Air Travel

Question:

It was in the tank before this happened, any companies going to change their policies? I read somewhere that one company (can’t recall who it was) wasn’t going to force it’s employees to travel if they felt uncomfortable doing so. This has got to affect the related industries—car rentals, hotels, and restaurants that depend on business travellers for a large chunk of income.

Response:

says… >It was in the tank before this happened, any companies going to change >their policies? I read somewhere that one company (can’t recall who it >was) wasn’t going to force it’s employees to travel if they felt >uncomfortable doing so.

The companies I have associated with in the past few days all have adopted a wait and see attitude.  Only essential business travel is authorized and only if the individual feels comfortable traveling.  One major meeting I was scheduled to attend this week was cancelled.  A second meeting (in Korea) will go on but without any major sponsors from the US (and limited travelers from Europe). >This has got to affect the related industries—car rentals, hotels, and >restaurants that depend on business travellers for a large chunk of >income.

duh – and the airlines will be sucking wind too.  Not just in the US, but globally.   amp

Response:

amp writeth: >The companies I have associated with in the past few days all have adopted a >wait and see attitude.  Only essential business travel is authorized and only >if >the individual feels comfortable traveling.  One major meeting I was >scheduled >to attend this week was cancelled.  A second meeting (in Korea) will go on >but >without any major sponsors from the US (and limited travelers from Europe).

Wait and see is right. Right now I’m seeing some October meetings cancelled. Seems companies still want to wait it out. I can’t disagree when it comes to pure liability…but I will be travelling. -g

Response:

My company (a large consultingaccounting firm) cancelled all training, internal meetings, and conventions that require travel for the rest of the calendar year. Only client-facing travel will be allowed for those comfortable enough to travel, with no air travel allowed until Sept-28 without executive approval.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> It was in the tank before this happened, any companies going to change > their policies? I read somewhere that one company (can’t recall who it > was) wasn’t going to force it’s employees to travel if they felt > uncomfortable doing so. > This has got to affect the related industries—car rentals, hotels, and > restaurants that depend on business travellers for a large chunk of > income.

Response:

For those who are posting that their companies are cancelling all business travel, what is the reason for this??  Is it a fear of another highjacking, longer delays, or just an excuse to keep from paying the high airfares for travel.   I think a lot of companies were going in this direction and the highjackings was the topper for them to do it now.   IMO, the airlines are going to have get rid of some of their restrictions like Saturday stayovers and 21 day advance purchases so businesses can at least purchase cheaper fares and be enticed to return. Mary

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->amp writeth: >The companies I have associated with in the past few days all have adopted a >wait and see attitude.  Only essential business travel is authorized and only >if >the individual feels comfortable traveling.  One major meeting I was >scheduled >to attend this week was cancelled.  A second meeting (in Korea) will go on >but >without any major sponsors from the US (and limited travelers from Europe). >Wait and see is right. Right now I’m seeing some October meetings cancelled. >Seems companies still want to wait it out. I can’t disagree when it comes to >pure liability…but I will be travelling. >-g

I travelled on the 12th and 13th, and will again next week. amp

Response:

Part of it is concern for employee safety, and I’m sure the other part is cost savings. It seems like the economy is only getting worse and travel budgets are one of the first to get hit. If you’ve noticed, teleconfercing stocks are getting a huge boost in the last week. This could very well be a turning point for the travel industry. On-line meetings are getting to the point where they are at acceptable for most meetings and quality is getting better every day. New fiber optic lines are cris-crossing the world with cheap and abundant bandwidth. Since travel is expensive and perceived to be a safety risk, this incident could be a catalyst for a huge decline in business travel. Once people get used to meeting on-line it will be hard to justify travel costs for many meetings.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> For those who are posting that their companies are cancelling all > business travel, what is the reason for this??  Is it a fear of another > highjacking, longer delays, or just an excuse to keep from paying the > high airfares for travel.   I think a lot of companies were going in > this direction and the highjackings was the topper for them to do it > now.   IMO, the airlines are going to have get rid of some of their > restrictions like Saturday stayovers and 21 day advance purchases so > businesses can at least purchase cheaper fares and be enticed to return. > Mary

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