Work & Travel Trends Report: Premium Meets Productivity

Introduction

We are living in exciting times: just two years after the end of the pandemic, which restricted almost all international travel, the global business travel sector is due to set a new spending record by the end of 2024, and by 2028 its spending is due to exceed $2 trillion (£1.5 trillion). Blacklane is a testimony to this development - we were hit hard by the pandemic with our business coming almost to a standstill. But we used the time while the world was ‘quiet’ to develop new services such as our City-to-City routes connecting metropolitan areas, and now see a healthily growing business since 2022.

Business Travel & Stress

Although business travel has been significantly professionalized over the past few decades, our research shows that the majority (56%) of professionals still find it ‘stressful’ due to poorly planned trips. We also found that C-level executives are more likely (62%) than any other seniority level to find the journey stressful.

On the whole, business travelers are now getting less quality for the money spent on a journey. While the cost of airline tickets, for example, has risen significantly, the higher prices do not equate to better services. In fact, the quality of service has in many cases fallen, with passengers paying additional fees for basics that were previously included such as drink and food. At the same time, the majority (53%) of survey participants travel at least four times per year for work. 39% of participants state that they believe travel will increase more as people favour in-person meetings, another 28% believe that the amount will stay at least the same.

Employers may not appreciate enough as of yet the impact poorly planned travel has on their employees, but also on the success of their businesses. Our research found that 86% of business travelers who reported finding journeys stressful lost at least one hour of productive time once they arrived at their destinations. Among C-level staff, 45% reported losing between as much as four to eight hours of productive time during a business trip - essentially up to a whole working day.

How many hours of productivity are lost once you’ve arrived at your destination due to stressful journeys?

One of the most popular solutions that business travellers say could reduce their stress during journeys is the addition of premium amenities to improve their travel experience. Almost all C-level executives (96%) said that premium experiences would positively contribute towards their productivity and success.

This aligns with the priorities that participants referred to when travelling for business or leisure, with ‘comfort’, ‘privacy and safety’, and ‘arriving on time’ all receiving votes from at least a quarter of participants. Notably, ‘cost’ is one of the lowest priorities, receiving only 22% of the votes, showing the importance of comfort and productivity overall and that although savings might be made on these premium elements, other factors may suffer as a result.

What would reduce stress when traveling for business?

Despite the overwhelming response that elements of premium experiences in the travel journey would increase business travelers' productivity, over the past year the majority (59%) of professionals have noticed cuts when it comes to travel budgets. These were mostly felt due to a lack of flexibility in travel times (41%), cramped seating (33%) and limited luggage allowances (37%).

For a large proportion (67%), these cuts have negatively impacted their productivity on business trips. With this increasing to 68% for senior management, and even up to 81% for C-Level execs, company travel planners should be considering how they can better meet these expectations and ensure executives’ productivity while they are on the road, especially given the hourly costs of senior managers.

Have budget cuts negatively impacted your productivity when travelling for business?

Adding an element of premium to their journey was the most popular means to boost productivity on business trips, but it was the option to extend business trips for leisure that most travelers referred to as a factor that would help them to maintain their motivation in the first place.

The combination of work and leisure trips has been one of the most noticeable positive trends over the past few years, especially as people seek a better balance between work and lives. In fact, 90% of business travelers have already combined business and leisure trips at some point. And during dedicated business trips, roughly two in every three participants (65%) said they prioritize time for personal activities and relaxation at least some of the time away to remain productive on the road.

The people who have combined business and leisure trips referred to a wide range of reasons for doing so. Almost half (48%) said that it was because they want to explore the locations they visit for business, and roughly four out of ten participants referred to lowering the cost of travel (41%), making business trips more exciting (41%), and visiting destinations they’ve always wanted to go to (40%).

Although some business leaders might worry about this approach, the majority of employees believe that combining business and leisure trips is beneficial for their work. 54% of business travellers say that it would make them more productive, and half (50%) say that they work harder when there are other exciting things available for them to do. Business leaders should keep this in mind when determining how to move forward.

What are the top reasons for combining business and leisure travel?

Dr Jens Wohltorf, Founder & CEO of Blacklane

“As employers begin to think more about how to improve retention and productivity among their staff, it’s important to consider factors at play both in and outside the office. As this report has shown, poorly planned business travel is a source of stress for employees and especially executives, causing harm to their productivity, and therefore costing businesses valuable time and money. Those in charge of travel bookings should consider how premium experiences and leisure might help to make journeys seamless, time-efficient, and comfortable, in order to make each trip a success for the business and individual.”

Methodology

“Premium meets productivity: the changing face of travel and work” is a report spanning the UK, US and UAE from global chauffeur service Blacklane exploring the changing travel trends and the evolving needs of business travelers on their journeys.

The report has been created using results from an online survey of 3,006 adults who travel for business at least once a year across the UK, US and UAE. This was conducted in September 2024 by Censuswide – the global insight-driven research company. * Blacklane is dedicated to providing a safe, high-quality experience that meets the needs of its guests everywhere, ensuring that they arrive better and that travel arrangers can book with confidence. The company offers a portfolio ranging from airport transfers to City-to-City routes connecting metropolitan areas, Chauffeur-by-the-hour services as well as in-city mobility to address all needs of transportation and is one of the safest mobility services globally, showcasing 60% less incidents than taxi services.

To discuss the report or working with Blacklane, please reach out to Matthew Bassant (matthew.bassant@blacklane.com) or Nikita Matharu (nikita.matharu@blacklane.com). Alternatively check out our Corporate Solutions here.