Corporate Travel Management After The Ash in The Wire…from AirPlus Survey

AirPlus International, a global provider of corporate travel payment solutions, releases July’s The Wire…from AirPlus entitled: After the Ash. This month’s survey focused on corporate travel today, since Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption in April. A couple of months have passed since this historic event closed airspace in Europe for five days and The Wire survey found that more than 73 percent of the companies surveyed indicated their travelers or travel management program was affected in some way by the eruption. For almost 63 percent of companies surveyed, the event was a rare opportunity to test their preparedness during an actual crisis and improve their travel programs. For more details, including a complimentary PDF of the results, please visit the AirPlus Community.

“Nearly half of survey respondents felt productivity challenges posed by the inability to travel; whether their employees were already on the road or the necessity to cancel or postpone scheduled meetings. For travelers who were actually stranded, our survey found that travel managers felt ensuring safety and security while also finding hotel rooms, alternate transportation or other accommodations were of utmost importance,” said Richard Crum, President and CEO of AirPlus International, Inc. “Having the right information is key to developing the best plan and for analyzing the effectiveness of your work after such an event. AirPlus delivers the detailed information and provides the management information tools that make it easier for travel professionals to plan for and respond to both the daily business and a crisis.”

The Wire…from AirPlus is a monthly report on the pulse of the industry and its relevant topics. Results of this edition are based on a survey of 41 travel management professionals in North America and Europe from July 15 to July 25, 2010.

AirPlus International provides savings to over 33,000 customers worldwide through a suite of business travel payment solutions which include central bill accounts, corporate cards and online management tools. AirPlus is travel agency neutral, the leading issuer of UATP worldwide and the preferred partner of various airlines such as Air China, British Airways (NYSE:BAB), Continental Airlines (NYSE:CAL), Luxair, Lufthansa German Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, TAP Portugal and Singapore Airlines. For more information, please visit www.airplus.com, contribute to our community at www.airpluscommunity.com, follow us at www.twitter.com/AirPlus, and like us at www.facebook.com/airplusinternational.