Tag: FCM Travel Solutions

As airlines strip lounge access, flexibility and baggage from business class fares, that lie-flat seat may not deliver all the perks you expect. You're at the airport with a business class ticket in hand. You head toward the lounge, only to be turned away at the door. Alternatively, your meeting moves and you try to change your flight. You then discover that the original ticket is non-refundable.

The UAE has lifted its airspace restrictions. In addition, the US-Iran ceasefire appears to be holding as of 18 May 2026. Emirates has also restored 96% of its global network. Meanwhile, other Gulf carriers, including Etihad, Qatar and Saudia, continue rebuilding operations. Capacity constraints are also gradually easing. By most operational measures, conditions are improving. However, traveller confidence tells a different story.

In April 2024, when 18 months of rain fell on Dubai in a single day, more than 1,200 flights had to be cancelled, stranding over 250,000 travellers in terminals. Late last year, Cyclone Ditwah wreaked havoc in Sri Lanka during peak tourist season, forcing mass evacuations of foreign visitors. Right now, conflict in the Middle East continues to ground flights and drive disruption, further intensifying ongoing business travel disruptions.

At first, out‑of‑town work trips might have felt like a promotion. You represented the company, were sent to “make things happen”, flew Premium Economy, stayed in a fashionable hotel, networked and hopefully, secured new business. But after some time, red-eyes, quick turnarounds and other travel pressures started wearing thin. So, you begin checking out mentally. You wonder why this could not have been a Teams call. You also wonder why every “quick” trip requires intense preparation, domestic juggling and days of unscheduled recovery time.

Remember January 2025? You probably thought your biggest travel worry would be whether the hotel Wi-Fi actually worked. Fast-forward eleven months. You have navigated everything from geopolitical chess games to Artificial Intelligence (AI) reshaping how you plan and manage business trips. These experiences offered early business travel lessons that few anticipated.

The Luxury Travel Report 2025 has identified a fascinating shift in traveller preferences: the rejection of what it calls "beigeification" - that creeping sameness that has gradually homogenised hotel experiences worldwide.

Just when you thought your travel budget was sorted for 2025, new corporate travel trends data from our Consulting Q3 2024 Business Travel Report might have you reaching for your calculator. Here's why. Business class fares are jumping, and flights are packed. Travel managers are facing tough conversations about rising costs.

As a business traveller, you carry more than just your laptop and a positive attitude. Between your tech, your corporate credit cards, and that nice watch you wear to impress clients, you could be toting around R50,000 to R200,000 in value. That's quite the tempting target for those with less-than-honest intentions.

A per diem (from the Latin for per day) is a daily stipend given to business travellers to cover food and incidental expenses while they’re on the road. It’s not, in fact, a perk to make up for the inconvenience of being away from home – or a little extra spending money to splurge on spoils and souvenirs.

Imagine a flight where your biggest concern isn't a nearby toddler's meltdown but whether to catch up on work or catch some Z's. This scenario is becoming a reality as more airlines test the waters of adult-only zones, offering a potential oasis of calm at cruising altitude.