[VintageKrug]

It’s (not its!) tough out there indeed!

[K1ngston]

It is that…….

[K1ngston]

VK- How did the exercise go yesterday with the task you set your team?? Interested to know how many times they came up with the phrase LOL

[canucklad]

Morning VK…….Ditto

“It always puzzles me that many expenses policies focus on the class of travel, rather than the absolute cost of the journey”

A few years ago, when our FD moved into the CEO role, there was a sudden bizarre change of behaviour from department’s right across the business!

This included one lunatic in our finance department, one lunatic in our HR department (responsible for travel policy) and one lunatic in our corporate responsibility department coming out with this diktat nonsense to ensure that their next pie chart presentation could show considerable savings when presented to our perceived new “Bean Counter” CEO.

All short haul flights up to 4.5 hours must be flown at the cheapest fare offered up on the company booking site!!!

The reasoning’s

To keep our finance department happy, save on our annual flight costs……The reality, we had such a great deal with BD that flying their Business Class between EDI & LHR was overall the most cost effective way of flying. The bean counters didn’t bother about non-refundable flights not taken, change charges, extra hotel costs, etc,etc

To insult our intelligence even more, we were apparently saving the planet by flying in Y, because of how our carbon footprint was worked out.
To be fair to our green brigade, they do encourage us to take the train (including first class deals), costing substantially more in cost and time than flying!

Their pie charts were impressive, but as always didn’t tell the whole story…The final irony, talking to one of our HR heads on a flight in Y, she advised me to keep receipts for everything, i.e. food and drink purchased at the airport and on the flight etc…

She admitted that although the new policy looked good on paper, in reality there wasn’t any real savings!!!

[IanFromHKG]

canucklad, I have on several occasions said that if I had power to make just one policy in my company, it would be that everyone else who has power to implement a policy is forced to comply with it non-stop for a week. That way, the muppets who came up with our travel policy – which is aimed at the American market since that is where we are headquartered – should find out what it is really like to travel from HK to Tokyo economy class (because it is under 5 hours). It might then occur to them that although in the US it might take you 30 minutes to the airport, arriving 30 minutes before the plane leaves, and another 30 minute journey at the other end – 6.5 hours – on that route it would be half an hour to the airport, two hours at the airport, and at least two hours in immigration and luggage queues and onward travel at the other end – so more like 9 or 10 hours. Then I would route them to somewhere remote in China on a Chinese airline. Then perhaps to Indonesia to see what real visa-on-arrival queues look like. From there, on to Manila, I think, to understand how terrible airports can really be. I invite forum members to provide suggestions for where they should be sent on the fifth day.

Oh, I forgot – it will actually take two weeks overall – five days of travelling, but I will also expect them the day after each flight to have a load of meetings, and despite this to have caught up with the e-mails they missed while on the plane and in the meetings so they are in fact doing two days’-worth of deskwork during their evenings.

When all that is done, I would expect them on their return – on top of their normal workload, again – to write a comprehensive report confirming that there are no ill-effects that will be suffered by the people subject to the policy, that they are still as effective as they would be if they had travelled in business class, and to do a comprehensive analysis of how much was saved given the need to pay extra for food, drinks and other amenities. If they conclude that the policy should remain the same, they should go through the same process every year….

[FormerlyDoS]

Just a thought with regard to corporate travel policies and the reasons for them.

When someone does something stupid in a large corporate, look for the KPI and the bonus sitting behind it 😉

[canucklad]

You’re right DOS, though in our case, i think it had a lot more to do with brown nosing……..

Ian……..Can feel you’re pain, interesting enough , our lot don’t travel either ……aniother bizarre decision was to set the hotel price limit higher for Edinburgh hotels than London hotels….

Nothing like keeping my London colleagues sweet……I stay at a Holiday Inn,, they stay in Luxury!! Soft Southerners 🙂 LOL

To finish their pain off Ian, insist that they complete their report before allowing them to complete and claim their AMEX expenses !!!!

[K1ngston]

Ian_from_HGK dont forget the 2.5 hours you are in the car from Jakarta airport to your hotel after you have spent a minimum of 90 minutes in the “visa for entry” queue especially if you have landed behind the flights from Saudi or Dubai or Abu Dhabi …Your post is such a good one! Reminds me of the office based “expert” in Hicksville Tennessee who thinks London to Sydney is acceptable with KLM so that I fly to Amsterdam ( to visit the luggage they lost last time) then to KL to wait on the ground for 6 hours before flying onto Sydney!! All for the saving of £85 …….

[SimonS1]

Simon – from London to Dubai I find EK fine and their prices very competitive. I can’t speak for flights to the subcontinent but I have found them reliable time and baggage wise and the 777s fine.

I never eat on the plane, using the lounge at LGW beforehand. Of late the morning flight back has also been less full so space to spread out a bit.

I’m also a GCH but have never really been into the recognition routine – I would rather be left alone. However on the last 4 flights the CSD has sought me out, been very pleasant and also offered me first choice meal selection.

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Just had a bizarre one for a client – didn’t think they would pick this but they did. LHR-EWR (Newark) return and have opted for BA Premium return. Offered out Economy on United and Back in Business (on 777) for £500 less but didn’t take it? Could have piad $99-129 for Out Economy Plus a well. Seems not everyone wants comfort – some value points more. And before anyone mentions – it wasn’t a policy issue (though this might have stopped some companies to allow this even though cheaper).

[Bath_VIP]

VK, Ian_from_HKG,

Completely agree with your comments. The good news for me is that I own my business and so can set my own policy. Basically, I set the maximum price for rail/air travel is whatever the anytime standard/flexible economy fare is on the grounds that sometimes you have to drop everything and go. But I do look at total cost including hotels, food & transfers and so have a rough allowance for this which can be added to the travel cost. Once the total cost allowance has been set, then I and my employees to decide how to spend within that. So if they want to fly first class and sleep on the streets at their destination that’s fine with me…

[DontTurnRight]

Hypnotism is probably the only true way of making economy seem like anything else!!

[K1ngston]

rjbrownmalta – Or commercial transporter rooms (whenever they’re invented) !!

[RetiredLawyer]

I am retired. All my travel, both long haul and otherwise, is out of my own pocket, so I get to set my own travel policy. But, I sympathize with the other forum members, as I spent 26 years at the tender mercies of corporate travel.

Since I travel with my own CEO (my wife), I find these strategies helpful when flying with someone else:

1. In a three across, book aisle and window. If the aircraft is really full, you can trade with the poor fellow and sit next to your companion (if you wish). If you book toward the rear, you minimize the odds of someone being assigned the middle in your row.
2. On a long haul (e.g., we’re going PBI-AUK-SYD-PBI in February), use a platinum Amex to buy-one-get-one in J. It worked out to only US$1500 more than Y for two.
3. Use smaller hubs if possible. We’ve been upped from PE to J more often on BA when going DTW-LHR than through JFK.

[RetiredLawyer]

I am retired. All my travel, both long haul and otherwise, is out of my own pocket, so I get to set my own travel policy. But, I sympathize with the other forum members, as I spent 26 years at the tender mercies of corporate travel.

Since I travel with my own CEO (my wife), I find these strategies helpful when flying with someone else:

1. In a three across, book aisle and window. If the aircraft is really full, you can trade with the poor fellow and sit next to your companion (if you wish). If you book toward the rear, you minimize the odds of someone being assigned the middle in your row.
2. On a long haul (e.g., we’re going PBI-AUK-SYD-PBI in February), use a platinum Amex to buy-one-get-one in J. It worked out to only US$1500 more than Y for two.
3. Use smaller hubs if possible. We’ve been upped from PE to J more often on BA when going DTW-LHR than through JFK.

[Author]

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