Severe weather, IT outages, transport strikes, protests and geopolitical events – the business traveler is no stranger to the extensive variety of incidences that can disrupt travel.
It certainly feels like travel disruption has ramped up recently – from July’s CrowdStrike outage – which resulted in cancellations and disruption for all flights for US carriers United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines – to severe weather warnings across different parts of the country.
Yet did you know working with a travel management company (TMC) can help minimize that disruption and get your corporate travelers back on the move? Here’s how:
Strong relationships with suppliers and partners
TMCs have an extensive network of partners, which allows them to monitor developments affecting travel in real-time. They proactively share updates with travelers and offer support in rearranging travel plans if original itineraries have been impacted. A TMC’s strong relationships with their suppliers enable them to secure more flexible booking policies. This allows them to make last-minute updates to travel arrangements if needed.
Robust processes in place to support travelers
As a global TMC, Reed & Mackay has a network of processes in place to ensure business travel can keep moving. Our global Incident Management Unit (IMU) team monitors news feeds 24/7/365, including communications from our suppliers. This allows us to remain up-to-date and aware of potential incidences that may affect travel arrangements as far in advance as possible.
When an incident occurs, the IMU team verifies the information by at least two sources and contacts consultants and clients directly to provide them with useful and practical advice. Alerts are shared with our Operations team. This means clients are always kept informed and updated wherever they are in the world and are provided with comprehensive and thorough alternatives, ensuring they always get to where they need to be. We are proud that 94% of the time we contact clients informing them of updates before they reach out to us. For example, in 2023, the IMU team sent around 3,000 travel alerts to clients.
The 24/7/365 support from a TMC ensures it provides immediate assistance to travelers who are stranded in transit. Additionally, traveler tracking tools enable organizations to view the exact location of their travelers. Companies can therefore identify affected travelers and ensure their safety during times of disruption.
As our incident response is not an outsourced service it means someone is always dedicated to constantly monitoring anything that could affect clients’ travel plans, which – especially in today’s travel landscape – is crucial.
Help with travel policy compliance
Ensuring travelers are adhering to your company’s travel policy is key; if travelers book outside the travel program it scatters booking data across various platforms and is hard to keep track of. So travel policy compliance is particularly important when travel disruption occurs.
Program fragmentation also heightens security risks in terms of an organization’s duty of care to its employees, potentially impacting the travel manager’s ability to respond to travelers in a crisis. Using a TMC’s end-to-end booking solutions not only saves time for travelers and travel managers, but also streamlines data visibility while facilitating full control over the travel program.
Further tips to mitigate potential travel disruption
If your travelers are visiting a destination where a high-profile or large-scale event is taking place, airport and train stations are likely to be busier. Authorities then step-up security at airports and train stations at these times, which also means longer immigration wait times. Keep this in mind when planning travel or scheduling business meetings.
Public transport will also be more congested, particularly around venues hosting these events. To avoid traveling among large crowds, book ground transportation for your business travelers in advance of their trips, as that will also be in high demand.
Keep channels of communication open. Prepare travelers for all pre-trip eventualities, update traveler profiles, provide all the emergency numbers at the destination, and ensure they have the best travel insurance in place.
