Corporates flying high as Business, First Class travel up 43% YoY

Business and First Class travel among Australian corporates grew by 43 per cent in 2023 according to exclusive new data from Flight Centre Travel Group’s flagship corporate divisions, FCM Travel and Corporate Traveller.

Business Class fares made up 5.6 per cent of all corporate bookings in 2023, up from four per cent in 2022. First Class passengers made up three per cent of business travel bookings, up from two per cent over the same period.

Conversely, Economy and Premium Economy cabin class dropped in popularity among corporate travellers by -2.4 per cent, in a sign that more travellers were prioritising comfort, wellbeing and status, despite airfares rising across all classes in 2023.  

Global FCM COO/Flight Centre Corporate MD for ANZ Melissa Elf said 8.6 per cent of corporates booking Business or First Class travel was a sign of healthy business activity.

“Growing popularity at the front end of the plane reflects growth and stability across Australian businesses,” Ms Elf said.

“This data comes in a period of economic uncertainty, and it goes to show that despite many businesses feeling the pinch of the cost of doing business, travel continues to be a necessity for business success and survival.

“Studies show that business travel correlates to economic growth^[1], so as economists predict the flattening of inflation, we can expect to see activity in corporate travel build.”

Ms Elf said while Economy had seen fluctuations in the booking share over the last two years, Premium Economy was the biggest loser of the cabin classes.

“Premium Economy made up 6.5 per cent of the cabin class share in the first half of 2022. In the second half of 2023 it was down to four per cent.”

Ms Elf said the fast pace of business travel sometimes took its toll on travellers, so there was a focus on health, wellbeing and maintaining productivity when travelling for work.

“Many of our corporate travellers are making the decision to book Business or First Class travel so they can get a decent sleep if they’re travelling through the night or continue to work productively if they’re travelling through the day. It can also mean more nutritious meals, and less time lost through the check-in and boarding process.

_{[1] Harvard, Study shows business travel correlates to economic growth}

About Flight Centre Travel Group

The Flight Centre Travel Group is one of the world’s largest travel retailers and corporate travel managers. The company, which is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, has company-owned leisure and corporate travel business in dozens of countries, spanning Australia, New Zealand, the Americas, Europe, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and Asia. ASX listed Flight Centre Travel Group (FLT) also operates the global FCM corporate travel management network, which extends to more than 100 countries through company-owned businesses and independent licensees, along with Corporate Traveller, the flagship business specific to the small-to-medium-sized enterprise sector. For more information, visit fctgl.com.