In autumn 2022, Geneva Airport conducted a survey of regional economic players (multinationals, travel agencies, umbrella organizations) to determine current trends in business travel. The results reveal new expectations, changes in practices and a greater awareness of the environmental impact of flights.

The survey’s key finding was that 88% of companies surveyed put ecological concerns at the top of their priorities. Rail travel is increasingly preferred for short journeys, while videoconferencing is replacing some travel, particularly for internal meetings.

Companies and organizations also admit to having become more cost-conscious. Ticket prices have become a key element when booking a trip: some of these have increased by around 50% compared to 2021 levels, and are set to rise by a further 10% in 2023. Despite this, companies continue to prioritize the comfort of their employees, with the majority booking business class tickets.

Companies are also looking at ways of reducing the ecological footprint of flights, and around 20% of those surveyed are already offsetting the CO2 emissions of their employees’ travel.  The majority, however, prefer the SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) solution, with some companies prepared to pay extra for the use of this fuel.

With the development of “bleisure”, i.e. the combination of business travel with leisure, the duration of trips is also tending to increase (4.57 days in 2019 versus 7.12 days in 2022).

Most companies prefer direct flights, even if there is an additional cost. When asked about the development of intercontinental routes from Geneva, the business community gives priority to Singapore, Tokyo and Sao Polo.

As this survey shows, the evolution of corporate travel practices is real, and bears witness to a desire to limit their environmental impact. Participants in the survey also underline the importance of business travel to their business, which is why AERIA+ is committed to promoting and defending a sustainable, high-performance airport infrastructure at the service of the regional economy.