Business travelers back on a luxury course

Swiss business travelers may be consuming more again, in any case their bookings are picking up again. The bottom line is that flight spending by traveling Swiss managers increased slightly again in 2017 for the first time in five years. This is the result of an annual representative market study by AirPlus, a company for payment solutions in corporate travel management.

Airplus explains the considerable price increase for first-class tickets with the increased number of exclusive suites available on aircraft. "Many renowned airlines have invested heavily in this segment and are practically competing for the best-paying customers," says Andy Stehrenberger, Managing Director of AirPlus Switzerland.

First Class - on the rails as well

Although rail travel has increased in popularity among Swiss business travelers in parallel with flights - 2.3 % more rail tickets were billed via AirPlus last year than in 2016 - spending per train ticket fell from an average of 149 to 141 francs. Average spending on rental cars (236 Swiss francs) and overnight hotel stays (446 Swiss francs) also declined, but only modestly at - 0.8 % and - 0.4 %, respectively.

Germany, London and New York are top

In the ranking of the most popular European destinations for Swiss business travelers compiled by AirPlus in the same study, Germany took first place in 2017, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Austria. The city ranking has remained unchanged for years: London ahead of Düsseldorf, Vienna and Berlin. In the intercontinental segment, the USA, China, Russia, India and the United Arab Emirates are the most frequently visited countries for business purposes, in that order. In the city ranking, New York and Shanghai come out on top. Dubai is now in third place, ahead of Singapore.

Most trips (41.4 %) last two to three days and 31.7 % of business trips their four to seven days. Every twentieth business trip (4.8 %) spans a period of 15 days or more.

www.airplus.com

Business women fly more modestly
Although the proportion of female business travelers in Switzerland is steadily increasing and reached 20.5 % in 2017, women remain more modest in the skies. Around 85 % of them fly economy class, compared with 82 % for men. Of the significantly fewer business women traveling, a smaller proportion, 14.9 %, also opt for a ticket in Business Class (men: 17.4 %) First Class (0.1 % ggr. 0.2 %) clearly underrepresented. The data was collected by AirPlus, a company for payment solutions in corporate travel management. For Andy Stehrenberger, Managing Director of AirPlus Switzerland, the underrepresentation of women in the higher booking classes is primarily related to the fact that the carpet floors in the companies are still heavily male-dominated. A gender equalization, meanwhile, has taken place with regard to destinations. "While women tended to fly more European short-haul routes in recent years, they have now caught up with their male counterparts on longer intercontinental flights as well," says Stehrenberger.

Swiss business travelers avoid Facebook and Co.
Swiss business travelers are less fixated on their smartphones than their foreign colleagues. This is the conclusion of a recent study by AirPlus, which was conducted among around 3,000 business travelers and travel managers in 24 countries. The company for payment solutions in travel management analyzes the business travel market in an annual study and this year, for the first time, also examined the use of social media on business trips. While more than 80 % of business travelers from India and China regularly to frequently post pictures and messages on their Facebook and other accounts, 55 % of their Swiss colleagues leave it alone altogether. Only the British business travelers (57 %) frown upon social media channels even more intensively.

The interactive restraint of Swiss managers is absolutely welcomed by their employers. "After all, the sometimes rampant use of social media on business trips is keeping an army of lawyers and security officers busy in companies around the world," says Andy Stehrenberger, Managing Director of AirPlus Switzerland. The main concern is the risks associated with this topic, such as burglary, robbery, kidnapping and industrial espionage. (Source: AirPlus)