Corporate Traveller identifies key strategies for business travel savings

By Newsdesk

February 16 2024
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Flight Centre Travel Group's Corporate Traveller, a premier service provider for managing SME travel, has shared several effective strategies that enabled their business clients to significantly reduce their corporate travel expenses by more than 30% throughout 2023.

Corporate Traveller identifies key strategies for business travel savings

The disclosure is timely as a recent survey found that 91% of SMEs plan to continue their travel activities notwithstanding economic uncertainties this year. Tom Walley, the Global Managing Director of Corporate Traveller in Australia, indicated that implementing these strategies could result in considerable savings for companies.

Walley explained, "By booking airfares a month ahead of the travel date, a company can save up to $200 on a single one-way domestic ticket." This insight is particularly valuable given the 28.7% increase in 'revenue passenger kilometres' to 67.6 billion witnessed last year within Australia, signaling a growing trend in travel expenditures.

One notable strategy involves early flight bookings, debunking the common belief in the benefits of last-minute deals. Walley shared a success story, "Last year, one of our clients aimed to improve their annual advance purchase by 20 per cent, shifting 33 per cent of their bookings from within two weeks to at least four weeks in advance. This adjustment led to an average trip cost reduction of $137 per booking, accumulating total savings of $120,000 across 800 bookings."

Additionally, Walley highlighted the value of joining travel programs, such as Corporate Traveller’s SmartStay, which offers exclusive deals on hotels, including perks like free breakfast, late checkout, and room upgrades.

Another important recommendation is choosing flights with favorable terms for changes, credits, or cancellations, which could offer significant financial benefits when plans change. "It's vital to examine the terms and conditions of a fare carefully. Some may seem to allow flight credits in the event of cancellation, but with restrictions that could end up costing more," said Walley.

Further advice includes encouraging employees to travel with only carry-on luggage for short trips to save costs, utilizing 'last room availability' options for hotel bookings to secure contracted rates, and packaging flight, hotel, and transfer bookings to save time and money.

Importantly, selecting hotels near the Central Business District (CBD) to minimize transport costs is suggested. With Australians expected to spend a record $1.77 billion USD on ride-hailing apps this year, choosing centrally located hotels can lead to significant annual savings, according to Walley.

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