logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2021
18m 15s

Does business travel have a future?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Why fly when you can videoconference? After a year of Covid lockdowns, that's the question many business executives are asking themselves.

Manuela Saragosa speaks to one frequent flyer, Juliette Kayyem, who says that after a year of being grounded, she now thinks more about time with her kids, not to mention the carbon footprint of all her air miles. And she's not the only one - business travel consultant Scott Gillespie says corporate travel managers across the planet are now using the opportunity to reassess the financial and climate cost of their entire corporate travel policy.

So should the airlines and travel agencies be afraid? After all, business clients pay the fattest profit margins. We ask Jeffrey Goh, chief executive of the world's biggest airline grouping, the Star Alliance, plus Evan Konwiser of American Express' global business travel agency.

Producer: Laurence Knight

(Picture: A woman with a suitcase at the Madrid airport; Credit: Alejandro Martinez Velez/Europa Press via Getty Images)

Up next
Today
The cocoa conundrum
<p>Can Europe be weaned off cheap chocolate? EU efforts to block cocoa linked to deforestation were due to come into force at the end of this year – but have faced multiple delays. Another vote is due to take place soon. Some parties are pushing for further delay and modification ... Show More
20m 42s
Yesterday
Is this the end for South East Asia's scam centres?
<p>It’s one of the biggest human trafficking operations of modern times. Scam centres across South East Asia have been making hundreds of billions of dollars annually, it’s estimated, conning people into fake crypto-currency investment schemes. </p><p>But now these centres could ... Show More
18m 29s
Nov 24
Monetising Machu Picchu
<p>Peru is home to Machu Picchu - the ancient Inca city in the Andes mountains. </p><p>It's one of the seven wonders of the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The popular tourist destination attracts millions of visitors, making it very lucrative for the government, local a ... Show More
17m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2013
Travel
Travel companies have recently had to weather the storms of recession for their customers and major upheaval at popular holiday destinations around the world.Evan Davis finds out how airlines and tour companies plan for their seasonal business in light of economic crisis in Greec ... Show More
28m 1s
Jun 2023
Flying Circus?
As Covid restrictions were eased last year, the demand to travel abroad by air overtook the readiness of the industry to cope, leading to thousands of flights being cancelled and enormous queues at several airport terminals because of a shortage of staff across the board from sec ... Show More
28m 48s
May 2021
Future of travel - 'vacc-ications', higher airfares and cheaper hotel rooms
The future of travel in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic will be characterised by higher air fares, cheaper hotel rooms and fewer but longer trips, according to industry expert Sadiq Gillani. Speaking to the Business Extra podcast’s Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner, Mr Gillani ... Show More
26m 42s
Jan 2024
Cindy Asks, "Is It Too Late To Get Into eCommerce?"
Ryan selected this coaching call from The One Percent to share on the podcast for a very specific reason. Cindy has been in business for 14 years but that whole time she was selling directly to businesses - she is just now getting started in the direct to consumer eCommerce world ... Show More
27m 15s
Apr 2023
Airlines are looking to reclaim their groove
Airlines aren’t doing the hottest at the moment — just look at the headlines about Southwest’s latest spate of flight cancelations. According to Samuel Engel, senior vice president at the consultancy ICF, that’s been due to higher labor costs and a slowdown in highly-profitable b ... Show More
8m 49s
Apr 2024
Merging Competitors: U.S. Airways and American Airlines
In February 2013, U.S. Airways announced that it would merge with American Airlines to create the world’s largest airline. During the acquisition, then-CEO Doug Parker and his board had transformative decisions to make. How should two large corporations merge their operations? Wh ... Show More
28m 22s
Jan 2021
#3: How Does A Business Die? Our Detectives Are On The Case!
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here's the sad reality: countless businesses close their doors every day. It's not always for the same reason, and sometimes, the problems in a business totally sneak up on you.<br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /> In Part ... Show More
35m 16s
Mar 2016
#140: Gary Kelly—How Southwest Airlines Cultivates Amazing Company Culture
Is it possible to keep your company’s culture intact and offer unbelievable customer service—even when your business is growing fast? Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines, believes you can. Even though Southwest employs 50,000 and serve 118 million passengers per year, he and h ... Show More
54m 26s