Airlines Making Flight Adjustments for Business Travelers

A new report suggests that business travelers are taking longer trips than before the coronavirus pandemic began, forcing airlines to adjust flight plans to maximize revenue.

According to Reuters.com, Corporate travel agency CWT said the number of one-day domestic business trips has declined by 25 percent compared to 2019 totals, with most companies saving money by favoring virtual meetings.

As a result, airlines in the United States “are adding more midweek flights as travelers take more trips that blend business with leisure, with many capitalizing on greater flexibility to work remotely.”

“I think the trend away from one-day trips in favor of longer stays is here to stay as travelers become more environmentally and fiscally conscious,” CWT’s Akshay Kapoor said. “This could translate into a higher revenue per available room for hotels in the long run.”

Data shows that while the business travel route between Los Angeles and San Francisco used to be the country’s busiest in 2019, it has fallen to eighth overall, now replaced by the leisure-dominated Las Vegas-to-Los Angeles and Honolulu-to-Maui services.

CWT information revealed that while one-day journeys accounted for around four percent of domestic business trips globally in 2019, the number had fallen a full percentage point in 2022.

The report indicates that “environmental concerns, rising ticket prices, increased flight cancellations amid staff shortages and a boom in online videoconferencing are all undermining the single-day trip option as an industry standard.”

Earlier this year, Southwest Airlines announced the addition of a new flight portal that makes it easier to manage business travel, dubbed Southwest Business Assist.