Followed by Wi-Fi, flat beds, notebooks and the Eurostar
Business travellers have voted online check-in the ‘innovation of the decade'; followed by Wi-Fi, flat beds, notebooks and the Eurostar
The top five innovations - hailed for immeasurably improving business travel since 2000 - were revealed in a survey of 2,400 business travellers by the Business Travel & Meetings Show.
For the future, travellers want to see faster security, check in and immigration processes; the invention of a miracle child silencer; supersonic aircraft; carbon free travel and Wi-Fi on planes. But despite longing for ‘sky-Fi', 82 per cent of business travellers still don't want mobile phones to be allowed on board, more than half - 57 per cent - believe the first round of APD increases was unfair and 87 per cent are strongly opposed to a second round of price rises, currently set for 1 November 2010.
Air travellers voted British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Singapore and Lufthansa as their top five favourite airlines. The same five topped the customer service category, though in a different order: British Airways, Singapore, Lufthansa, Emirates and Virgin. But travellers tipped the nod to Lufthansa when voting for the world's greenest airline (next up were Singapore, KLM, Qantas and Virgin Atlantic). Intercontinental was voted top hotel group - ahead of Marriot, Four Seasons, Hilton and Radisson.
"The ‘noughties' have been a hotbed of innovation when it comes to business travel. Innovations in technology, infrastructure and services have all contributed to make it easier, more comfortable and more enjoyable than ever for professionals to both travel and do business effectively," commented David Chapple, event director, Business Travel & Meetings Show.
Innovations that will change the face of business travel in the new decade will be on show at The Business Travel & Meetings Show in the Innovation Awards Arena, 9-10 February 2010 at Earls Court 2 in London.