Americans love to go places, whether it’s for work or for vacation. But the way they get around is changing, and the travel environment reflects that. From airline fees to airline mergers, from riding on city streets to riding buses, here are some of the top travel trends to watch for 2014. 

Continue Reading >>

As the volume of virtual meetings continues to grow, a new survey of businessmen and women in five major markets finds that most still see considerable value in sitting down across the table with clients and customers instead of in front of a video camera.

In the survey of more than 2,000 business travelers in the U.S., U.K., United Arab Emirates, China and India, some 47 percent said they believe they had lost a client or a contract because they didn’t have enough face-to-face meetings with those colleagues.  The respondents estimated that this led to an annual revenue loss of 24 percent for their business.

Continue Reading >>

The business travel marketplace will shine brightly in 2014, but let's take a moment to address potential potholes in your 2014 journeys.

Air Travel. Air travel historically draws the major share of travel complaints and disappointments, and 2014 is likely to continue this illustrious tradition. Let's start with vouchers. This may seem an odd choice, but I've seen lots of reports from consumers who were due cash refunds but were pressured by airlines to accept vouchers for future travel instead. The problem with airline vouchers is, of course, that they're worth less than cash. You can't use them to buy a high-definition TV if you decide not to travel. You usually can't give or sell them to anyone else. They usually expire, in six months to a year. And they may entail other restrictions and limits. The Canadians got it right when they established their overbooking rules: If an airline tries to give you a voucher instead of the specified cash payment, that voucher has to be set at three times the cash payment. My suggestion is that you listen to that northern advice: Never accept a voucher unless the face value is at least double the cash you're owed.

Continue Reading >>