by phone and/ or email).

Marsh also recommended the following advice for business travelers overseas:
- On signing in to accommodation, do not disclose your occupation, position or company
- Ask for a room on floors 2 to 10 but not adjacent to any roofs
- Check security of the door and that there is a safe in the room
- Read the safety procedures and check the emergency escape routes
- Identify safe areas you can go to if any emergency occurs
- Plan your route before leaving accommodation
- Avoid unofficial gatherings or demonstrations
- Carry a copy of passport, flight tickets, emergency help numbers and a mobile phone with you at all times
- Be alert – you can often identify a developing situation at an early stage. It is better to react quickly and avoid the danger rather than wait until it develops and have to ‘fight’ your way out.
(sources: insurancejournal.com , marsh.com).