WORDS MOLLY DYSON
BBT HOTLIST 2020
ONES TO WATCH
HEATHROW AIRPORT WITH PLANNING FOR ITS THIRD RUNWAY gaining steam and the global awakening to the impact of carbon emissions, all eyes will be on Heathrow over the next 12 months. The airport has challenged carriers using its facilities to do more to tackle environmental issues following the news that IAG committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Climate protest group Extinction Rebellion specifically targeted the UK’s busiest hub with threats of drone activity, while local communities are still embroiled in a legal battle that has the aim of stopping the expansion. But the real hurdle for Heathrow in the coming months could come from the government;
transport secretary Grant Shapps has said he has doubts about the cost of the project, while prime minister Boris Johnson – who was famously against the third runway – has so far kept quiet on the issue.
NET ZERO BY 2050 NO ONE CAN IGNORE THE FACT THAT carbon emissions have become a major talking point for the travel industry since the UK became the first major economy to set a target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Some environmentalists say the goal is not stringent enough to save the planet, but it has set in motion a global movement, particularly among businesses, to do what is needed to reach net zero. With IAG committing to the same target, we can only guess that 2020 will bring a deluge of airlines, hotel companies, train operators and car manufacturers announcing similar news. A serious case for constructing electric aircraft is becoming less of a pipedream and more of a real project. Sustainability has been a key issue on the agenda of nearly every business travel industry event over the last two years, and if the growing interest from travel managers is anything to go by, the topic is far from being a “fad” discussion starter.
ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT THE CONVERSATION FOR MANY AIRLINES AND AIRCRAFT manufacturers has turned from carbon offsetting to ways to eliminate emissions in the first instance, and electric planes are still part of the equation for some. In November, easyJet announced that it will offset all of its flights, but only as a temporary solution until better methods of reducing greenhouse gases are viable. The carrier has been vocal about its work with Wright Electric, which aims to produce an electric aircraft capable of flying the busy London-Amsterdam route. When asked about its own work on electric planes at the GBTA Europe Conference in Munich,
Boeing’s vice-president of commercial marketing Randy Tinseth quipped that “if the auto industry invested in efficiency the way we have, cars would get 225 miles to the gallon”. Still, some experts say such planes are still in the early stages and likely won’t enter commercial operations for years – if not decades.
CLICK TRAVEL PLUS KNOWN AS AN INNOVATOR IN THE INDUSTRY, Click Travel has big plans for 2020 with the upcoming release of its new Plus SaaS solution. According to the company, the subscription service will deliver the benefits of a TMC to SME clients which, chief executive Jill Palmer says, are underserved and “either overpaying on fees relative to the services they actually use or avoiding TMCs altogether because they are seen as expensive and confusing”. Click says its proprietary booking platform is at the centre of the new solution and it will provide a high level of travel management options, such as policy integration, automated pre- trip approvals, credit options and spend reports for an annual fee, with the ability to scale up if and when it is needed. Palmer adds: “The SME market accounts for significant levels of travel in the UK and they need a service proportionate to their needs.” Watch this space.
buyingbusinesstravel.com 2020 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 81
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