"Full time travel management is the exception"

Only 13% of companies in Europe and the US have someone who spends more than 75% of the working week on travel, the new AirPlus International study has found.

The survey, launched at the London Business Travel Show, found that full time management was the exception not the rule.

Even for corporates with a high spend, only 38% had a full time manager.

For medium sized companies, this figure dropped to 13% while for small companies it was just 4%.

The drop in full time travel management was one of the study's main findings.

Other main findings were that despite the often gloomy economic predictions, the majority of travel managers (58%) expect travel to go on growing - along with their travel costs.

Costs were a major area of concern with 53% believing they would rise and only 13% expecting a fall.

Tackling these costs was back as the number one concern with 54% saying it was the top priority.

Other major concerns were revealed as traveller support and security and optimising internal processes.

The survey also revealed a slow down in implementing travel policy and introducing new technology like electronic invoicing.

Yael Klein, UK managing director of AirPlus, said: "If there is a slow down in the transition to strategic travel management, the explanation may lie in a new question we ask this year about how long respondents spend on travel.

"Only 13% say they devote more than three quarters of their working week to it."

"Companies enjoy a significant return when they invest more time in travel management."

* see BTE Analysis for a fuller look at the AirPlus study.

More reports from the Business Travel Show……

Major shift in CSRCorporate Social Responsibility: A concept whereby companies and organisations form policies for the good of society. Responsibity is taken for the impact which an organisation's activities have on, for example, customers, employees, shareholders and the environment. It also entails a duty of care towards its employees. support

The number of companies with a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) charter has more than doubled in two years to 59%, according to the latest ACTEAssociation of Corporate Travel Executives: A non-profit association that represents the global business travel industry. It provides executive-level educational programmes and carries out independent industry research. Its members come from all areas of business travel - from corporate buyers to suppliers. Provides members with a forum for sharing ideas and also offers independent advice. /KDS survey.

The survey also found a leap of 15% from 20% to 25% in the number of companies which provide senior executives with reports on carbon emissions produced by its travel.

Only 34% of companies have a sustainable travel company, compared with 32% in 2006, the survey found.

But there was a significant rise from 23% in 2006 to 36% last year in companies which were suggesting travel should be cut for environmental reasons.

Susan Gurley, ACTE's global executive director, said CSR was establishing new levels of what is environmentally acceptable to the travel industry.

"Ten year ago, this was the farthest thing from anyone's mind," she said.

"This is a major industry shift that goes beyond a trend or a public relations campaign.

"It is the beginning of behavioural change that clearly indicates companies and their travellers support corporate social responsibility because it is the right thing to do."

Stanislas Berteloot, marketing director of KDS, said: "Travellers' are becoming increasingly eco-conscious as our study shows and their travel booking behaviour is starting to impact corporate travel management."

* 263 travellers took part in the online survey, the vast bulk from the US and Europe.

Corporates move away from single TMCs

The number of UK companies using a single TMC dropped by 14% in the past year, according to the latest survey by online hotel booking agency HRS.

The survey found that among FTSE 500 companies, the fall was by 25%.

HRS's UK Companies Business Travel Report questioned 50 FTSE companies and 250 medium sized enterprises.

The report said more corporates were now using specialist agencies, including one on four FTSE companies.  Companies questioned were also increasingly decentralising travel procurement with 71% leaving individuals sand teams to organise their own travel needs, an increase of 23% on 2006.

The report claimed that as corporates decentralised travel procurement, TMCs were "simply not seen as a requirement any longer."

They were also "feeling the pinch from companies squeezing their management fee margins and insisting on receiving financial benefits themselves," HRS said.

It added that management and transaction fees had dropped "by an average of 33% on last year with fees for train tickets and car hire particularly badly hit."

The survey said that 55% of companies were aware their agents "receive financial incentives from travel providers and now insist on receiving benefits themselves."

Grant Appleton, commercial director of HRS, said: "TMCs need to address their business models if they want to be here in five years' time.

"Corporates are seeing the benefits of using specialist agencies and booking direct in order to get the best deals."

HRG to launch new tools

Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) announced the launch of a new Point of Sale (POS) tool, a new car rental system and an air fare pricing system.

It also plans to enhance its existing online booking tool.

The POS, to be launched in March, will bring to gather all global booking systems, including GDSs, direct connections and websites into a single information source.

The tool will also give specific information, like travel policy and booking history.

Bill Brindle, HRG's technology and distribution director, said the toll would "cut through the complexity and diversity" that exists in the market.
The new Car Management System aims at cutting costs on global car hire while the Global Pricing Desk is aimed at finding the best fares for multi-sector trips.
It is available in Europe and will be launched in North America and Asia Pacific later this year.

Train Smartcard "one step closer"

TheTrainline, a UK online booking system for rail, is launching a smartcard system which will cut the need for paper tickets.
The company said it expected Trainline Smart to be used for 50% of rail ticket sales by 2012.
Trainline Smart uses ITSO, the UK government defined standard for smartcards.
This will be rolled out during the year and TheTrainline will pilot schemes later this year for passengers to use smartcards at stations where smart ticketing is accepted.
The Trainline Smart functionality can also be added to a corporate charge cards removing the need to carry separate pieces of plastic.
Adrian Watts, director of sales and distribution at TheTrainline, said: "This is a massive step towards integrated national smart ticketing.
"Not only will Trainline Smart remove the need for paper tickets, but as train operating companies begin to install smart enabled readers, only one card will be needed when travelling UK wide by rail, bus and London Underground."

* see the latest jobs on BTE's recruitment site www.businesstraveljobs.com