The insolvency of Air Berlin has changed the national aviation market and German business travel substantially. In the rest of Europe, a trend towards consolidation can be observed. Fewer providers and more strategic airline alliances are having a negative impact on the business mobility of the companies.
Price increases (76%), lower capacities (42%), new types of costs (34%) and less customer orientation (33%) are most noticeable to the companies. As a result, just under a third of the companies want to redirect. This is particularly beneficial for the railways. 89% of large companies that switch to other means of transport because of the mentioned factors
choose the railway.
“The figures once again illustrate very clearly the effects of the Air Berlin bankruptcy on the German aviation market. Given the importance of the aircraft as a means of transport for the business mobility of German companies, the aviation industry should not become a plaything of different interests. It needs fair competition and reliability,” said the Managing Director of the VDR (The German Business Travel Association).
Data security is currently high on the agenda of German mobility managers. The reason for this is the new EU General Data Protection Regulation. It comes into force in May 2018. 23% of respondents from companies with more than 1,500 employees have already implemented the new ordinance. Another 56% are currently implementing it.
Unnecessary bureaucracy causes costly processes for business travel companies. Correspondingly, the travel managers of large corporations want electronic travel documents to be accepted more extensively than hitherto by the tax authorities.
Continuing economic, political and social developments as well as the global security situation are also influencing companies’ strategies to protect their business travelers. 88% of large companies claim to be actively involved in travel security. This includes far more than hitherto measures that enable companies to localize their employees while travelling in their respective posting area and to track their travels. The so-called traveler tracking is now used by 40% of companies that deal with the subject of security.
Cost-consciousness in German business travel management will remain important in 2018. 71% of the travel managers continue to see great importance in the topic. Meanwhile, the satisfaction of employees during the business trips is similarly significant. Almost as many interviewees indicate that they have to take the interests of employees much more seriously than before in their plans
