Who knew that the corporate travel industry was worth an eye-watering $700 billion in 2020? And that number is only increasing as the world returns to normal. Additionally, an estimated 1.3 million Americans travel for business each day, meaning thousands of companies are looking for ways to save money on travel spending.
If you are one of those thousands of businesses wondering about corporate travel discounts and how you can take advantage of them, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we discuss just that and the various ways you can start enrolling in those discounts yourself.
But don’t be fooled by the ultra-low prices of online travel agencies. Those platforms will leave your hard-working, frequent flying team stuck in economy when they deserve better comfort to perform well on business trips.
Book flights for your team in business class with the help of Business Class Experts. We can help you save money on your T&E line and book your team in premium cabins. Call us today to see how!
How Do Corporate Travel Discounts Work?
The travel industry knows that partnerships with businesses bring in big money. That’s why many travel services offer corporate discounts on air travel, hotel rates, and car rentals. However, these special rates and deals are only available to businesses, leaving personal trip planning for another article.
A lasting partnership can save money for frequent travelers on business trips. Start that relationship today with Business Class Experts, the leading way organizations find flight deals on business and first-class tickets. Book with us today to save more than 50% off face value!
Ways to Achieve Corporate Travel Deals
Unlocking corporate rates is vital to trimming travel costs on your company’s T&E lines. But just because you own or operate a business doesn’t automatically enroll you into a travel program with robust cost savings. You have to do that work yourself, and here’s how!
Join Airline Loyalty Programs
These days, every airline has a loyalty program designed to keep you as a passenger over the competition. Airline miles and loyalty programs are an excellent way for businesses to find cheaper airfare and unlock some add-on perks, like extra baggage.
Typically, your company will earn loyalty miles or points when you book flights with a particular airline or airline alliance. Often booking more frequently or flying to international destinations will rack up more points, even allowing upgrade rewards to upper-class cabins.
Are online travel agencies, like Expedia, giving you a hard time about loyalty points? Book your next business trip flight with Business Class Experts and avoid the headache. You can find flights in business class and utilize your loyalty miles or points when you partner with us!
Sign Up for Business Travel Cards
Business credit cards are another popular method airlines use to attract companies. These credit cards offer travel perks to cardholders, such as lounge access, bonus introductory points, and upgrade award tickets.
You can designate a travel-centric business credit card to help track travel expenses, setting policies surrounding their use and reporting. Popular card companies like American Express will support cardholders with travel plans, travel insurance, and no foreign transaction fees.
When you book a flight with Business Class Experts, you can use your business travel card to continue stacking up the miles while saving big on business and first-class flights. Reach out with your booking requirements and save big on your next trip!
Contact a Corporate Travel Management Agency
A corporate travel management (CTM) agency is a company dedicated to helping businesses find deep discounts on airfare, accommodations, ground transportation, and more. A CTM agency isn’t like a personal travel agent; they specialize in the travel needs of corporate passengers.
Partnering with a corporate travel management agency can bring several benefits, including:
- Travel policy compliance management – Ensure bookings stay within the travel budget, expense reports are free from error or fraud, and critical documents are managed.
- Assist with unexpected issues – CTM agencies can provide assistance and solutions when disruptions in business itineraries happen.
- Provide a personalized experience – Every business has unique travel needs, and the experts working with CTM companies can treat you and your staff like family.
- Reducing company workloads – Your team has enough on their plates without planning the next business trip. Quality third-party corporate travel management solutions can reduce your company’s workload.
- Managing travel inventories – A CTM professional can create, update, and distribute itineraries, making the planning process more accessible than ever. Plus, with mobile apps or a company CRM, your staff can receive notifications if anything changes.
Although travel management companies charge a fee for their service, the amount of savings they can unlock and the reduced stress on you and your staff will be worth the cost.
Reach Out to the Airline Directly
Taking advantage of corporate travel partnerships is a process. It doesn’t hurt to forge those relationships directly for the largest potential discounts. Find a way that you can provide value to an airline, giving them a reason to negotiate a corporate discount deal with you.
Most airlines publish their prices as general market rates, but contacting a representative might give you the opportunity to uncover corporate discounts, especially if you support the military, government, or other established enterprises.
Having trouble reaching out to airlines? Let Business Class Experts handle the talking. Reach out to us with your travel dates, departure, and arrival city, and we’ll find the best deals on first and business-class flights unavailable when booking alone.
Check with Current Memberships
Modern businesses rely on a network of services and providers to ensure they can operate. This network of banks, lenders, credit card companies, insurance providers, and suppliers may offer corporate rates based on the memberships you hold.
Check in with your current business partnerships to explore the potential for travel savings that already exist within your network. You may even be able to establish a new travel program by collecting local businesses to meet airline qualifications for corporate rates.
One organization you won’t need a membership with to unlock the best deals is Business Class Experts. A phone call is all you need to find huge savings on business-class flights, even on last-minute flights. Contact us today to save up to 50% off premium airfare!
Reserve Your Corporate Airfare with Business Class Experts
As the world returns to face-to-face business meetings, the need for affordable corporate airfare is also on the rise. That means understanding that corporate airfare discounts come about through prosperous partnerships between businesses and airlines.
Despite the perceived challenge of forging relationships that unlock corporate travel discounts, there are several ways you can open those discounts for your organization. Whether it’s joining a loyalty program, signing up for a travel credit card, or enlisting the help of a corporate travel management agency, you have countless opportunities to save big on business trips.
You don’t have to fly in economy class to get the best deals, either. With Business Class Experts, you can book business and first-class seats on popular airlines and save more than half of what airlines post on their websites.