Healthy Spend Continues for BTN Corporate Travel 100
October 2, 2015Healthy spending continued among the 100 companies identified by Business Travel News as those with the highest spending corporate travel programs in the United States, but the 28th annual BTN Corporate Travel 100 saw significant adjustments in the 2015 rankings, based on 2014 spend.
Overall, the CT 100 companies spent an estimated $11.4 billion on air spend in 2014. More than 50 percent of the companies who actively responded to BTN’s research inquiries indicated the same or increased spend volume in 2014 compared to the previous year. Further, many companies, even those with reduced spend in 2014, reported to BTN that 2015 had seen significant travel increases to date. That said, they continue to manage demand with virtual travel technologies, both desktop-based and via specialized virtual meetings technology.
Movements within the rankings reflected the health of respective industries: Online retailer Amazon, for example, jumped to No. 36, compared to last year’s home at No. 72. The Church of Latter-day Saints was among the strongest movers as well, surging to No. 48 on BTN’s list, after barely making the cut at No. 99 last year. On the flip side, energy companies introduced unfamiliar spend restrictions, dropping London-based BP 20 rungs on the ladder and Paris-based Schlumberger 22 spots.
Companies exhibited increased attention to the traveler experience, particularly in terms of disruption management, safety-and-security initiatives, mobile travel apps and a focus on traveler well-being. BTN expects those trends to advance in 2015 and 2016 — not only among the CT 100 but throughout the managed travel industry.