2019-03-01 Business Traveller

MARCH 2019

OPINION

80

businesstraveller.com

JEFF MILLS

A TRAVEL REPORTER AND EDITOR

FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS

I

n the dark and distant pre-computer

days, you could tell when one of your

colleagues was about to embark on a

businesstripiftheywereseenporing

over one of two huge tomes normally

kept in the cupboard that served as the

office library.

Before the internet, theABC World

Airways Guidewas the volume that business

travellers or their travel agents turned to – a

chunky monthly publication that had

started life as a rail timetable, not unlike the

Bradshaw’s Guidemuch loved by Michael

Portillo in hisGreat British Railway Journeys

TV series. It was a definitive guide to each

and every scheduled flight anywhere in the

world, but not the sort of thing you’d want

to carry around with you.

The other opus was theOfficial Airline

Guide, originally a US guide which was later

bought by the UK publishers of theABC,

which it was merged with.

Having checked flights to the destination

required, travellers often then passed on the

tedious process of booking them, either to

their assistant, if they were senior enough to

have one, or, if company policy so dictated,

to a business travel agent.

IMAGE CONSCIOUS

Just as today, justifications for business class

travel included productivity and seniority,

but then there was also public perception. In

those days, some organisations thought that

flying their employees in premium cabins

was important for maintaining the

company’s image. It would not do for your

contacts to see you or your colleagues flying

in economy. That was the class for tourists,

not for serious business travellers.

BENJAMIN SOUTHAN

The same was true when it came to the

journey to the airport. It was pretty well

unheard of for even mid-level executives to

be expected to take the tube to Heathrow or

the train to Gatwick. A company’s

chairman, chief executive and board

members would almost certainly have had

access to chauffeur-driven cars, and the same

was true of hotels.

If you were senior, you stayed in what was

perceived to be the best hotel in town, a

place suitable to meet

and entertain your

equally high-powered

contacts or clients for

lunch or dinner.

Eyebrows would be

raised if the boss were to

be booked into a

cheaper alternative.

There were no marks for

saving money.

IN THE CHEAP SEATS

Fast-forward to 2019, and

much has changed. Airline

timetables are now easily

accessible via a smartphone

or computer. If you are

flying on business within

Europe, you are likely to be seeking out

no-frills, low-cost options. Forget business

class on short-haul flights – you are now

lucky if your company will allow you to pay

a few pounds extra to pre-book your seat or

check in a bag.

As for long haul, you may end up

taking indirect flights to stay in business

class, or fly premium economy direct, if your

travel policy allows. Much of this is down to

cost, as is the choice of hotel at the other

end, but public perceptions have also

flipped completely.

When the economic crunch came, many

companies put a block on employees staying

in five-star hotels, even if it was still within

budget. They didn’t want the negative

headlines, especially if a big meeting or

corporate retreat was planned. It even led to

some well-known hotel brands dropping

the word “luxury” from their names. What

once was a proud boast

became a liability.

Business travellers can take

solace from the fact that

overseas contacts are likely to

be working under similar

restraints. In China, the ban

on conspicuous spending

remains, albeit because of

political pressure. And even

in the US or Europe, it’s a

brave company that is

prepared to be seen splashing

the cash on its employees’ travel.

Chatting about how the hotel

you are staying in is frugal yet

efficient and has all the facilities you

need – and besides, you only use it as

somewhere to sleep – will often occupy the

first few minutes of any meeting. They may

even applaud the good business sense you

are demonstrating – whether by choice or

not – or at least commiserate with you from

shared experience.

Look on the bright side. If you are dining

outside of the hotel, maybe the money saved

can be spent on an upgraded bottle of wine.

You might need a decent drink to get over

that long-haul economy flight. BT

Travelling for work used to mean splashing the

cash, but business priorities have changed

From spend

to save

When the economic

crunch came, many

companies put a

block on staff staying

in five-star hotels