- Most popular airline routes have changed since 2019 – OAG
- Higher airline ticket prices offsetting fall in trips
- Environmental concerns a factor for some companies
SYDNEY/CHICAGO, Nov 7 (Reuters) – Airlines around the world are ripping up schedules and bringing in new flights to cope with a COVID-triggered trend in corporate travel for executives like Jerome Harris – the scrapping of one-day business trips in favour of longer stays.
For Sydney-based Harris, exhausting one-day treks to Melbourne or Brisbane – meaning four taxi rides, two flights, extended waits and the risk of delays – are no more after a pandemic-driven reassessment of his travel habits.
Industry data show business travellers are taking longer trips than before COVID-19, leaving airlines adjusting flight plans. Environmental concerns, rising ticket prices, increased flight cancellations amid staff shortages and a boom in online videoconferencing are all undermining the…