A THIRD OF TRAVEL MANAGERS expected a rise in air travel this year, according to a survey by payment company Airplus International. In 2009 only 21 per cent of Europe's travel managers expected the number of business trips to rise. Travel managers were less optimistic about hotel stays, with only 25 per cent anticipating an increase. A fifth believed train travel was on the up, and only 14 per cent for car rental. The Airplus Business Travel Index confirmed a rise in business-related flights in the first half of 2010, particularly on intercontinental routes. Domestic flights fell 6 per cent compared to the first six months of 2009. Travel to European destinations rose by 5 per cent and intercontinental flights were up 24 per cent.
The percentage of business travellers flying in business class also saw a small rise, from 8 per cent in January to 10 per cent in June. Year-on-year, companies in Europe spent 7 per cent more on flights from January to June.
The figures were based on analysis of more than 100 million businesstravel bookings per year made by 33,000 companies worldwide.