While recently reviewing data collected from Consulting Magazine's "Best Places to Stay" survey, consultants frequently identified one aspect of business travel they would rather do without: Travel agents.
When asked what consultants would like to change about their firm's travel policies, over 20 percent of the consultants polled said they wanted to nix their travel agent.
Based on their comments, the perceived advantages of online booking were straightforward: cheaper rates and greater convenience. The consensus among these consultants seems to be that they feel they can get the same rates—minus the fee—by booking online, where they can choose flights and hotels according to their every whim. Not to mention, via the Internet, they are able to search travel options in their pajamas on a couch at 2:30 am, if they so please. Clearly consultants enjoy exerting greater control over the details of their trip. "I know what seat I like on each plane in each carrier's fleet. I also like to play with scheduling scenarios to get the best fare for my client," says one consultant.
While consultants are known for their hefty frequent flyer miles, our survey revealed that the average consultant takes about 10 flights in a month and one-third of consultants spend more than 125 nights away from home. Given their traveling savvy, consultants have long represented a coveted customer set within the business travel industry. However, consultants aren't the only road warriors that wish to do away with travel agents.
According to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), online travel bookings have continued to grow at the expense of telephone arrangements. TIA claims that 2005 saw a 25 percent rise in online reservations and a 16 percent decline in telephone reservations. PhoCusWright, a research service for the travel and hospitality industry, predicts that by 2008, 64 percent of leisure travel bookings will be done online, which is a sharp increase from 45 percent in 2005. Similarly, 48 percent of all corporate gross bookings will be online by 2008, compared to 31 percent in 2005. If this trend continues, the future for travel agents looks grim—unless they go online.
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