business boom
Three separate studies are predicting that a slight revival of business travel seen in 2004 will strengthen in 2005. American Express' annual Global Business Travel Forecast expects rising demand for business travel next year to fuel increases of 0 to 3 percent in short-haul air fares and 2-5 percent in international business fares. Prices for mid-market to upscale hotel rooms are expected to rise 1-3 percent in 2005, AmEx said. The Travel Industry Association predicts Americans will take 149 million domestic business trips in 2005, a gain of 3.6 percent. And the Business Travel Coalition's survey of 112 companies found they expect to boost air travel spending by 10 percent in 2005, although the bulk of that will go to more trips rather than higher fares, which BTC says will remain flat or even decrease slightly.

small jets
A new forecast from Rolls-Royce, a leading jet engine manufacturer, sees a growing demand over the next 20 years for business jets of all sizes. The study predicts that from now through 2023, some 23,000 small jets will be delivered, with a total worth of $284 billion. About 8,000 of them will be new-technology "micro-jets," Rolls-Royce said; these are small (four to six passengers), lightweight jets that cost much less than their traditional larger counterparts. The study also projects that fractional-ownership operators of business jets will increase their share of the overall fleet from the current 10-15 percent to 22 percent.

offline assistance
While everyone seems to agree that booking your own travel online is more efficient and less expensive than doing it other ways, a survey by Travelport Corporate Solutions, a Cendant subsidiary, found that 33 percent of business travelers still use off-line channels like travel agents or phone calls to book, confirm or change their trip details. Why? Some 49 percent cited the desire "to have a person confirm what is booked online is actually booked," while 32 percent said that "on the road at the last minute it's too difficult to update plans online," and 29 percent agreed that "online booking cannot address some specific travel needs."

hotel update