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Neu-Isenburg, February 6, 2025
Despite the economic weakness experienced in individual countries, European companies spent an average of 1.3 percent more on business travel in 2024 than in the previous year. This is shown by an analysis of the air ticket transactions processed by corporate payment expert AirPlus ("AirPlus Business Travel Index") in the European core markets (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the UK).
However, differences between the countries became apparent: While spending in Switzerland and especially in the Netherlands grew more strongly, increasing by 4.9 percent and 8.1 percent respectively, Germany saw a 1.5 percent decline. The UK performed above average with a plus of 2.6 percent.
It also became apparent in 2024 that major events such as the Olympic Games in Paris and the European Football Championship and Oktoberfest in Germany were no longer drivers for business trips.
During these events, flights to the destination from the AirPlus core markets were booked less frequently than the annual average, as the exact figures below show:
Possible reasons for this are that hotel rooms and flight tickets become a rare and expensive commodity during such events, and that compliance guidelines are making it increasingly difficult for companies to invite customers or partners to high-priced events.
In the AirPlus Business Travel Index, AirPlus confirms other travel habits and trends of recent years that are likely to continue to play an important role in 2025.
16.3 percent of business trips started on a Saturday or Sunday (2023: 15.8 percent). The habit of combining a private trip with a business trip (also known as "bleisure") is one possible explanation for the trend. Another is that travelers planned time buffers as a precaution due to strikes, delays, and cancellations.
Many companies have now incorporated measures for more sustainable business travel into their travel policies. It is therefore hardly surprising that the proportion of domestic flights and one-day trips continued to fall (from 32.3 to 31.4 and from 6.8 to 6.5 percent respectively). The average duration of a business trip increased slightly to 6.1 days (2023: 5.9 days).
The advance booking period rose from an average of 26.4 to 28.9 days. It is likely that companies wanted to ensure planning security and secure favorable rates early on.
The favorites from 2023 were again in high demand in 2024, with only a slight shift intercontinentally:
About AirPlus International:
AirPlus International is a leading international provider of corporate payment solutions. 55,000 corporate customers rely on AirPlus for the payment and evaluation of their business trips and other purchasing services. The products and services are marketed worldwide under the AirPlus International brand. AirPlus is an issuer of the UATP and Mastercard card schemes. The AirPlus Company Account is the most successful billing account within the UATP. For more information, visit www.airplus.com .
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