Nearly 8 in 10 business travellers experienced travel disruptions in 2024

Only 10% of travelers prefer chatbots to support them when facing disruption

Global business travel management platform, TravelPerk, has published its second annual Travel Disruption Report. 

The data reveals that travel disruptions continue to significantly impact businesses and their employees worldwide, with 78% of business travelers impacted during their work trips in 2024. The findings show that while overall disruption rates remain similar to 2023, the causes vary significantly by region, with cancellations and strikes particularly affecting European markets.

The insights are based on global research commissioned by TravelPerk in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and Spain, surveying 4,000 business travelers, as well as third-party global aviation data analyzed by TravelPerk. 

The 2024 study reveals that more than one in four (27%) business travelers faced cancellations this year when traveling for work, while over a fifth (21%) experienced disruptions due to weather events and transport strikes. 

The significant impact of travel disruption affects business and employees. Of those polled, 41% had missed or were late for an in-person meeting with a customer due to travel disruptions, and 40% incurred additional costs such as paying for a hotel and rebooking fees. 

To make up for lost time, over one-third (36%) of business travelers had to work extra hours to catch up on missed work, and 85% said that their work productivity was impacted by these disruptions. Perhaps to combat these disruptions, more and more travelers (23%) are extending their trips to stay overnight, rather than return on the day. 

Regional data shows striking disparities in how different markets are affected. British and German business travelers faced the highest impact from transport strikes (27% and 29% respectively) compared to just 9% in the US. 

Meanwhile, US travelers experienced the most cancellations during the period analyzed (139,777 flights were canceled from March to September 2024), and the highest rate of weather-related disruptions at 30%, significantly above the global average of 21%.

And it is not just weather and strikes that are impacting travel. Shockwaves were sent through the global travel industry this July due to the IT outage caused by a Crowdstrike. 

In July, just 57% of flights operated with no delay.

While the US has the highest volume of cancellations, analysis of third-party flight data reveals that China now leads in terms of cancellation rates at nearly 5%, followed by Canada (3%) and the US (3%). This represents a shift from 2023, when Indonesia topped the list at 13%.

Tomasz Wrzaszcz, Travel Intelligence Specialist at TravelPerk said: “Though each region faces unique challenges, the end result for business travelers is the same: more time spent in airports, train stations or bus depots, and fewer hours of both productive working or time at home. For the TravelPerk disruptions team, it is essential to try and predict these events ahead of time, and proactively notify travelers and try to offer them multiple solutions to consider. Our priority is to help travelers to feel in control when the uncontrollable happens.” 

“Travel can be unpredictable. At any moment travelers have to navigate weather changes, geo-political impact or technical faults leaving them feeling helpless, confused and frustrated.” said Kamil Jagodzinski, VP of customer care of TravelPerk. 

“When disruption occurs it’s key that our customers feel supported by being quick and efficient. Our data shows that despite technological advances, only 10% of travelers want help from a chatbot over a human customer care agent. 

"At TravelPerk, we’ve integrated AI into our customer service teams so we can leverage this technology to handle double the volume of customer queries versus 2023, with the same number of human agents - ensuring customers are able to speak with a human when something unexpected unfolds.”

In today's business environment, the ability to navigate travel disruptions effectively can make the difference between securing or losing crucial business opportunities as TravelPerk customers need to travel for a variety of reasons whether it’s to fix a wind turbine or sign the dotted line. 

Yasmine Bratt, chief revenue officer of TravelPerk, said:  “With 85% of people saying that disruptions impacted their productivity, the missed opportunity for businesses can be significant. 

"Businesses that enable their employees to be more flexible, by arriving the night before or taking the most efficient mode of transport, can more effectively mitigate the impact of disruption - both on their employees and their bottom line.”