Research and white papers

Kayak.fr tried its hand at a tedious but extremely useful exercise for these business traveller-sprinters, whose busy schedules limit the margin for error at the airport to the bare minimum. The travel comparison website has published a table comparing the average walking time between security checkpoints and boarding gates at several major European airports. 

Capitaine Train has published an infographic listing the reasons why French travellers take the TGV. The document, based on the "National Transport and Travel Survey", estimates that 36.2% of business customers use the high-speed network.

Often referred to as the A new trend in the world of business travel, is bleisure - a neologism combining business and leisure - really practised by travelling professionals? Have companies taken steps to regulate this grey area through a dedicated policy? The latest Bleisure Report 2014 published by Bridgstreet provides relevant new data on the subject.    

At Univ'AriPlus 2014 on Thursday, the AFTM presented its sixth white paper, on the theme of "Structuring Travel Management within SMEs and SMIs". This is a crucial issue for the French business travel market, and is tackled through three fundamental objectives: promoting travel efficiency, controlling expenditure and professionalising internal players.

What really happens at the other end of the line during a conference call? Intercall, the provider of conferencing and communications solutions for the enterprise, has attempted to draw up an overview of practices. The next time you have a remote meeting, you won't be listening to the other person in the same way...

Diversity of profiles, relations with business travellers, career development, integration of new technologies and Travel Management 3.0: 3Mundi is devoting a White Paper to the profession of Travel Manager to provide a clearer picture of changes in the profession, its expectations and short-term opportunities.

According to FlightStats, Iberia topped the list of the world's most punctual airlines in June.

On 13 May, the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau published its 9^th The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau published a report on convention activity in Paris and the surrounding region, highlighting a record 1,055 conventions and 752,300 participants.

Kayak has published an international study on the connectivity offered in hotels, noting that 90% of establishments worldwide now offer WiFi access. However, the booking site points out that this does not necessarily mean that a connection is offered in the room: free access in the lobby is enough to be included in this "free Wi-Fi" category.

At Wednesday's Market Place, Egencia unveiled the results of its internal study "The Impact of Corporate Organisation on Travel Purchasing Behaviour": a global assessment of business travel management that differs greatly on both sides of the Atlantic.

Almost a third of French business travellers (28%) miss home, according to a new global study published by Regus.

A study published by HRS analyses the differences in breakfast prices charged to business travellers in different countries. Singapore is the most expensive destination. French hotels rank twelfth.

The Travel Leaders Group has attempted to anticipate the major trends in the world of business travel for 2014. Its forecasts are optimistic in terms of the volume of business travel planned by US companies, which cite flight delays as the main concern for business travellers.

CWT is simultaneously publishing a fun infographic and a video with the stated aim of finding the "winning strategy" for 2014 and identifying new optimisation levers. Roaming, mobile strategy, gamification: the business travel agency is targeting the new trends to be taken into account in the world of travel management.

Finnair, EasyJet and Gulf Air took the top three places in FlightStats' November rankings for the punctuality of the main airlines. Overall, the punctuality of international carriers has risen slightly compared with October.

While the majority of business travel players are looking to 2014, AirPlus is looking (much) further ahead and is already projecting itself into... 2060. Socio-economic and environmental contexts, transport infrastructures, new technologies, new practices, and changes in the 'travel manager' profession: the Business Travel 2060 white paper, written by Mark Harris on behalf of the specialist in means of payment, compiles on around thirty pages the various changes that the business travel sector is likely to face over the next fifty years.

Gift boxes and gourmet dinners, wine discoveries and cookery classes, a host of epicurean challenges: gourmet rewards are still a sure thing!

Miguel Prosper is President of the French Federation of Insect Producers, Importers and Breeders.

Reporting will be the most crucial aspect of a travel programme according to European and American travel managers. Cost control is also the focus of attention for business travel players around the world. These are just some of the conclusions to be drawn from the study "The Evolution of Business Travel Management" published on Tuesday 26 November by Egencia and the GBTA Foundation.