2024 has ushered in a wave of dramatic changes, including rapid technological advancement and a fluctuating job market. Amidst all the chaos, travel delays and cancellations continue to be a problem. Travelers have had to think on their feet and change plans quickly, as domestic and international travel have been impacted by transportation strikes and other travel industry issues. 

So what impact have these disruptions had on business travelers and professionals around the world? To learn more, we conducted an online survey of 4000 business travelers from a range of ages and industries, across four countries in North America and Europe: the UK, the US, Spain, and Germany.

Here are a few key findings from our business travel survey to bring you new insights on current business travel trends.

Key takeaways from TravelPerk’s Business Travel Disruption survey

• Nearly 8 in 10 (78%) business travelers globally experienced travel disruptions in 2024, with 43% facing significant delays of more than one hour

• 85% of global business travelers said they experienced a decline in productivity due to travel disruptions

• The highest volume of global cancellations occurred in the US, with nearly 140,000 flights canceled in 2024
• European business travelers say they’re the most affected by transport strikes, with 29% of German travelers, 27% of British travelers, and 21% of Spanish travelers impacted
• Despite artificial intelligence advances over the past year, only 10% of global travelers prefer chatbots to support them when facing disruption. Interacting directly with a human customer care agent remains the preferred choice, with 31% of global travelers preferring to talk to a human by phone.

US business travelers have been impacted by weather-related disruptions and airline strikes

78% of global business travelers and 71% of US travelers say they’ve experienced some type of travel disruption this year. The main types of travel disruptions experienced by American travelers were delays of more than one hour (38%), weather-related disruptions (30%), cancellations (26%), and lost or delayed luggage (18%). Other reasons for disruption included overbooking, missed connections, personal health emergencies, and visa or passport issues.

Travelers also reported being interrupted by transport strikes. In the US, 69% of travelers said these strikes were flight-related, with an additional 64% saying they were airport related. Major airlines like Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and more have seen strike action or threats this year from flight attendants, pilots, and other staff.

In addition, 44% of US travelers were interrupted by train strikes, and 40% were interrupted by taxi strikes. Rideshare drivers from apps like Uber and Lyft held strikes across major US cities this year, including at airports.

Travel disruptions are changing the way American professionals travel for work

91% of US professionals surveyed say they’ve changed something about the way they travel for work due to disruptions. 47% say they’re checking for travel updates more frequently, while 42% say they’re now leaving more travel time to get to their destination and 37% are booking travel options with flexible cancellation policies.

Other changes made include considering different modes of travel even if it adds to the overall travel time, extending work trips to stay longer, or visiting multiple destinations in one trip.

How are companies dealing with disruptions to get the best ROI from their travel budget?

Learn more in TravelPerk’s Value of Business Travel Report

Human customer service remains a top priority for travelers

Despite recent breakthroughs in generative AI, Americans continue to prefer human customer service options when they need help with a booking. For US business travelers, the best way to get support when managing travel booking changes or cancellations is by speaking to customer service on the phone (30%), followed by getting help via an online self-serve option (22%) or getting help from an airline, hotel, train, or rental car service representative in person (22%). Just 12% of Americans said they’d prefer to get help online using an AI chatbot.

Different demographics had slightly different traveler preferences for customer service. 50% of Silent Generation respondents across all countries preferred talking on the phone, as opposed to 30% of Millennial and Generation Z respondents. People who said they “mostly worked from home” or “worked from home full time” were more likely to prefer self-serve online support: 38% of full-time remote working employees preferred self-serve support, while just 20% of onsite workers preferred this option.

Disruptions have had serious consequences for costs, productivity, and client relationships

Travel disruptions often cause productivity to suffer, with 85% of global travelers reporting a loss of productivity due to issues with travel. In the US, 14% of workers said they lost around a quarter of their personal productivity (21%-30%) because of travel disruptions.

Gen Z respondents worldwide reported a greater loss of productivity than other generations. 10% said they lost around a third of their personal productivity (31%-40%) due to disruptions. Similarly, 10% of executives also lost around a third of their productivity, showing a greater impact than middle managers or entry level employees. Remote workers were less likely to lose productivity than in-person workers, with 28% reporting no decline.

Facing travel problems due to strike action?

Have a look at our guide to planning ahead for strike-related disruptions

5 common challenges caused by travel disruptions and how to avoid them

Travel disruptions can lead to additional costs, missed business opportunities, or work interruptions, often contributing to a decline in productivity. 91% of global travelers have experienced at least one of the five challenges below:

1. Missing or being late for an in-person meeting with a customer

41% of global travelers say they’ve missed or been late for a meeting with a customer due to travel disruptions. This percentage was higher among Silent Generation respondents (67%) and executives (50%). 

💡 To avoid being late for meetings, consider building more buffer time into your travel plans. One possibility is to extend a trip so that delays would have less of an impact. For example, if an important meeting is due to be held on Wednesday afternoon, you could arrange to fly in on Tuesday evening rather than Wednesday morning. That way, you’ll be well-rested and arrive on time for the meeting, even if your flight is delayed. 

Today, many business travelers are aiming to optimize their time by taking fewer, longer trips rather than multiple short visits. Booking data from our Value of Business Travel Report show a decline in same-day return trips and a trend towards two to four day journeys in 2024. Not only can taking longer trips help minimize the impact of travel disruptions, it can also increase efficiency by combining multiple meetings into one trip. In addition, it can contribute to meeting the sustainable travel and carbon emissions reduction goals of your corporate travel program.

2. Additional costs due to the disruption

40% of global travellers have incurred additional costs, like hotel rebooking fees, because of a travel disruption. To avoid paying extra fees on hotels or airfare if your trip gets interrupted, try using a flexible booking option like FlexiPerk. You’ll pay a 10% fee on every business trip you book through the TravelPerk platform. In return, you’ll have the option of cancelling up to two hours before departure for an 80% guaranteed refund, no questions asked. This offers a 40% average savings compared to traditional flexible fares. Flights, hotels, trains, and rental cars can all be refunded using FlexiPerk. 

3. Working extended hours to catch up on missed work

36% of all travelers surveyed say they’ve had to work extra hours to catch up on missed work after a disruption. Creative/design professionals and logistics professionals were particularly impacted—47% of each say that travel disruptions led to extra work for them. 

💡 To minimize the negative impact of travel disruptions on your productivity, consider building a “reintegration day” initiative into your plans. This means taking some time off to focus on health and well-being immediately after a business trip, whether it’s a full day off or simply a relaxed morning. That way, you’ll be able to catch up on sleep, hydration, and healthy food before diving back into work, even if you’re affected by a travel disruption.

4. Missing out on a new business or sales opportunity

Over a quarter of US travelers (28%) say they’ve missed out on a business opportunity because of travel disruptions. This challenge particularly affected US media professionals(50%).

💡 To preserve business relationships in the face of travel delays and cancellations, make sure to keep clients informed of what’s happening. If possible, you can offer an alternative way to connect, such as a virtual meeting instead of an in-person meeting. It can also be helpful to prepare a digital sales kit with presentations, information, and product demos. Send this to prospective clients to keep them engaged in the sales process, even if a meeting is canceled. 

5. Missing a connection, which leads to further delays

31% of US travelers say they’ve suffered further travel delays due to missing a transport connection. To mitigate the impact of delays, choose international connecting flights with at least a 3 hour layover when possible. 

If you use a travel management app such as TravelPerk, you’ll have access to real-time flight updates and gate changes, so you can adjust your plans quickly and have a greater chance of making that connection. TravelPerk’s customer care team can also help you find and book an alternative route.

How TravelPerk empowers business travelers during a disruption

With the right corporate travel management tools, you can bounce back quickly in the face of unforeseen travel problems. 

TravelPerk is a travel management software platform that helps travelers and admins book business travel, view travel itineraries, create corporate travel policies, manage invoices and business travel spending, track and reduce the carbon footprint of their company’s travel program, and more. 

Here’s how TravelPerk can help you lessen the impact of business travel disruptions, improving the travel experience for next year and beyond:   

Keeping you informed

47% of US travelers say they’re now checking for updates more frequently as a result of disruptions. Luckily, TravelPerk makes this process much easier with the TravelCare duty of care solution.

With TravelCare, travelers and admins will immediately be notified about any changes or disruptions through their TravelPerk app. Using the interactive traveler map on the app, they can see where employees are in the world and contact customer care if they need assistance.

Help when you need it

Need to make a change to your booking? TravelPerk allows you to do so immediately, even on the go, with our 24/7 phone, email, and chat support. You can talk to a human in English, German, French, or Spanish—either on the phone or through our live chat with a 15-second target response time.

Our data show that 41% of US travelers prefer to talk with a human customer service representative via phone call, chat, or SMS, with an additional 22% preferring an online self-serve option. With TravelPerk, you can avoid the bots and get the help you need quickly while you’re on the go.

Saving you time and money

40% of US travelers said they lost money in fees due to unexpected disruptions, but this doesn’t have to be the case for you. FlexiPerk allows travelers to cancel a booking up to two hours before departure and get 80% of their costs refunded. 

And if you’re part of the 39% who had to work extra hours to catch up on missed work? There’s no need to add to your post-disruption workload with time-consuming invoicing procedures. Our platform allows you to easily manage your invoices all in one place. It also integrates with top travel expense management providers like Pleo, Yokoy, Airbase, Ramp, and more (view the full list of integrations and partnerships here). You can easily move between different platforms when submitting your expense reports, enjoying a seamless user experience. 

Methodology

OnePoll conducted an online survey on behalf of TravelPerk from 13th to 26th September 2024, with 4000 employed adults from the UK, US, Germany and Spain who travel for work. Respondents came from organizations within sectors such as tech, manufacturing, professional services, finance, and healthcare.