When, where and who gets business class company travel?

The subject that makes the seasoned travellers blood boil LOL I will answer as best I can!
Title and Grade not so much unless Senior Directors and VPS
Distance travelled yes, continuous over 6 hours ( used to take US out of reach)
Only for the masses
Yes as above
For everything below 6 hours yes economy only
PE sometimes where economy is full on 5.59 hour flights
I am a P&L holder so its down to my budgeting

Hope this helps ?

Based on grade and time flown:

Domestic travel: SVP and above business, others economy. However, with a focus on costs, unwritten rule is domestic by economy only for all.

International travel: AVP and above business for flights above 5 hours or if it involves a red eye. All others economy.

Speaking for my last organisation (still working out the policy in my new post):

Chief Exec – always entitled to business; eveyone else, depends on flight time:

Longer journies may be business provided at least one flight sector is over 6 hours. All else economy (even 18 hour trips with 2 x 5 hour flights and an 8 hour layover…)

No PE and no cost restrictions if a business need exists (provided within overall travel budget).

In my last commerical job we had a very clear travel policy.
If you were flying for more than 7 hours it was Business Class, this included LHR – JFK which was sometimes less. If you were travelling ultralong haul > 11 hours you could fly first class but had to start work on arrival, no day off to recover. So you tried to avoid flights arriving in the morning or early afternoon.

In my current role, our policy is a lot less flexible you have to travel on the cheapest ticket available when you book. If you search around a bit this can be business class providing you can prove it was cheaper that economy.

kweeki1, +1 re the fact that your company’s policy is irrespective of seniority. I find that concept very offensive and it doesn’t apply in my company. As an owner & MD, what’s good enough for me is good enough for all employees.

The idea that frequent travellers should be allowed higher class of travel vs infrequent travellers is an odd one to me though I understand its logic. The issue is a financial one since the frequent traveller will account for the bulk of the company’s travel expenditure. If you need to reduce the travel bill, addressing the frequent traveller’s costs will have a much larger impact than further limiting the infrequents’. I would have thought the marginal cost of dispensing with this requirement would not be that high.

My policy for travel not funded by clients is to set a budget for each trip and then allow the traveller to choose whichever option suits them within their budget. The starting point for me is the fully flexible economy fare plus allowances for transfers, hotel and food to arrive at the trip budget.

The entitlement fluctuates but I think in a different way to what others are describing.

At annual performance review all things are looked at and staff put into one of three bands which are silver, gold and platinum. They determine a number of things about your work in the coming year including what sort of car you might have, the hotels you might stay in and the class of travel you are entitled to and the size bonus you get.

Generally the only people in the silver band are people who’ve been with us less than five years. They are developing and achieving. I think anyone in the silver band after five years would probably need to seek their fortune elsewhere.They are entitled to economy class travel regardless of the length of journey and accommodation in a Mercure or Novotel or similar unless there is a reason for the hotel to be upgraded e.g. client meetings. Travel must be on Star Alliance airlines unless there is no practical alternative but which airline is up to the employee. Within Europe if there is no *A carrier for shorthaul e.g. LON-AMS then Easyjet is the second choice.

Anyone in the gold band gets business class travel on any service they use and they get to stay in Pullmans or similar. Travel must be on Star Alliance airlines unless there is no practical alternative.

Anyone in the platinum band gets business class on shorthaul and first on longhaul again with Star Alliance carriers unless there is no practical alternative. Hotels are Sofitels or similar.

It’s very rare that people drop a band and for instance if someone was sick and off work for a significant period of time they would not lose out in the following year.

Anyone away for seven days or more can take their spouse or partner along in the same class as they are entitled to travel. PA’s always travel in the same cabin as their boss if they are accompanying.

As the CEO owning 65% of the shares I can travel as I like and generally take Mrs JH along with me. We generally stick to the *A policy and like Sofitels too but I do some travel with QR and CX.

I too am a consultant and my travel policy is based on cost and flight duration.

Europe, is mainly all economy

USA and Asia is mainly business

The choice is down to cost and I try to maximise avios (yes mainly BA).

Due to routings, I tend to manage at least 5 free European sectors in economy for each longhaul in business. Zero issue in redeeming avios for shorthaul generally within a week of travel need.