TRAVEL management firms have criticised the low-cost
carriers for not being able to meet the needs of business travellers.
No-frills carriers such as Go, Ryanair and EasyJet
have seen a rise in demand from premium flyers as a response to the trend
towards scaling down following September 11 and the downturn in the economy.
However, travel management companies say their lack of
flexibility on tickets and their use of secondary airports have meant they
cannot fulfil the needs of business travellers.
TQ3 chief operating officer Europe, Middle East and
Asia Toby Joseph said: “I think the low-cost carriers have been surprised by
the interest from the business travel market. But their fare base, their use of
secondary airports and the difference in the product means they do not always
fully meet business travellers’ needs. I think it’s a market that will continue
to increase but they need to invest more in their systems and infrastructure
because they are missing out on a great opportunity.”
Business travel client and British Council global
contracts manager Kevin Watts said the £3,000 to £4,000 spent on airlines by
his organisation was “small beer”.
He said: “Having tried the low-cost carriers, I think
there are some opportunities, but not a wide range, for our staff to use these
airlines. But using airports that are an hour’s cab ride away from the city
centre does not work. Also, low-cost carriers have tight schedules and any
hiccup affects the service. We cannot build business itineraries around that.”
The airlines report that most of their traffic at peak
times in the morning and evening is from business executives.
* Low-cost carriers claim
business is booming, see page 6 of Monday’s newspaper.