The Last Minute, On-Demand Business Trip Finds New Acceptance in Corp Travel
Employees used to get a slap on the wrist for booking at the last-minute, but that could be about to change.
As companies plot their return to travel, policies that stated bookings had to be made 14 days before or longer — primarily to keep costs down — may be ripped up due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreaks.
While most organizations keep their generic travel bans in place, which increasingly look likely to last for the rest of the year, travel managers and other players in the sector want to make life easier for those taking "essential" trips.
"One minute a country can be open, a week later it could close its borders again," said Ann Dery, director, global travel and meetings at market intelligence firm S&P Global. "We have situations where people are working virtually, in different countries and different states. They may have to make those decisions at short notice."
Dery also said the new mindset was a significant change for her company: a disciplined financial organization with equally disciplined travelers.
"Around 60 to 70 percent of travel was booked between that 14 and 21-day window. We were very compliant in that area, and last year we had actually started an enforcement effort," she said.
However, in the new environment Dery said it would become more about on-demand travel.
"It's a different environment, with more short-term planning," she added, speaking at Gett's "Explore the delicate new art of defining essential business travel in a Covid-19 world" webinar last week. "As a procurement professional, you do focus a lot of your time on savings. Not to say savings are out the window, but it's all about the wellbeing of our traveler now, and that wellbeing comes at a cost."
