Skift Take
While U.S. government actions in the past couple months have caused upheaval in the business travel world, the Global Business Travel Association executive director reminds us that the industry is dealing with all kinds of change at the moment.
Editor's Note: A year ago, Skift expanded its coverage of corporate travel with more frequent stories and a dedicated newsletter. The Corporate Travel Innovation Report focuses on the future of corporate travel by examining the big fault lines of disruption for travel managers and buyers, the innovations emerging from the sector, and the changing business traveler habits that are upending how corporate travel is packaged, bought, and sold.
In this series of stories and one-on-one interviews, we explore some of the latest trends, technology, and external forces causing corporate travel to evolve. You can read the rest of the articles in this series here.
After the 2016 presidential election, Skift asked leaders in corporate travel what they hoped to see from President Donald Trump.
Most said they would welcome an end to divisive rhetoric and an emphasis on policies that encouraged economic growth and the free flow of travel.
Michael McCormick, executive director and chief operating officer of the Global Business Travel Association, told Skift in an email in November that the most important thing Trump could do for corporate travel would be to "ensure the safe and expedient travel and freedom of movement of all travelers."
Three months later, he was speaking out to urge Trump to re-think an executive order that had stirred up uncertainty for business travelers, led to millions of dollars in lost bookings, and discouraged foreign business travelers from making future trips to the U.S.
That late January order, which banned travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, was blocked by courts and later withdrawn. A new, slightly narrower ban has also been put on hold amid court challenges.
We spoke to McCormick before the second order was signed. Since then, he has also had to address a security measure banning personal electronics larger than phones in the cabin on flights to the U.S. from certain airports in the Middle East and North Africa — a move that also has ramifications for business travel.
Although he described the travel ban as one of the biggest recent disruptions to corporate travel, McCormick has other issues on his mind as well. He also spoke to Skif
