Companies Already Reconsidering Loosening Tightened Travel Budgets
Skift Take
Reigniting corporate culture has become a priority, including meeting new hires or just training employees. In some cases it’s starting to eclipse traditional business travel, and the spike is about to hit budgets and resources that were trimmed during the pandemic.
Companies like Microsoft, Pinterest and insurance firm Anthem are putting corporate culture back on the agenda, which is leading to spikes in internal travel.
And it’s got some travel managers a little concerned: how long will the boom last exactly? And can they afford it? Travel budgets, tightened up considerably during the pandemic's lull, are now being reevaluated as leaders look to get teams back together, inside or outside the office.
“That’s the travel we see coming back now,” said Ann Kloepfer, global travel agency service delivery manager at Microsoft. “We hired 25,000 people during the pandemic, who’ve never met their colleagues, their leaders. As soon as we announced the reopening of offices, we saw a huge uptick in travel. There’s pent-up demand for in-person engagement, especially with new hires.”
Alaska Airlines on Thursday reported a boost in corporate bookings. “There’s just been this material, as in a 50-point change
