TRAVELLER WELLBEING BY BOB PAPWORTH
WAY BACK IN 1947, on a flight from Cuban capital Havana to Miami, a male passen- ger, perhaps most delicately described as ‘tired and emotional’, picked a fight with a fellow traveller – and then bit the flight attendant who attempted to intervene. He probably got off scot-free. In those days, no-one was quite sure whose laws applied in international airspace but, nevertheless, it remains the first recorded incidence of what we now know as ‘air rage’. Amazingly, one does not have to be
totally bladdered to indulge in what the
Flighthealth.org website describes as “extreme misbehaviour by passengers on aircrafts”. In fact, it asserts that only around 25 per cent of cases occur because the drinks trolley has been round once too often. Most incidents, apparently, are brought about by a heady mix of adrenalin and noradrenalin released into the bloodstream in times of stress, and stress – according to Flighthealth – “is a common problem when flying”. Partly because of the cabin pressure, partly because of being confined in a small space, and partly because of the perceived loss of control, natural defence mechanisms kick in. Flying is not a recipe for serenity. Whatever the reason, air rage is just an
extreme example of one of the most niggling aspects of travel life. Up there with the usual bleats about legroom (too short) and airport queues (too long), a recent Trip Advisor poll reveals that “other passengers” are a major cause of inflight irritation. We’ve all been there – people who sing
along tunelessly to music only they can hear, children of any description, and that boring bloke who is convinced that his life-story is infinitely more fascinating than the fat paperback you’ve bought to counter the long-haul longueurs. Nevertheless, there is not a lot travel managers can do about “other passengers”: it’s difficult to tailor company travel policy
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
A recent poll reveals that “other passengers” are a major cause of inflight irritation
to ensure employees don’t have to sit behind the guy who reclines his seat with such force that one ends up with a lapful of Stolly’n’Schweppes. However, now that the cost-cutting im-
perative has eased and traveller well-being has crept back on to the corporate radar, travel managers would do well at least to listen to their road warriors’ whinges.
GRIPES ON-THE-GO And there are plenty of them. A recent survey conducted by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) among over 500 US business travellers reveals that their biggest headaches are brought on by weather-induced travel disruption, depar- ture delays, aircraft ‘incidents’ such as mechanical problems, and missed onward connections. Of those polled, 36 per cent have niggling doubts about their airline’s safety record, and 35 per cent have reservations about the safety of their ground transportation. More than one-third (34 per cent) have concerns about who they should call if problems arise and, given that 75 per cent of the respondents say they have been confronted with at least one travel challenge in the past year, there’s an awful lot of worrying being done. There are other concerns, too. According to a survey by Connecticut-based virtual
meetings company Verizon: “Travel is a sig- nificant source of stress to busy professionals. Overall, 24 per cent say they are more stressed when travelling for business versus 14 per cent who say they are less stressed. “The most predominant areas of stress include spending time away from the family and worrying about work that’s piling up back at the office.” Delays, however, cause the greatest an-
noyance. A senior medical administrator who makes frequent rail trips between London and Liverpool tells Buying Business Travel: “In order to make the best use of our time, we tend to arrange multiple back-to-back meetings, and not always in the same office or hospital. That means a lot of my work is very time-sensitive, and even a relatively minor delay can throw out the entire schedule, with knock-on effects for lots of other people. “I know our travel team can’t do anything
about it, and it’s often not the train company’s fault, but somehow that makes it even more frustrating. You get to a point where you just want someone to blame.”
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS... Getting from A to B may turn out to be a challenge, but the problems don’t necessarily let up even when one has finally arrived at B. A London-based commercial property lawyer says his partnership’s travel policy obliges him to stay with a particular boutique hotel brand. “In many respects, they’re very good,” he concedes. “The staff are perfectly friendly and courteous, the food’s fine, and the rooms are very comfortable. But they do go in for mood lighting, and the tiny little desk lamps just aren’t powerful enough. It may seem silly, and it certainly doesn’t warrant tearing up the commercial agreement, but it makes working in the evenings almost impossible.” Hotels generally come in for a lot of stick. In the US, according to one frequent traveller website, the biggest niggles are the high cost
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