Business travel air spending in Europe increased in the
first half of the year, and data also shows business travelers in the region
are taking more international trips and fewer one-day trips, according to
analysis by AirPlus International.
From January through June, transactions processed by
AirPlus, which provides payment solutions for 55,000 corporate customers,
showed a 1.7 percent increase in spending on air tickets and an increase of 1.6
percent in tickets sold. The analysis focused on AirPlus' core markets in
Europe, which include Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the UK, Belgium, the
Netherlands, France and Italy.
"Despite adversities such as strikes and cancellations,
especially at the beginning of the year, European business travelers were in
the air more frequently in the first half of the year than in the previous
year," AirPlus CEO Mads Krumhardt Enggren said in a statement.
"They booked their flights
earlier to ensure greater planning security."
During the first half of the year, the booking window
averaged 28.8 days prior to departure, compared with 26.3 days in the first
half of 2023.
The data also showed a continuing trend toward "fewer
domestic flights and longer trips," according to AirPlus. The proportion
of domestic flights for the first half of the year was 31.3 percent, down from
32.2 percent the prior year. The proportion of booked flights traveling to markets
outside Europe, meanwhile, increased half a percent point to 16.1 percent.
As such, the proportion of premium travel increased as well.
Business class tickets accounted for 11.1 percent of flights booked for the
period, up from 10.8 percent the year prior, and premium economy tickets' share
was up 0.2 percentage points to 2 percent. While economy tickets remained the
lion's share of tickets booked, their share declined to 86.8 percent from 87.2
percent the year prior.
Economy fares were up slightly in the first half of the year
to an average of €526, up 1.5 percent year over year. Business class fares,
meanwhile, declined 2.1 percent year over year to an average of €3,784,
according to AirPlus.
While the average length of trip declined slightly in the
period—5.8 days, compared with 5.9 days a year prior—the proportion of one-day
trips also dropped to 6.7 percent, compared with 6.8 percent the prior year.
AirPlus noted sustainability efforts are contributing to the decline in one-day
trips and domestic travel.
In addition, AirPlus reported a slight increase in business
trips starting on the weekend, indicating the blending of a business trip with
a few leisure days. Sixteen percent of travelers started their trips on the
weekend in the first half of 2024, up 0.6 percentage points year over year.