Millennial business travelers eager to use new travel services and social media, according to American Express and GBTA

Business travelers value convenience over cost savings, according to new research from the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), in partnership with American Express. According to the first in a series of GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™ reports, U.S. business travelers put a high premium on convenience, particularly when it comes to their flight schedule choices. When booking flights domestically or internationally, more business travelers say their top consideration is convenient flight schedules (36%), compared with ticket price (24%) and ability to earn miles (20%).

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The GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™ in partnership with American Express is a proprietary, data-centered barometer based on business travelers' attitudes toward five key components of business-related travel:

• Overall Trip Experience and Travel Friction - Business travelers' attitudes toward air travel, hotel stays and ground transportation
• Travel Management Policy Friction - Attitudes toward company travel policy management, flexibility and comprehension
• Expense Tracking and Management - Satisfaction with business travel expense management and tracking, and using credit or charge cards for business travel
• Business Travel Safety - Satisfaction with employers' efforts to keep travelers safe while they're on the road
• Social Media Experience - Attitudes toward using social media while traveling for work, including finding or posting reviews of travel suppliers

Because this is the first period analyzed for the GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™, initial results will serve as a benchmark against which future research will be measured. Currently index values are set at 100.

The full press release as well as a link to the executive summary can be found here.