Oh those precious corporate travellers with their gripes about business lounges being full of normal folk these days and the wine not chilled enough when they turn left on entering an aircraft.
Not really.
But Carlson Wagonlit Travel has taken a look at what REALLY annoys business travellers when they hit the road, speaking to 6,000 regular jet-setters from nine global companies.
The study asked travellers to rank 33 co-called stress factors that can occur at different stages of a journey according to how much it winds them up.
It discovered there are basically three categories of stress associated with business travel: incidents which break a routine; surprises; and when time is lost.
Alongside pulling together the list of top worries, CWT found:
- Stress increases with age and the frequency of travel (perhaps not to surprising there)
- Women are generally more stressed out than men
- Top execs are generally more stressed out (probably not entirely travel-related)
- North Americans have higher stress levels than those from other countries when faced with a language they do not know
So here, in order of greatest stress triggers (look out for the tech, web and distribution-related anxieties):
- Lost or delayed baggage
- Poor/no internet connection
- Flying economy on medium and long haul
- Delays
- Inconvenient departure/arrival times
- Low hotel category
- Inconvenient hotel location
- Last-minute requested trips
- Not able to eat healthily
- Travelling during weekends
- Length of journey to reach destination
- Flying indirect versus direct
- Required visa application
- Not able to maintain workout routine
- Getting through customs and security
- New language at destination
- Using restricted fares
- Reimbursement
- Geopolitical context at destination
- Long stays (+3 nights)
- Flying to a new destination
- Working long hours at destination
- Different time zone (jetlag)
- Getting to the airport/station
- Immigration control at destination
- Flying a non-preferred airline
- Using an online booking tool
- Carrying cash
- Flying economy on short haul
- Renting a car
- Contacting a travel agent
- Taking a taxi
- Fear of flying
Fear of flying? Shouldn’t have accepted the promotion there…
NB: Angry business traveller image via Shutterstock.
Related posts:
About Kevin May
Well, I can relate to a lot of that!
Interestingly 5 out of the top 10 (3,5,6,7 &10) are, in my experience, the product of unalterably changed travel policy aimed at driving down costs at many major corporates and at least 3 I have experienced directly. Plus, further down the list -11,12,17 & 29 – the latter being particularly interesting since one very major corporate I know now insists that ALL levels of employee travel coach on all journeys unless there is a compelling and pre-approved reason. (And yes, my spies inform me, the policy is generally enforced!)
Given that policy related factors are out of the traveler’s control and that the compulsion to be in touch 24/7 is now of epidemic proportions, I can see why 2 ranks where it does. On a “weighted average” view of trips it is easily #1 – since lost luggage, profoundly annoying as it is, remains pretty rare.
Ho hum, the joys of corporate life ain’t what they used to be!
I am surprised to see flight cancellations – esp when trying to get home – are not on that list, unless that is counted as “delays”?
and would “Using an online booking tool” specifically refer to fighting your way through ryanair.com