GUEST BLOG: Sustainability in Travel: 2020 Outlook

At CTM’s recent Supplier Speed Dating event, themed ‘Sustainable Travel’, we were thrilled to learn of the exciting initiatives our suppliers are working on to provide more sustainable business travel experiences for our clients.

While the concept of ‘green travel’ has been circulating the industry for over a decade, only recently has technology developed far-enough to provide practical solutions to this increasingly important subject.

One example gaining momentum is a promise from airlines who are aiming above and beyond carbon-offsetting to carbon-neutral targets. Ambitious plans from British Airways and parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) hope to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 through more fuel-efficient aircraft, smarter operational techniques and switching to biofuel.

United Airlines has also committed to reducing greenhouse gas emission by 50% by 2050, while Virgin Atlantic has announced a more recent target of 30% reduction by 2021.  

On the ground, car transportation company Carey is tackling CO2 by investing in electric fleets – all new vehicles bought from December 2019 will be electric. Already the company has seen an 18% fuel reduction since providing training to drivers on environmentally friendly driving techniques such as gliding when available instead of constant acceleration. 

However, nothing can beat the sustainability results of rail service providers such as Eurostar and LNER. Eurostar’s progress in this area has been outstanding, and they continue to strive for even better. From 1^st January 2020, Eurostar will plant a tree for every train that departs – an estimated 20,000 trees per year. They are also donating all un-bought food from the onboard cafes to charities and all left behind blankets to animal shelters for the winter.

In the hotel space, Travelodge, Accor and IHG have committed to eliminating single-use plastics such as bathroom amenities, food items and packaging. New CTM partner Wyndham hotels announced an interesting initiative to incentivise guests to be more sustainable by offering more rewards points for sustainable acts such as not replacing towels and bedding and reducing electricity use.

As sustainable business travel becomes increasingly important for businesses, vetting your travel providers can be a great place to start. With a range of new commitments from suppliers to improve sustainability within the industry, now is a great time to review your travel programme to ensure it hits sustainability targets, while providing an exceptional travel experience for your travellers.  

CTM is exhibiting at Business Travel Show in 2020 on stand B620 - please click here to register for a free visitor pass to the show, which takes place 26-27 February 2020 at Olympia London. 

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. OR IS IT?

You must have read the recent brouhaha between Travelport and British Airways. It’s been all over the web. The companies are at loggerheads in negotiating a new partnership agreement. The latest move – from BA – was a threat to pull certain fares from Travelport’s GDS and stamp a surcharge on some short-haul tickets. Travelport reacted by calling British Airways “disruptive and unhelpful” and I believe the two are still in a stalemate. 

Now, on paper, it’s easy to assume the wrangling and wrestling is all about money. But I’m not so sure. I’ve been quietly wondering whether BA is testing the water ahead of the introduction of NDC in three to four years’ time. Is BA working out – based on its market position and power – how much muscle it can flex and deals it can leverage knowing what’s down the line?

Is this a sign of things to come from some airlines? It couldn’t be truer that, these days, content is certainly king and the GDSs must be worried about being pushed down the path of partial content. That’s not good for them, their customers or the corporate travel buyer. I’m just raising a glass of Christmas cheer in the hope they’ll work this one out, and the quicker the better.

This post was written by David Chapple, event director of Business Travel Show – www.businesstravelshow.com.

VIRGIN TAKES OFF AT HOME

Richard Branson and Virgin have somewhat hijacked the news over the last two weeks, haven’t they?

It started with Virgin being outbid by FirstGroup for the West Coast Mainline franchise that it has been running for the last 12 years. You can read our blog post with the details of FirstGroup’s bid here. Branson, it was reported, was livid, issuing an aggressive statement questioning the Government’s decision and FirstGroup’s competence almost immediately. This was followed by the announcement of an appeal and the launch of an online petition, which garnered 150,000 signatures. Branson even offered to run the service on a not-for-profit basis if the Government agreed to postpone the contract signing for two months.

Yesterday (28 August 2012) it was reported that Virgin had its lawyers working over the Bank Holiday weekend and is now planning a last minute legal challenge to prevent the Government from signing the contract, which is due to happen tomorrow and, which, according to the Transport Secretary Justine Keeling, is going ahead.

It’s all very gung-ho for the transport industry and I’m genuinely looking forward to the outcome. But what I find really interesting is the surprise announcement – released in the midst of this melee -that Virgin is proposing a three-times-daily airline service from London Heathrow to Manchester from next March.

When it was announced, many assumed Branson was simply throwing his toys out of the pram having lost West Coast Mainline. But I doubt this very much. I think the domestic airline has been part of the Virgin plan for some time and the timing of the announcement was merely coincidental.

The airline lost £80.2m last year. It has also lost its code share deal with BMI following BMI’s acquisition by IAG and its alignment with BA, which means it’s lost a significant chunk of its feeder routes, so something had to be done. And that something, it would seem, is the launch of a UK domestic network.

My question is: “Does this signal more of a strategic change in direction for Virgin Altantic, or will the IAG competition trustees charged with reallocating the BMI Heathrow slots see it as nothing more than smoke and mirrors to make them look like more of a credible option for those slots?”

The trustees will award these slots from summer 2013 and the decision will be made in the next couple of months, which also makes me think twice about the timing of the announcement.

Whatever the reason, though, the move by Virgin is potentially good news for the corporate travel buyer, as the likes of Virgin and BA start competing on value, service and price leading to increased frequencies and flight options, as well as better value for money.

David Chapple is event director of the Business Travel Show – you can challenge him on Twitter @btshowlondon or at david@businesstravelshow.com  

LONDON'S CALLING

As the Olympics heaves into sight we’re beginning to see how the main sponsors have chosen to connect their brand to the Olympic theme.

As a Tier-One sponsor, BA’s campaign, which landed on the 19^th June, is a perfectly executed piece of work from BBH with the cheeky line of ‘Don’t Fly,’ extolling the nation to stay home and cheer on Team GB.

I’ve seen some negative comments about the advert, suggesting that it’s crazy for the airline to encourage potential customers to stay away, but surely that’s missing the point of this creative idea. Beyond the TV advert a social campaign enables viewers to enter their postcode and then see their street go past through the cabin window. It’s clever, relevant and all to the soundtrack of The Clash’s iconic track, London’s Calling, genuine feel-good advert that captures both the spirit of the Olympics and the fun of travel.

Over the next few weeks I’m sure there’s going to be plenty to tut about with regards to the Olympics, but campaigns like this remind us that this is, in part, a celebration of this great city and that despite its faults, something we should all be proud of.


David Chapple is event director of the Business Travel Show - he’d love to hear what you think about this topic - contact him on Twitter @btshowlondon