New research released today by the GBTA Foundation and American Express looks into how U.S. business travelers feel about their travel experience and how those feelings affect their actual behaviors related to travel. The GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™, in partnership with American Express, is a proprietary data-centered barometer based on business traveler’s attitudes toward…
*This post originally appeared as a ‘letter from Mike’ in Global Business Travel magazine volume three, issue two.* We tend to think of disruptions negatively, as undesired events or activities. For business travelers, disruptions too often involve a loss of time and money. Thunderstorms can shut down airports and create cascading flight delays and cancellations….
A recent GBTA Foundation study released earlier this week showed an overwhelming majority (83 percent) of organizations that have travel risk management programs, have risk management protocols in place as part of their travel programs to ensure the safety and well-being of their business travelers. GBTA only expects this number to go up. Of those…
The week in review is back this week wishing everyone a happy Memorial Day weekend! Let’s start with what not to do on your next business trip: USA Today reported that a man stripped naked in the Charlotte airport after becoming upset that his flight was overbooked. Ever wonder why America can’t have high speed…
Congresswoman Lois Frankel welcomed GBTA’s Legislative Symposium attendees to Washington, D.C. saying, “there is nothing more important that having citizen lobbyists.” She said there are so many issues that come in front of Congress that they depend on folks like those in the room who have practical experience to share their ideas on what works…
“We want Amtrak to work. We want Amtrak to be profitable,” Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) told attendees at GBTA Legislative Symposium 2015. During the event, Denham discussed his commitment to Amtrak and the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act, which recently passed the House of Representatives. Denham also detailed a few of his priorities, including…
Rep. John Katko (R-NY) today told attendees at GBTA Legislative Symposium 2015 that he plans on introducing bipartisan legislation that would put an end to managed inclusion in PreCheck – the practice of enabling travelers who have not been screened for PreCheck to go through the PreCheck lane. “Managed inclusion defies the logic of what…
Today, Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), John Katko (R-NY) and Kathleen Rice (D-NY) introduced a bill that would end managed inclusion for PreCheck, a practice where Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents allow travelers to use PreCheck lanes when they have not been properly vetted. GBTA, while a strong supporter of programs like TSA PreCheck, has been…
The week began with the tragic news of the earthquake in Nepal on Saturday that killed more than 3,700. Buying Business Travel reported that the Foreign Commonwealth Office warned against all but essential travel to the region. Our hearts go out to all impacted by this tragedy. According to Aviation Pros, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony…
Isabel Hill, director of the National Travel and Tourism Office at the U.S. Department of Commerce, today detailed how her office is seeking to make travel to the United States easier through a range of programs, from helping people get visas faster to improving the customer experience in airports. In an age where everything is…
What is the number one way to influence a member of Congress? Citizens have more power than they realize – personal communications from constituents make all the difference. 46 percent of Congressional staff report that in-person visits from constituents had “a lot of positive influence” on Members/Senators, compared to 8 percent who had the same…
GBTA Conference 2015 Toronto wraps up today after three days of networking, education and discussion on key industry issues and trends. One of today’s highlights was a general session presentation from GBTA’s VP of Research Joe Bates talking about the economic impact of business travel on the Canadian economy. Richard Blackwell of The Globe and…
Today, the GBTA Foundation released its semi-annual business travel forecast for India. The report, sponsored by Visa Inc., showed the continuation of dramatic business travel growth for the region. For the second straight time, we upgraded our forecast projecting India’s total business travel spend to grow 9.8 percent in 2015 and 10.9 percent in 2016…
Next week GBTA will host nearly 100 members at its annual Legislative Summit. The event will kick off with speeches from members of Congress and industry leaders along with education sessions. On the final day, GBTA members will head to Capitol Hill to meet with their representatives to talk about issues important to the business…
On Thursday, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security held a hearing to examine the funding of airport capital needs. The Hill’s Keith Lang reported on the potential topics including PFCs and talked with GBTA’s Mike McCormick about why GBTA opposes a hike in the PFC cap. The Washington…
“We are going to the Hill, we are going make a difference and we are going to make things happen” – Dianne Bradley, Chair of GBTA’s Government Relations Committee. Dianne, together with and Mike McCormick, GBTA Executive Director and COO, kicked off GBTA Legislative Symposium 2015 by welcoming the more than 90 members who…
Before GBTA members take to Capitol Hill tomorrow to deliver business travel messages to Congress, Greg McDonald of Cornerstone Government Affairs provided an overview of the 114th Congress. By the Numbers: 12,174 members have served in Congress over the years Today, the House consists of 247 Republicans, 193 Democrats – with 1 vacant seat The…
Senator Amy Klobuchar, a major champion of business travel and someone The Washington Post called a rising star of the Democratic Party spoke to GBTA members as part of today’s Legislative Symposium. Sen. Klobuchar led off joking about the weather in Minnesota as she lauded the business community for being able to draw the NFL…
Rep. Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL) today earned a round of applause from attendees at GBTA Legislative Symposium 2015 after stating that the appropriations bill that just came out of his Transportation Subcommittee did not include an increase to the passenger facility charge (PFC). Although he noted that there is a long road ahead, Diaz Balart…
Much of the week was dominated by the sad news of the Germanwings plane crash in the Alps killing 150 people. It soon came out that the fatal descent the flight took was deliberate and that according to CNN, the co-pilot was hiding an illness from his employers and had been declared “unfit to work”…
Last year, the GBTA Foundation released the 2014 Global Hotel Program Study, in partnership with Best Western, interviewing travel managers in North America and Europe who worked on global corporate travel programs and had a role in hotel selection or negotiation. This year, the two partnered again to look at travel managers based in Asia…
CBS Money Watch reported on a GBTA study this week showing China will soon top the United States in business travel spend in spite of a cooling economy and slower economic growth. Yahoo! News writes that early signs are showing new economic policies in China will have a long-term positive impact on the economy, which…
According to The Hill, Reps. Joe Heck (R-NV) and Mike Quigley (D-IL) have re-filed a measure that is known as the Jobs Originated Through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act that would expand the expand the State Department’s Visa Waiver Program, which currently allows tourists from 38 nations to visit the U.S. without obtaining a visa. The…
According to The Hill, Reps. Joe Heck (R-NV) and Mike Quigley (D-IL) have re-filed a measure that is known as the Jobs Originated Through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act that would expand the expand the State Department’s Visa Waiver Program. The VWP has come under fire by some recently who say the program could weaken national security by allowing…
Today GBTA joined several traveler groups in support of Airlines for America’s (A4A) opposition to the proposed near doubling of the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) – or Airport Tax. GBTA is proud to support StopAirTaxNow.com where you can learn more about the PFC and see why A4A says airports have plenty and passengers have had…
GBTA released its latest quarterly forecast for U.S. business travel this week and business travel volume is on the rise. Charisse Jones of USA Today reported on the study saying an additional 2 million business trips are expected to take place this year over last and cites GBTA’s Joe Bates explanation that the cost of taking a…
The GBTA Foundation released its latest quarterly U.S. business travel forecast today and trip volume is on the rise. While we lowered our forecast for business travel spending from last quarter because the costs of travel are falling and are now expecting 3.1 percent spending growth to $295.7 billion, we increased the forecast for person-trip volume…
Business travel is back, but the perks are not according to a USA Today article. GBTA’s Mike McCormick was interviewed for the article saying the growth in business travel comes back to that overall feeling of corporate confidence and seeing a return from putting business travelers on the road. He added that travelers are packing…
It’s no secret that the U.S. dollar is strong right now and USA Today reports this is helping spur overseas business travel. GBTA’s Joe Bates told reporter Nancy Trejos that we’re definitely seeing the impact of a stronger dollar as well as lower commodity prices, especially the lower cost of jet fuel and other goods…
Last May, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum calling on the Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security to establish a national goal and airport-specific action plans at our largest airports to enhance the arrivals process for international travelers to the United States. On Friday, DOC and DHS delivered on the next step in improving the…
Skift interviewed GBTA’s Mike McCormick this week about the potential hit to the economy if the DHS funding bill doesn’t pass. “It means longer lines, disruption, and a risk of business travelers canceling trips,” McCormick said. Associations Now also weighed in on the potential for dire effects of a Homeland Security shutdown. GBTA often talks…
*Last Updated: March 3, 2015 at 11:50am GBTA has been talking for weeks about the serious, unintended consequences on business travel if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill fails to pass leading to a shutdown. Absent a full year funding bill, business travel can easily be disrupted, causing an immediate impact on our…
The looming threat of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown dominated the news this week – so much so that GBTA created an entire blog post devoted to a round-up of coverage on just this. Check out the latest news here. Also this week, The Hill reported that Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx…
*This post was originally sent as an email to GBTA members.* Last Friday, just hours before a midnight funding deadline for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was set to expire, Congress passed a bill that provided one more week of funding for DHS while legislators will yet again attempt to pass a short-term funding…
This afternoon the House passed a bill to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the rest of the fiscal year. This comes after Congress could not come to an agreement last week instead passing a one-week extension to keep DHS funded just hours before the deadline where funding would expires. The hotly…
GBTA began this week just as last week ended – advocating for Congress to pass a bill fully funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). GBTA’s Mike McCormick spoke with Joe Sharkey of The New York Times about how the funding standoff creates uncertainty for the business travel industry, which directly impacts the economy. USA…
Business travel is hard—and expensive—enough. States and local governments shouldn’t make it even harder and more expensive by adding unnecessary taxes on car rentals. But that is exactly what many such governments are doing, and business travelers from companies of all sizes are paying the price, along with automakers, consumers and insurers. It’s time for…
GBTA released its latest business travel forecast for China today as part of a semi-annual series. Sponsored by Visa Inc., the report relates unfolding economic events at home and abroad to their resulting impacts on China’s business travel market. Here are the top five takeaways: China continued its so-called “soft landing” during the second half…
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