Way back in 1947, on a flight from Cuban capital Havana to Miami, a male passenger, perhaps most delicately described as ‘tired and emotional’, picked a fight with a fellow traveller – and then bit the flight attendant who attempted to intervene.
He probably got off scot-free. In those days, no-one was quite sure whose laws applied in international airspace but, nevertheless, it remains the first recorded incidence of what we now know as ‘air rage’.
Amazingly, one does not have to be totally bladdered to indulge in what the Flighthealth.org website describes as “extreme misbehaviour by passengers on aircrafts”. In fact, it asserts that only around 25 per cent of cases occur because the drinks trolley has been round once too often.
Most incidents, apparently, are brought about by a heady mix of adrenalin and noradrenalin released into the bloodstream in times of stress, and stress – according to Flighthealth – “is a common problem when flying”. Partly because of the cabin pressure, partly because of being confined in a small space, and partly because of the perceived loss of control, natural defence mechanisms kick in. Flying is not a recipe for serenity.
Whatever the reason, air rage is just an extreme example of one of the most niggling aspects of travel life. Up there with the usual bleats about legroom (too short) and airport queues (too long), a recent Trip Advisor poll reveals that “other passengers” are a major cause of inflight irritation.
We’ve all been there – people who sing along tunelessly to music only they can hear, children of any description, and that boring bloke who is convinced that his life-story is infinitely more fascinating than the fat paperback you’ve bought to counter the long-haul longueurs.
Nevertheless, there is not a lot travel managers can do about “other passengers”: it’s difficult to tailor company travel policy to ensure employees don’t have to sit behind the guy who reclines his seat with such force that one ends up with a lapful of Stolly’n’Schweppes.
However, now that the cost-cutting imperative has eased and traveller well-being has crept back on to the corporate radar, travel managers would do well at least to listen to their road warriors’ whinges.
Gripes on-the-go
And there are plenty of them. A recent survey conducted by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) among over 500 US business travellers reveals that their biggest headaches are brought on by weather-induced travel disruption, departure delays, aircraft ‘incidents’ such as mechanical problems, and missed onward connections.
Of those polled, 36 per cent have niggling doubts about their airline’s safety record, and 35 per cent have reservations about the safety of their ground transportation. More than one-third (34 per cent) have concerns about who they should call if problems arise and, given that 75 per cent of the respondents say they have been confronted with at least one travel challenge in the past year, there’s an awful lot of worrying being done.
There are other concerns, too. According to a survey by Connecticut-based virtual meetings company Verizon: “Travel is a significant source of stress to busy professionals. Overall, 24 per cent say they are more stressed when travelling for business versus 14 per cent who say they are less stressed.
“The most predominant areas of stress include spending time away from the family and worrying about work that’s piling up back at the office.”
Delays, however, cause the greatest annoyance. A senior medical administrator who makes frequent rail trips between London and Liverpool tells Buying Business Travel: “In order to make the best use of our time, we tend to arrange multiple back-to-back meetings, and not always in the same office or hospital. That means a lot of my work is very time-sensitive, and even a relatively minor delay can throw out the entire schedule, with knock-on effects for lots of other people.
“I know our travel team can’t do anything about it, and it’s often not the train company’s fault, but somehow that makes it even more frustrating. You get to a point where you just want someone to blame.”
It’s the little things...
Getting from A to B may turn out to be a challenge, but the problems don’t necessarily let up even when one has finally arrived at B. A London-based commercial property lawyer says his partnership’s travel policy obliges him to stay with a particular boutique hotel brand. “In many respects, they’re very good,” he concedes. “The staff are perfectly friendly and courteous, the food’s fine, and the rooms are very comfortable. But they do go in for mood lighting, and the tiny little desk lamps just aren’t powerful enough. It may seem silly, and it certainly doesn’t warrant tearing up the commercial agreement, but it makes working in the evenings almost impossible.”
Hotels generally come in for a lot of stick. In the US, according to one frequent traveller website, the biggest niggles are the high cost of internet access, which then turns out to be painfully slow, and insufficient or inaccessible electric sockets. Windows that are sealed shut and air-conditioning systems that can only be adjusted by someone with a degree in advanced engineering also attract plenty of flak.
Positive policies
Complaints about the travel experience are legion. Complaints about travel policy, however, appear to be few and far between. Of course, travel managers are unlikely to admit that their inboxes are bursting at the seams with grumbles about the rules and regulations that they themselves have concocted, but it would appear that few of them are ever troubled by their travellers.
“I think the recession has had a lot to do with it,” said one. “The need to keep costs under control was obvious to everyone, so if they suddenly found themselves in the economy cabin, they understood why. And, in fact, that didn’t happen much – people just travelled less frequently.”
Another factor is that travellers don’t seem to care that they are being limited to a relatively shallow pool of suppliers, probably because most of their travel experience is limited to that pool. It is difficult to have a ‘preferred’ hotel brand if one’s experience is limited.
What is more, most employees actually enjoy getting out of the office. A recent survey by travel technology giant Amadeus saw 96 per cent of respondents agreeing that they either “liked” or “did not mind” travelling for business. More than half (55 per cent) said they found business trips “interesting”. Only 19 per cent of those questioned said their company travel policy has a negative impact on how they feel about their employer.
Trip Advisor’s annual business travel survey reaches a similar conclusion. Of more than 1,500 travellers polled worldwide, 62 per cent said they “often” enjoy business travel and 18 per cent said they “always” enjoy it.
“Problems can arise if you have different rules for different levels of seniority, particularly if you have several people travelling to a conference, for example,” says one UK travel manager, talking to BBT. “If half the group is travelling in business class and the others have to fly in economy, there’s bound to be a certain amount of upset. So by and large, you should have the same rules for everyone.”
Travel expenses remain a grey area, even if they are not necessarily part of the travel manager’s remit. In cases of extreme disruption, typified by the Icelandic ash-cloud, travellers have a tendency to take the law (and the company credit card) into their own hands, but it seems that quibbles usually arise over claims for minor amounts – for inflight drinks and hotel laundry bills.
And all agree that simply enforcing policy is not the answer. If travellers are complaining about specific aspects of the regime on a regular basis, they probably have a point.
Stressing the point
Travel managers need not only to be aware of the effects and stresses of travel on the performance of their travellers, but also to devise travel policies that give employees the best chance of doing their jobs well, according to corporate card provider Airplus International.
In a study last year conducted in conjunction with physiological research company Optima-Life, Airplus concluded that travel stresses are tiring, and tiredness adversely affects business traveller productivity. Using hi-tech heart monitors, Optima-Life tracked two groups of Airplus employees. One group remained office-bound as usual, while the second was made up of the company’s road warriors.
The travelling guinea pigs showed dramatically higher stress levels – and far greater levels of fatigue – than their desk-bound counterparts. They also took much longer to recover from their exertions.
The study found that, while each individual reacts differently, fatigue leads to “a reduction of mental capacity”, as evidenced by a lack of concentration, diminished communication skills and – crucially – reduced tolerance levels.
And it’s a vicious circle. As the traveller becomes less tolerant, molehills turn into mountains – stress levels soar, fatigue follows suit, and tolerance levels drop through the floor.
“The pure cost of a ticket should, of course, be an important element to consider when devising travel policy,” the Airplus/Optima report concludes. “However, it is equally important to consider the demands placed upon a traveller; if these demands are excessive, fatigue will become a factor. In turn fatigue can negatively impact business performance.”
The report goes on to say that travel managers “have a key role to play in producing travel policies that are intelligently devised, in order to ensure travellers are not just comfortable and healthy but, equally, are able to perform at their best when working abroad”.
So managers take note: better to think about the rules now rather than wait until your road-weary warriors start sinking their teeth into the cabin attendants.