GBTA Calls on the EU to Simplify Business Travel in Europe

The Global Business Travel Association is calling on European institutions to ensure that new EU regulations facilitate the booking and management of corporate travel, improve integration between different modes of transportation, and strengthen protections for business travelers in the event of potential incidents.

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has urged European Union institutions to take advantage of the review of passenger rights regulations to simplify business travel and move toward a more integrated mobility system.

The organization has presented its position on the European legislative package regarding passenger rights, which is currently under negotiation, and calls for the new rules to take into account the specific needs of corporate travel programs, travel management companies (TMCs), and the booking tools used by businesses.

One of the main objectives, according to GBTA, should be to make it easier for travelers to compare, book, and manage trips involving different operators or modes of transportation all from a single platform.

Greater Capability to Manage Corporate Travel

GBTA calls for TMCs, corporate booking tools, and authorized distributors to have access to content from transportation providers under fair and non-discriminatory conditions.

The association also advocates that these channels have sufficient capabilities to manage changes, cancellations, and refunds, issues that are particularly relevant when incidents occur during a trip.

For companies, this integration is key to managing travel through centralized systems, controlling costs, enforcing internal policies, and maintaining traceability of trips.

GBTA also considers it necessary to preserve the ability of companiesto configure their booking tools in accordance with their own policies, including agreements with suppliers, negotiated rates, or their sustainability goals.

Greater protection against incidents

Another key point of the proposal is to strengthen passenger rights when a single trip involves multiple operators.

GBTA proposes that trips purchased in a single transaction be covered by joint protection, thereby providing greater clarity regarding responsibilities in the event of delays, cancellations, or missed connections.

The association is also committed to facilitating rerouting and new reservations when incidents occur, with the goal of reducing their impact on travelers and allowing them to complete their journey.

More Integrated Mobility

The organization believes that Europe must move toward greater integration among the various modes of transportation. In this context, it highlights the need to make it easier to compare and book rail and air alternatives, as well as itineraries that combine both options.

For GBTA, reducing existing barriers would make it easier to incorporate different mobility alternatives into corporate travel programs and help companies advance their sustainability goals without compromising connectivity, productivity, or the traveler?s experience.

Ultimately, the association believes that future European regulations should help make business travel easier to book and manage while, at the same time, offer greater protection when incidents arise.