As external forces disrupt the world of corporate travel, we think it's wise for travel managers to check in with employees and see how satisfied they are with travel policy.
Team Skift was out most of this week in Montreal participating in some bleisure activities — OK, mostly leisure — for the company's annual retreat. But that didn't keep news from breaking (frequently).
Monday brought a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments on the executive order by President Donald Trump banning travel from six Muslim-majority countries. The court will take up the issue in October, but in the meantime, part of the ban will go into effect. Travelers with "bona fide" connections to the U.S. — close family, business, or academic — should not be blocked from getting visas under the current decision.
So what does that mean for business travel? We expect less chaos at the airports, but confusion remains.
On that other ban front, the threat of an in-cabin "laptop ban" appears to be giving way to a policy of increased security around the world for all U.S.-bound flights. Again, specifics are scarce. In another statement, Koch called the new procedures "far preferable to an outright electronic device ban" for business travelers, but cautioned that the details are important.
Uncertainty around security restrictions can affect traveler satisfaction, as can a multitude of other factors. It seems like a given that travel managers should know how satisfied (or not) road warriors are. A new study, however, shows that 31 percent of North American travel managers who responded to a survey never measure traveler satisfaction.
Given the state of the world and the rapidly evolving forces that impact corporate travel, we think that's a conversation worth having.