The number of major companies committed to cutting one in five business flights is poised to grow, turning the screw on airlines dependent on premium traffic.
The Institute of Travel and Meetings (ITM), which represents corporate travel buyers at more than half the FTSE 100 companies, confirmed it has members considering joining the campaign to cut flights launched by nature charity WWF UK last week.
ITM chief executive Paul Tilstone told Travel Weekly: “We are aware of ITM members looking at this.”
The WWF UK One in Five Challenge could be bad news for carriers that base their business model on corporate traffic. British Airways has been badly hit by the downturn in premium traffic, while easyJet and Flybe have increasingly targeted business travellers in recent years.
Marks and Spencer, Vodafone UK and global technology companies Capgemini and Premiere Global signed up to the WWF campaign ahead of last week’s launch.
The ITM has licensed its own carbon-reduction accreditation scheme Project Icarus to One in Five participants. The 13 companies already involved with Project Icarus – including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Barclays, E.ON UK, Accenture, the BBC and BP – will be among those considering joining the WWF scheme.
Tilstone said: “WWF should be praised for its campaign. This is a new frontier and people are not sure of the ramifications for business, but some of the biggest companies are involved.” He added: “It is good news for the ITM if the one in five campaign is a success.”
Companies completing the challenge by cutting 20% of business flights within five years will be able to display the WWF panda logo. Tilstone said: “Everyone knows the [logo]. The WWF has a great reputation.”