What Airline and Hotel Executives Say About Corporate Travel This Quarter
Photo Credit: The concierge desk at the Langham Hotel in Boston. In earnings calls for the second quarter, hotel and airline CEOs said corporate travel has been soft. Flickr / Timothy Neesam
Skift Take
With the Brexit vote just behind us and U.S. elections looming, some form of stability — eventually — will be a welcome change of pace for companies that cater to corporate travelers.
As travel companies have reported second-quarter earnings over the past couple of weeks, the reaction when it comes to corporate travel has generally been resigned acceptance.
Airlines and hotels have largely said that growth from business travel customers is slow and prices soft, pointing to a sluggish global economy. The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union added fresh uncertainty to the mix, while security concerns continue to roil some destinations.
Other recent forecasts previewed what corporations are reporting. According to a report from the Global Business Travel Association, business travel spending is projected to increase 5.2 percent worldwide but less than one percent in the United States.
After examining comments from executives at some of the world's largest airlines and hotel companies, we offer these takeaways:
Brexit Could Be a Mixed Bag for Airlines
American Airlines Group president Scott Kirby said he expects the decline of the Br
