Business travellers in Europe are flying further on average per year, according to the latest data from TMC Corporate Travel Management.

CTM’s second annual Global Travel Trends Report said that corporate travellers “covered greater distances in 2024 than before the pandemic”, a trend which was boosted by “stabilised” airfares following sharp rises in the previous year.

The report found that UK-based travellers were flying further than other European nations and clocked up an average of 3,821 miles last year, which was up by 2.2 per cent compared with 2023 and by 15 per cent on 2019’s average. The UK also accounted for CTM’s top two most popular air routes in 2024: London-New York and London-Hong Kong.

The average miles flown by French business travellers also “saw significant distance increases” in 2024, with a 21 per cent year-on-year rise to 3,183 miles, which CTM attributed to “government-imposed sustainability restrictions on domestic air travel launched in June 2023”.

Although there was only a more modest increase in average miles flown by German business travellers, which rose by 2 per cent to 2,173 miles in 2024.

CTM’s report also highlighted how lead times for accommodation bookings have been lengthening, while rises in average daily rates (ADRs) were “beginning to plateau globally” after seeing an increase of 20-30 per cent compared with pre-Covid rates.

The TMC said that global hotel booking behaviour has shifted since 2019 with fewer reservations made within seven days of travel – 52 per cent in 2024 compared with 61 per cent pre-Covid. While the number of bookings made at least 21 days in advance rose from 18 per cent in 2019 to 24 per cent last year.

In Europe, nearly one-third (32 per cent) of hotel bookings were made at least 21 days in advance last year, compared with a figure of 28 per cent in 2019. 

“This trend suggests a desire to lock in rates and secure availability in advance based on the strong return to travel in key markets,” added CTM.

Michael Healy, CTM’s CEO for Europe, said its report “underscores the robust recovery and expansion of corporate travel globally”.

“Within our EU business, 2024 has seen record new client acquisition along with significant growth in our existing client activity, positioning CTM in a significant growth trajectory within the market,” added Healy.