Small business travelers want airline alliances to boost global competition, according to a survey from the American Small Business Travelers Alliance (ASBTA).
“International travel is increasingly becoming more important to small businesses,” says ASBTA President Chuck Sharp in a prepared statement. “So they must continue to identify new ways to reduce costs.”
According to the survey, 83 percent of business travelers say they want to see more transatlantic competition to the Star Alliance and SkyTeam networks.
The survey, which is based on responses from more than 330 small business travelers, also found:
— 88 percent of travelers want airlines to partner together to provide more flexibility in their business travel options;
— 92 percent believe allowing more airlines to partner together would benefit small businesses;
— 94 percent say the want the ability to use their airline frequent flyer miles across multiple carriers;
— 93 percent want the chance to buy “combinable fares,” airfares that allow travel in one direction on one airline, with the return leg on another member of the alliance;
— 87 percent crave more flight schedule flexibility, as well as connection flexibility, on transatlantic flights;
— 77 percent say getting that kind of transatlantic schedule and connection flexibility will help them save money;
— 90 percent want all airlines to compete on an equal regulatory footing.
— 91 percent want the option to buy airline tickets from a network of airline partners.
So what’s it all mean? Sharp asserts, “Clearly, today’s sophisticated small business traveler demands more from the airlines.”
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
