On the Road Again

Indeed, it appears that consultants were among the first to return to the air after travel resumed a few days after the attacks. A.T. Kearney, for example, reported a tremendous surge in travel planning the week after the attacks that it attributed to pent-up demand from consultants who had been unable to get to client sites for a week. The firm's travel agency saw its call volume triple on September 17th, the first Monday the airports were reopened.

Booz-Allen & Hamilton initially saw spending on air travel drop significantly to about 40 percent below normal levels in September. That figure rebounded slightly in the first half of October, to 15 to 20 percent below normal. While these numbers might seem like a drastic drop, Doug Weeks, the firm's corporate travel manager based in McLean, VA, noted that companies in other industries had reported travel at 60 to 80 percent below normal.

In retrospect, Weeks found that travel was not a matter of "if" but "when" for most consultants. "It really amazed me how easily consultants have gotten back on airplanes," he says. "But I think that is more reflective of our business. I don't think we have a choice."

Travel's New Reality

Even as consultants began traveling again, they seemed to recognize that the new reality of travel has taken away a degree of spontaneity in their travel habits.

It is easy to see why. Increased airport security is causing most travelers to arrive at the airport two to three hours before a flight. Cutbacks in airline staffing, flight schedules, and even meal service have made careful planning a necessity rather than a luxury. Getting on a flight at the last minute or planning trips with a tight schedule of flight connections is a much less viable option in travel planning than it was just a few months ago. "We have always assumed that we could just get on a plane and fly to a client and be back two days later," says Kreisky. "But those assumptions have been set aside for the time being, because travel has become far less convenient."

In addition to planning to cool their heels at the airport for a few hours, consultants are planning their trips much more carefully, creating alternative arrangements in case of a missed connection, a canceled flight, or an unexpected delay. When Paul Laudicina, a vice president with A.T. Kearney in Alexandria, VA, flew to Minnesota to make a client presentation on a Sunday night, he carefully planned his flight schedule to make a board meeting in Washington the next morning. At the same time, he looked for an alternative travel schedule in case he missed his flight connection. "A few months ago, there would have been two other flight options," he says. "Now, you have to clearly work out with the client what types of time constraints there are and share with them any scheduling concerns you have."

For example, before Laudicina departed for a two-week trip to Europe and Asia in October to hold client meetings with key accounts, he made sure he had videoconferencing capabilities set up at each location and with each client in case his trip was delayed and he could not make a meeting in person. The precaution was unnecessary. Ironically, Laudicina found domestic travel in the U.S. to be more difficult than international travel. Although he left more time to make connections, Laudicina, who has logged more than a million miles on one airline during his career, found that it took no more time than usual to navigate customs and security overseas despite enhanced security. It was only once he arrived in the U.S. for the last leg of his flight from Tokyo that he encountered any significant delays.

It is precisely the delays and additional time required for air travel that have also caused some consultants to rethink their mode of travel. Following increased demand for train travel among consultants — particularly those in the northeast — Booz-Allen & Hamilton began negotiating a contract with Amtrak. The formerly inconvenient train rides of several hours in the Boston/New York/Washington corridor are suddenly becoming an attractive alternative to flying.

Taking a Toll

Unfortunately, consultants traveling longer distances have fewer choices — and it is taking a toll on some of them. CGEY's Perez has lately been spending most weekdays working on a project in the San Francisco area and traveling home to New York only on weekends. Although she still keeps to that schedule these days, travel has become much more difficult. For one thing, her usual Friday night red-eye flight is no longer available, causing her to give up her Saturday to take an 8:30 a.m. flight that does not arrive in New York until late afternoon. "I have really lost the ability to have a choice that works for me," she says. "You understand why, but it is still frustrating and inhibits your ability to be effective."

Consultants with more control over their own schedules are using that freedom to reduce the number of trips they take and to structure their travel more efficiently. Mercer's Kreisky has been able to travel less frequently by eliminating all nonessential travel, working several client meetings into each trip, and relying on conference calls for meetings that a few months ago would have been face-to-face.

Kreisky, who made frequent international trips during the 1991 Gulf War, admits that his position as a senior-level consultant working in a media industry concentrated in New York provides him with a greater degree of flexibility than others might have. As a result, he has been able to reduce his travel schedule from two trips a week to one. Nevertheless, he recognizes that he will eventually resume a more frequent travel schedule as things settle down. "You can't stop your life, but you can be wise in terms of reducing probabilities," he says.

Firm Policies

Although consulting firms are well aware of how time-consuming and inconvenient travel has become, they are not making moves to curtail client-related trips. A.T. Kearney had already restricted non-client-related travel before September 11th as a cost-cutting measure. However, the only change made after the attacks was to restrict all nonessential trips going to the Middle East.

"Our travel policies have not changed, and I don't think that will happen," says Booz-Allen & Hamilton's Weeks. Yet, while the firm has not halted travel, it also did not mandate travel for consultants who were uncomfortable traveling in the weeks and months after the attacks. "We understand that people have concerns, so they can talk to their manager or the partner in charge of their group to make arrangements to meet client needs without having to travel," he says. Several other firms have made a similar policy statement.

Although firms have stated that they will not force their consultants to travel, consultants indicate that avoiding travel is neither a practical nor a realistic long-term strategy for anyone serious about building a consulting career. To be sure, in the short term, consultants can rely more heavily on tools like conference calls and videoconferencing to take the place of face-to-face meetings. However, most consultants recognize that "consulting is built on personal relationships, and those can be difficult to develop if you are back at the home office looking at a spreadsheet," says Barbara Herman, a vice president with A.T. Kearney in Cambridge, MA. "You have to be with clients some portion of the time, especially as you become more senior and your skills become more specialized."

Indeed, the consultants who traveled in the weeks immediately following the attacks found that their willingness to travel so soon was not only very much appreciated by clients but also helped to solidify the relationships. "Our business is meeting the needs of people," says Laudicina. "Ultimately, getting to know your clients well and building trust in the relationship really needs to be done in person."

For others, the decision to get back to business was made as much on principle as on business necessity. "The purpose of these attacks was to make us live in fear, but we can't let that happen," says Laseter.

Of course, getting back to normal won't necessarily be easy. When Stephen Mostov boarded a Boeing 767 for a flight from Newark, NJ, to San Francisco a few weeks after the attacks, he couldn't help thinking about another flight on that route that never made it to its destination.

Nevertheless, he and many of his peers continue to travel. After all, the client awaits.

Sidebar: Cooling Your Heels

Consultants traveling in the wake of the September 11th attacks shared some strategies for easing the inconveniences of travel:

• Pack carefully. Aside from confiscating the oft-mentioned nail clippers and knitting needles, airport security is reportedly searching luggage more frequently. Therefore, it is a good idea not only to pack light but to eliminate any unnecessary items that could slow down a security check.

• Dress casually. Dressing casually is likely to make you feel more comfortable during delays and will not make you stand out as a business person, a distinction that can be important when traveling internationally.

• Leave more time in your travel schedule. Leaving more time to make flight connections is critical. Talk with clients about travel schedules and make realistic judgments about the time needed for each leg of the trip.

• Consider using smaller airports. Smaller airports mean a lower volume of travelers and shorter lines when checking in and when going through security.

• Choose your trips carefully. Most clients understand the hassles involved in travel these days and are more likely to be content with a conference call instead of a face-to-face meeting. Therefore, it is a good idea to plan travel only for projects or situations in which your personal presence is essential.

• Talk to someone. Some firms have shown a willingness to find nontravel assignments for consultants who are still nervous about flying. In addition, consultants report that Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, for example, has made counselors available to help individuals work through any problems and concerns regarding travel.