Source: Egencia

The 4th edition Egencia Business Travel and Technology Survey additionally finds nearly half of global business travelers want perks such as in-flight Wi-Fi to stay productive.

Egencia®, the business travel arm of the Expedia group, announces results from its 4th edition Egencia Business Travel and Technology Survey* today, highlighting the increasing desire by business travelers for technology access and cross-device integration, along with greater productivity offerings, on the road.

Instead of incentives such as priority boarding and airport lounge access topping business travelers' wish lists, the study revealed travelers are looking to technology to make the corporate travel journey more productive and manageable.

Accessibility is a key theme to stay productive: two-thirds (66 percent) of business travelers across regions want to manage and book their business travel on every mobile device, not just on their smartphone, with 76 percent of U.S. business travelers making the ask. Additionally, 50 percent of global respondents would avoid human interaction on the road unless they are having a problem and more than half (56 percent) of global respondents simply want access to business travel tools to do more on mobile in general.

"We are at a turning point in business travel. Business travelers have high expectations and they want instant access to information and tools on every device," said Rob Greyber, president of Egencia. "In an industry where traveler satisfaction and corporate interests like efficiency and productivity are often at odds, Egencia is building solutions that address both groups' needs. The belief that delight for business travelers and productivity for travel managers aren't mutually exclusive is at the heart of our integrated cross-device products, available today around the world."

According to the survey, business travelers are optimistic when it comes to technology's role in improving their business travel experience:

  • 48 percent would like to use text to update their travel arrangements – highest among U.S. business travelers (63 percent)
  • 43 percent believe advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) will help improve their travel experiences – highest among U.S. business travelers (55 percent)

While many business travelers today (70 percent) find business trips more enjoyable than everyday work life, according to the Egencia white paper, "Control: Find out what it means to your travelers," there are still incremental changes that can be made to increase overall satisfaction on the road – and it starts with productivity enhancements.

Blurring the lines between business and pleasure, non-stop flights and in-flight Wi-Fi ranked high among business travelers as perks that would increase both their productivity and satisfaction. Rounding out the top four amenities business travelers cited to improve productivity and satisfaction are extra time off to compensate for traveling on weekends and/or personal time and class upgrades on flights longer than six hours.

To learn more about the 4th edition Egencia Business Travel and Technology Survey, check out the infographic here.

About Egencia

Egencia, corporate travel from Expedia Group, is reimagining business travel management to make business travelers happier and corporate travel programs more successful. Egencia offers more personalized experiences through curated access to the world's most relevant travel options. Putting our customers at the center of everything we do, Egencia provides exceptional customer care and innovative travel manager tools to increase savings and compliance. Egencia serves businesses large and small in more than 60 countries. Connect with us on egencia.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and see what we're reimagining next on our blog.

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