Article by BCD Travel
Price Wars Get Heated
Business travel bookings among Australian companies are down 36% due to the rationalising of corporate travel during the global financial crisis and swine flu pandemic.
Tourism technology provider, Amadeus, reports that European destinations have been the worst hit (25%), followed by North America (22%) and the Asia-Pacific (12%).
But according to corporate travel management company, BCD Travel, Australian companies can cut corporate travel costs without cutting back so severely on corporate travel flights.
Companies could instead revise and enforce their corporate travel policies more tightly, introduce an online booking engine (OBE) with self-booking travel tools to ensure compliance among staff and set up better quality reporting to monitor their business travel.
The corporate travel agency also recommends taking best fares of the day for flights and transfers instead of locking in a deal with one carrier and car hire company in 2009.
One thing leads to another as the price wars begin…
At a time when companies across Australia are frantically cutting costs to offset the impact of the global financial crisis, business travel is getting cheaper as major airline carriers go head to head on popular corporate travel routes such as Sydney to Los Angeles.
Four carriers are now flying from Sydney to LA following Delta Airlines and V Australia’s entry into the trans-Pacific sector, with flights expected to go as low as 0 one way before tax, according to US analyst Rick Seaney of Fare Compare.
A Flight Centre survey shows international fares are more than 0 cheaper on average compared to five years ago. The Sydney to Los Angeles business travel route is now 41% cheaper than in 2004. Corporate travellers flying from Sydney to Bangkok are now flying for 29% less, according to the survey.
Airfares are now cheaper than ever before – providing much needed relief for organisations requiring staff to undertake regular corporate travel. However, current corporate travel fares are not sustainable for carriers and prices will likely rise, experts say.
Other developments: First aid kits for business travel?
Travel management company, BCD Travel, recommends first aid kits for corporate travellers flying abroad, particularly those business travellers flying to emerging market destinations such as South America and India.
The type of kit you need depends largely on your destination and your personal requirements, according to the corporate travel management company.
BCD Travel Sales Director, Stephen Finlay, suggests corporate travellers visit a specialised travel medicine clinic to seek advice on what to include in their light weight first aid kit.
Travel medicine specialist, Dr Trish Batchelor, who is based in Ho Chi Minh’s International SOS clinic, recently provided this advice to readers of her news.com.au online column:
“If you are sticking to major cities a basic kit will suffice, however, if you are intending to visit more remote or high altitude areas you should be more thoroughly prepared.
“A good kit should have essential first aid items including a thermometer, bandage, a variety of dressings, antiseptic and scissors. It should also cover common health problems faced by travellers such as diarrhoea and respiratory tract infections.
“Painkillers, cough and cold medication, rehydration solution, Imodium and an antibiotic for traveller’s diarrhoea (Noroxin is best) would constitute a basic kit.
“If you are venturing further off the beaten track you should add in a general antibiotic for skin and respiratory infections, an antibiotic for parasites and possibly treatment for altitude sickness (for parts of South America).”
BCD Travel is your all inclusive corporate travel agency offering competitive ongoing corporate travel management solutions to companies across Australia. We do more than simply organise your corporate travel, we also coordinate conferences and incentives and assist staff with personal holiday planning to any destination worldwide.