As much as we like to think we plan our business trips, invariably there's always something forgotten or left to the last minute. A quarter of travellers recently surveyed by Amadeus went as far to say that they get more spontaneous once they land in their destination — which could potentially cause spend to rocket very easily.
Obtaining total cost of trip is the goal for many travel buyers but technology could change how this type of 'extra' spend is booked and reported. Suppliers typically call these ancillary or in-destination services.
"The biggest culprit of business is immediacy. Most ancillaries can't cope with instant access, but travellers are thinking on their feet and not always prepping," Michael Bayle EVP for mobile at Amadeus explained at a recent press event. A quarter of the 1,000 travellers it surveyed booked services the day before, en route or once they arrived in a destination and 45% of the total travellers surveyed go to their mobile first. Several TMCs and booking tool providers have opened up their platforms for new businesses, like Uber, to integrate into the main flow, but there are elements like parking or dining options that may not be synced up yet.
Communication is vital too - not only has to be timely but relevant. Bayle gave the example of Gatwick Premium, which he only knew about when he saw the VIP lane at the airport. However, it could only be booked in advance and not there and then.
Buyers can also not assume. When Holiday Extras dug into some data it found British Airways passengers were more likely to take a shuttle transfer as they had spent more on their flight, while easyJet travellers save on the flight to spend more on the transfer and on the trip. Most travellers will adopt their holiday patterns when booking business.
Now that so many buyers and suppliers are focused on seamlessness all services are under the microscope, but 'on-trip' is an element that I feel is yet to fully develop. Several large trends in the last decade such as mobile, personalisation, well-being and even the proliferation of Google Maps all point to a better-connected offering for travellers. What are the other pieces of the puzzle that are going to make it work?