The survey of 400 business travellers found the majority of trips (42%) were aborted because appointments had been rescheduled.
Meeting cancellations (13%), weather issues (11%), safety concerns (9%), and flight cancellations or delays (9%) were other external causes. Personal issues only account for 14% of cancellations.
“Interestingly, our survey found that 88% of trips cancelled were rescheduled for a later time, 38% of which are typically rescheduled immediately after the first trip was cancelled,” says CWT’s Chief Experience Officer for Digital, Amit Wurgaft.
The research also shows that 68% of travellers don’t cancel all trip segments at the same time. Most travellers (45%) cancel flights before hotels and 22% start first with accommodation and then cancel the air segments.
When it comes to cancellation policies and possible fees, the survey showed 85% of travellers would prefer to know the fees before starting to cancel the trip or during the cancellation process.
In fact, clarity (37%) and findability (20%) of cancellation policies and fees are the main aspects business travellers would like to see improved in the cancellation process.
Reducing the time it takes to confirm everything is cancelled (22%), reducing the steps to cancel a trip (10%), and having a quick way to cancel from their mobile device (10%) were also seen as key areas for improvement.
