Travel for Pennies

Twice as many U.S. companies as previously expected are cutting their travel spending this year in response to economic weakness and uncertainty.

The Association of Corporate Travel Executives says 71% of its member companies now plan to spend less on travel this year than in 2008. That’s a huge and unprecedented shift in corporate travel managers’ plans from just five months ago, says Susan Gurley, the association’s executive director.

In September, when the association — whose members typically manage travel budgets of $50 million to $100 million a year at midsize or large U.S. corporations and institutions — asked about travel spending plans, only 33% of respondents said they expected to cut back. In fact, 36% said they would be spending more on travel in 2009. More…

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Many business travelers look at the air travel system as a necessary evil and figure out a way to make the best of things.

So David Topus got my attention when he told me recently that he regularly gets on an airplane for the sole purpose of meeting potential clients there. It doesn’t really much matter where it’s going, he says, as long as the fare is right.

By flying here and there all the time, he piles up a lot of frequent-flier miles, which usually helps him get free upgrades because he has top-elite status on his regular airline, Delta. And first class, he says, is the ideal place to meet potential clients — people capable of making business decisions or providing direct contact with those who can.

His business plan, assuming a highly honed skill at instant social networking, is ingenious, it seems to me.  More…

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Tags: networking, Travel