A lot of business travelers come off as know-it-alls, moving effortlessly from their towncars to their first-class lounges to the front of the plane, where they’re served mimosas as they recline in their ergonomic leather seats.
But these so-called “road warriors” aren’t necessarily as smart as they look. If they were, then why would they spend half their lives on the road? After all, travel — and particularly air travel — is the civilian equivalent of waterboarding when you aren’t sitting in first class.
And why would they spend so much money on it? Although business travelers comprise only one-third of airline passenger traffic, they account for more than half the air carriers’ revenue.
Duh.
Truth is, business travelers are often trapped in thankless jobs, and their jetsetting lifestyle only seems glamorous. I know because I not only used to be a business traveler, I also used to cover it as a reporter. Know what? The only thing more unusual than a happy road warrior is a happy columnist who covers business travel.
A few years ago, Microsoft released a survey that suggested two-thirds of business travelers would just as soon spend time in a dentist’s chair as go on their next business trip. Enough said.
But you can learn something from our collective misery. Here are the three biggest sins committed by business travelers.
1. Believing your corporate travel manager is on your side.
At a large company, business travel is overseen by a corporate travel manager, who in turn supervises a dedicated on-site travel department. Employees are made to feel as if their travel manager works for them — ensuring they’ll have a safe and productive trip. But that’s not entirely true. Corporate travel managers are primarily there to control costs, and the most experienced road warriors know that. They’re aware of the fact that these mid-level managers are charged with enforcing strict travel policies designed to send a company’s entire business to several preferred airlines or hotels. A survey by the National Business Travel Association leaves no doubt about that. It found that one-third of travel managers reported to the finance department in their companies, “illustrating how strategically important travel management is to a corporation’s overall financial strategy.” Often, the only time company bean counters care about their employees is when they break the rules and book outside of their corporate travel policy.
Lesson learned: As a leisure traveler, this may be a good time to ask if your travel agent is on your side. Are you being steered toward a particular cruise or hotel because it’s the best one for you — or because it’s the best one for your agent? If you have a terrific travel advisor, there will be no doubt about your answer.
2. Thinking frequent flier miles are a reward for your loyalty.
Puh-lease! These highly-profitable “reward” programs aren’t set up for the benefit of customers. They’re there to enrich the airline, car rental company or hotel. Business travelers are issued miles that technically don’t even belong to them, are difficult to redeem and expire quickly. A few years ago, frequent fliers admitted to their increasing frustrations with mileage programs, with half the respondents to a survey complaining that cashing their miles for a ticket was more difficult than ever. Travel companies benefit far more from the arrangement. In exchange, they get the irrational loyalty of travelers. Road warriors go out of their way to fly on an airline, even when it costs more, takes longer and is less convenient. Elites may feel special and they may behave like royalty but in the end, they are victims.
Lesson learned: Don’t get hooked. If you understand that these so-called “awards” aren’t there to reward you, and instead are meant to turn you into a mindless customer drone, you can resist the dangerous pull of these programs. Candace Chambers-Belida, a writer from Corona, Calif., wishes she had. Her 21,000 hard-earned American Airlines miles recently expired without warning. “What’s a girl to do?” she wondered.
3. Complaining too much.
Most business travelers are get-along kind of folks like Brandon Weber, a managing partner for a technology firm in Brooklyn, Mich., whose philosophy is “grin and bear it.” But some aren’t. Some whine and complain like there’s no tomorrow, even though they have access to special Platinum-only phone lines where they can deal with English-speaking agents and get almost every rule bent for the asking. They complain because they’re miserable and they don’t care if they’re ruining travel for the rest of us. These frequent criers are poisoning the experience, whether you travel by plane, train or automobile. Many of these shrill road warriors are partially responsible for the low morale of the employees who are supposed to be serving them. How can you possibly help someone who is inconsiderate, grumpy and abusive?
Lesson learned: Keep your powder dry for the truly awful customer service, which you will eventually encounter. Being the proverbial squeaky wheel will get you attention in the short term — may even solve your problem — but if you’re a frequent whiner, they’ll catch on to your routine. After a while, it won’t work.
So listen up, leisure travelers. The only person you can rely on when you travel is you. Gimmicky rewards programs are — well, gimmicky. And unless you have a legitimate complaint, keep your opinions to yourself.
If you don’t heed my advice, you could end up like me: one of the pathetic business travel drones who wishes he could just stay home.
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Chambers-Belida must not travel very much on American. American’s miles don’t expire unless there is no activity on your account for 1.5 years. There are so many ways to earn miles that it’s hard to not have activity for 1.5 years. I even earn AA miles for every purchase I make from iTunes – which refreshes the date until my miles expire.
Chris,
I was hoping before you posted this article on your blog that you would take into account the responses you received from myself and other travel managers. To take a page from your book, I’m going to repost part of my response to this article.
This article obviously touches a nerve among us, the Travel Managers who read your articles and blog. To be honest, I’m not actually offended. As the “travel guy” at my company I get blamed quite often for things outside of my control. A flight gets delayed… it’s my fault. Long line at the rental car counter… I obviously screwed up their reservation. Their hotel room smells like smoke… you get the idea.
So in this case, you had a bad experience with a travel manager in your past, and “I” get the blame. OK, I can deal with that. I’ll treat you the same way I treat my travelers. First, I respect that you’ve had a bad experience in the past. Mistakes happen, and not everyone is competent in their jobs. Just like with travel agents, a competent travel manager can make all the difference for their travelers. But sometimes we have to fight against perception.
I want to point out that if I were “only there to control costs” I could start saving $50 – $100 a night by using the “Roach Motel.” But that would affect my travelers. Instead we try to negotiate the rates at reasonably nice hotels so my travelers can maintain comfort and productivity while I control costs. By the way, the hotels we use are the properties that my travelers have asked for. More than once in the past we have pulled agreements with specific hotels because they didn’t meet our standards.
I run my program with a focus on customer service, traveler experience, and yes, cost consciousness. I am an advocate for my travelers, and work hard to ensure that their travel is as smooth as possible. I know that many of my travel manager colleagues do the same thing.
The fact is.. I work hard to ensure that my program works. I know that my travelers are better off with me here. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve woken up in the middle of the night because one of my travelers has a problem. Or skipped personal/family functions because one of my travelers has had a family emergency.
Oh.. and my company has also realized serious savings to their program with my care and diligence. Win – Win!
Nate Burt
Travel Administrator
Nate, thanks for leaving a comment. I didn’t see your original note to me when this column first appeared. I can assure you that I have no problem with what corporate travel managers do; only with the way in which some travel managers position themselves as champions of the employees when, in fact, they are champions of the company’s bottom line. I can tell by your comments that you are not one of those people.
Chris,
To respond to your three points,
1. My travel manager and I have a great relationship and on several occassions I’ve showm him how to save the company a few bucks by working the system. On 2 separate instances I was called by corporate travel to assist with a key contact I’d cultivated at my Carrier of Choice. I was taught years ago that one of your primary job duties is to manage your manager.
As for a life on the road, where to I go next? I love it as it gets me away from the pathetic brown nosers and hangers on that overpopulate most offices and on with the business at hand.
2. FF Miles (If you Manage your Managers) and such are viewed by me as compensation. A few years ago I used a bunch of miles and points to go to Europe from 11 days. I totalled up the value of the stuff I got “Free” and if I had to pay out of pocket would have been close to $20K, meaning I’d have to earn an additional $30K to “break even”. In short without the miles the trip would have unaffordable. So for me the award programs are about me improving my lifestyle and I consider them part of my compensation. It’s one of if not the only reason I’ll be switching carriers beginning of the year as my current carrier has decided to cut alot of the perks.
3. When you go on the road you learn a few things, one is that if you have time to spare go by air as it is often hurry up and wait. You have 2 choices, get mad or get glad because you ain’t leaving until ‘they’ say so. So relax power up the laptop, go to the Club, have an adult beverage and relax because there you sit like it or don’t.
You also learn the value of manners when dealing with folks at airlines, hotels and the like. It’s simple common sense who gets cut the break? Mr Smarty Panties or Mr yes ma’am, no sir, please and thank you?
It’s all in the attitude. As you know I’m not a pushover when it comes to dealing with travel companies as I get my share of vouchers and then some. But the key is to pick the battles where you will be handsomely rewarded for the effort it takes to wind your way through the rat maze that is modern customer service. The goal there is no longer one of Customer Satisfaction but one of Complaint Resolution or put less gently the “What will it take for you to go away” Department.
One key to happiness on the road is to remember most of us aren’t solving world hunger or averting nuclear war, we are just out hawking our wares or supporting the hawkers and truth be told the sun WILL rise tomorrow whether my flight to Duluth gets canceled or not. Being a Road Warrior is alot like any aspect of life, it’s all in what YOU make it to be.
I would have t agree with Mr. Johnson
One has to pick their battles
when i was once on continental and the flight I was on got cancelled and they pushd me back all the way to monday from a friday I was quite angry. I called the gold line – yes i am gold and stated my case and got the refund I deserved since i did not think it correct that just because my last name begins with “R” that i should have last choice of available flights the list should be managed by status and aplhabet and not just by alphabet – they agreed with my argument.
I do not sweat the small stuff
I do find it insulting that I have to pay for an aisle seat up front if I am not elite
I do find it insulting that I have to pay to check my first bag
I also find it quite insutling that i have to pay for water
I also have choices when i fly and our travel person works with us when we travel – we tend to book our own hotels and cars
I can’t disagree more with your point #2. Has it become harder to redeem frequent flier awards? Definitely. Impossible? Definitely not.
As another responder said, I’ve taken trips to far off places, flew first class across oceans, and stayed in fancy hotel rooms that I could have even dreamed of affording on my own. This is thanks to remaining loyal to a single airline alliance and hotel chain during my heavy business travel.
If I had always gone for the least number of connections and/or lowest fare instead of remaining loyal, I may have saved a few hours and a few dollars here and there – but when it comes to vacations I’d be flying Coach to South Carolina and staying at Courtyard … instead of International First to Istanbul and staying at W.
I’m with Jesse. I use my points for upgrades, better hotels, whatever. All things I could never afford on my own. I can almost always afford a coach roundtrip, which seems to be the award that is the hardest to find.
Also, by taking one airline most of the time, and joining their membership lounge, I have more people willing to help when the inevitable problems crop up. The extra connections may be a pain, but it is more than made up when I go into the airline lounge to inquire about a delay and am handed a first class boarding pass for a different connecting flight.
I also try to be polite and thank anyone who helps me.
I’ve also noticed lately that I’ve started to remember the people with good attitudes about their jobs. The occasional bad experiences fade away rather quickly.
As a frequent traveler, I am still able to use my miles and points and I do. However, the rules are changing. Travelers should be aware of the changes that affect the redemption of their miles and points, such as shorter expiration periods, the number of points and miles required for redemption, and higher award ticketing fees that many airlines have implemented.
I recently took a position as a personal travel assistant for a small business owner. I always have his travel preferences and budget in the forefront of my mind when planning and booking travel arrangements. Of course, the emphasis of my service is PERSONAL, not corporate. I want to continue to earn his business and I am willing to go above and beyond to ensure a positive travel experience.
I agree with Chris that frequent flier miles aren’t as much of a reward as some people think. I book corporate travel every day and am amazed at to what great lengths some travelers go to just stay on an airline so they can earn miles. There are times when a much cheaper flight option has been passed over just so someone can earn a few miles. Over time if the cheaper options keep getting passed over, eventually a person hasn’t saved any money–but in fact spent more and probably ended up paying for that reward ticket. To travelers out there, make sure you are aware of your choices!