79% of business travelers experienced problems while traveling in 2024

Another turbulent year for business travelers. Nearly eight in ten had travel incidents this year, according to a TravelPerk study. Those affected by transportation strikes increased by 21%, while 44% experienced significant delays of more than an hour and 25% suffered cancellations. Despite AI advances, only 10% prefer to keep in touch with chatbots to solve problems.

Doesn't matter what the problem?

The data reveals that both companies and their employees are significantly affected by these issues, with 78% of global business travelers admitting to experiencing disruption during business travel in 2024, 79% in Spain

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The results show that while overall disruption rates remain similar to 2023, the causes vary significantly by region, with cancellations and strikes particularly affecting European markets.

This analysis is based on research commissioned by TravelPerk in Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, which surveyed 4.000 business travelers, as well as global external aviation data.

The 2024 study reveals that one in four (25%) business travelers in Spain encountered cancellations this year when traveling for work, and more than a fifth (21%) experienced problems due to transportation strikes, up from 17% in 2023.

Workers affected were primarily affected by strikes by airline (58%), train (55%) and airport workers (39%).

These disruptions are having a significant impact. Of Spanish respondents, 38% have missed or arrived late to an in-person meeting with a client due to travel disruption, and 36% have incurred additional expenses, such as paying for a hotel and rebooking fees.

To make up for lost time, one-third (34%) of business travelers had to work overtime, and 83% said their work productivity was affected by these interruptions.

To combat these disruptions, more and more workers are admitting (24%) to extending their trips, spending the night before onsite rather than arriving the same day.

BY COUNTRY

The data show striking disparities in how different markets are affected. British and German business travelers were the most affected by transportation strikes (27% and 29%, respectively), compared with 9% of Americans. Meanwhile, U.S. travelers experienced the highest number of cancellations.

There are many factors affecting travel. This July, a computer glitch caused by a Crowdstrike update shocked the travel industry. During that month, only 57% of flights globally operated without delays.

While the United States has the highest volume of cancellations, analysis of third-party flight data reveals that China now leads cancellation rates with 5%, followed by Canada (3%) This represents a change from 2023, when Indonesia topped the list with 13%.