The Plight of the Millennial Business Traveler

I just got back from the annual Skift retreat in Puerto Rico, but there’s still a full slate of corporate travel stories for you, the beloved reader. Does planting trees with your co-workers count as bleisure? I’d say yes.

This week I analyzed the latest data from Hilton on the habits and desires of business travelers under 35 years old. In short: They love to travel for work, but it’s making them gain weight and lose touch with the people in their personal lives. Their companies have to do a better job understanding that a lack of work-life balance isn’t OK just because they don’t have a family yet.

I can say from experience that coping with the stress and lifestyle disruption of constant business travel is a major challenge that most young professionals are simply unprepared for.

We also have the latest research into how President Trump’s travel policies will hurt international business travel and some new insight into the high costs of project-based business travel.

Check it all out below.

If you have any feedback about the newsletter or news tips, feel free to reach out via email at as@skift.com or tweet me @sheivach.

— Andrew Sheivachman, Business Travel Editor

Airlines, Hotels, and Innovation

Young Professionals Are Stressed Out But Still Love Business Travel: It’s no surprise that business travel is seen as a great way to help launch your career, but it also stresses out young professionals and negatively impacts their personal lives.

Trump Border Policies Are Bad for Business Travel, Survey Finds: The initial travel ban caused widespread chaos and confusion, and uncertainty has remained amid court challenges. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the ban, will business travel suffer as this survey suggests?

Project-Based Business Trips Are More Expensive Than Traditional Corporate Travel: Project-based business trips are more costly than other types of business travel in the U.S., but account for only a small percentage of the overall trips taken each year. This may rise, though, as the manufacturing and construction sectors continue to grow.

Trump Travel Ban Upheld in Divided U.S. Supreme Court Decision: In 2015, then-candidate Donald Trump called for a shutdown of Muslims entering the country. More than a year and much chaos after he was elected, the Supreme Court has allowed him to make a version of that bigoted campaign rhetoric the law of the land.

The Future of Travel

Loyalty Members Notch a Win With Court Ruling on American Express Lawsuit: The rich get richer. A Supreme Court decision on Monday is a win for the loyalty program members who are wealthy and credit-worthy. But can American Express still keep charging these rates to merchants given the competition?

Priority Pass Shifts to Restaurants and Airport Suites as Demographics Change: A curious number of airport restaurants have started partnering with Priority Pass in the last two years. More options are a good thing.

Chinese Airlines Hit With Rising Costs Due to U.S. Trade Quarrel: The Chinese yuan has depreciated 5 percent against the U.S. dollar, making airline purchases of aircraft and payments of debts and leases costlier. Don’t expect bold moves from them until the prospect of a trade war fades.

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Skift Business Travel Editor Andrew Sheivachman [as@skift.com] curates the Skift Corporate Travel Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Thursday.

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