European companies have become less tolerant of abuses of their travel policy, a new study has found.
More than one fifth of corporates (21%) now consider non-reimbursement of a unauthorised spend compared with 14% last year.
The number of companies which do not have a non-reimbursement policy has also fallen from 20% last year to 13% now.
The findings emerge from the European 2011 Corporate Travel Policy Benchmarking and Insight by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Foundation and Egencia, the corporate arm of Expedia.
The study, which interviewed 330 European travel buyers, also found they were more active in tracking down ancillary fees compared with their US counterparts.
A good majority (63%) tracked these add on fees comapred to just 21% in America. Of the 37% Euroepan buyers who did not currently chase them up, 25% planned to do so in the coming year.
European buyers were ready to re-mburse travellers who spent extra money on baggage fees, itinerary changes, meals and preferred seating on air travel and parking, Internet access, airport shuttles and late check-outs at hotels.
But one area where European travel managers were relaxing their grip was on long haul travel.
The survey found the number allowing premium travel increased to every region outside Europe.
Nearly half (46%) approved business class travel to North America compared with 34% last year; 38% toAsia-Pacific, 10% up on 2010; and 50% to India, the Middle East and Afica compared to 38% last year.
But there was also evidence that travel managers did not always enforce travel policy. While the study noted that deals with preferred suppliers were a “key travel management objerctive”, it found that only 24% of buyers required travellers to fly with preferred airliens.
One in ten did not enforce the rule at all.
On hotels, the report said there was a rise in companies which did not have a preferred programme to 20%, compared with 5% in 2010.
Nearly three quarters of buyers (72%) did set a limit on how much could be spent on a hotel night while 22% set a maximum class that could be booked.
The buyers were more forceful on car hire with 60% requiring travellers to use a preferred car hire company, an increase of 3% on last year.
On rail, 87% of buyers mandated the class of servcie which could be used on train journeys, with 33% of these allowing first class and 56% second class.
Paul Tilstone, managing director, GBTA Europe, said: “It is crucial that all companies look inward at their policies to ensure they achieve the goals they are after.
“With every traveller on the road there is an optimal point where they are able to do their business effectively while not breaking the corporate bank and studies like this allow us to find that point.
“This study shows us that policies are remaining consistent despite the increase in travel spend – the importance and focus on travel policies is a good thing and it appears it’s here to stay.”