Slight as it may be, the increase in business travel is real, if the figures are to be believed. figures published on 21 August by Airplus. The report AirPlus Business Travel Index points to an estimated increase of 1.7 % in business travel expenditure on air tickets over the January-June period, compared with the first half of 2023. This increase is roughly equivalent to the rise in the number of tickets sold (+1.6 %). As for fare variations, they remain measured according to the payment solutions specialist. The average price of an economy class ticket is 526 euros (+1.5 %), compared with 3784 euros for business class - a figure down (-2.1 %) on 2023.
These developments should probably be seen in the light of another factor analysed by AirPlus: after a period of uncertainty during which "last minute" travel became widespread, travellers are now looking further ahead to their business trips. On average, travellers booked their flights 28.8 days before departure, more than two days earlier than the previous year (26.3 days). The authors of the report believe that "airlines are clearly keen to secure capacity and prices at an early stage in order to guarantee greater planning certainty". They also point out, as other studies have done in the past, that "female travellers are more far-sighted than their male counterparts in all markets, booking their trips almost five days earlier on average (32 compared with 27.2 days)".
According to the authors of the report, this growing sense of responsibility on the part of travellers is also reflected in the area of sustainable development. They point to a decline - albeit slight - in the proportion of domestic flights in Europe, from 32.2 % to 31.3 % in 2024. In addition, while the average duration of a business trip is still flirting with six days (5.8 days), day return trips are down slightly from 6.8 to 6.7 %...
Despite some slight changes, the authors of the report confirm that: "In recent years, the trend has been towards fewer domestic flights and longer journeys. This can be explained by companies' efforts in terms of sustainability. For example, employees often combine several appointments into one longer trip instead of making several short trips".
In addition, the AirPlus Business Travel report notes a (slight) rise in the popularity of bleisure, as pointed out by Mads Krumhardt Enggren, CEO of AirPlus International: "We are seeing that the combination of business and private travel is becoming increasingly popular. Especially at a time when skilled labour is in short supply, it is crucial for companies to offer their employees flexible working models in order to increase their satisfaction and productivity. The combination of business and private travel is an important element in retaining talent over the long term. The AirPlus Business Travel report estimates that 16 % of travellers have opted for a hybrid between business and private travel. This represents an increase of 0.6 points compared to 2023.
As for the most popular destinations for travellers, they remain unchanged according to the authors of the report: Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom in Europe, and the United States, China and India for long-haul travel.
Mads Krumhardt Enggren, CEO of AirPlus International: " Face-to-face meetings remain essential alongside virtual meetings. Despite difficulties such as strikes and cancellations, particularly at the beginning of the year, European business travellers flew more often in the first half of the year than in the previous year. They booked their flights earlier to ensure greater planning security. ".
