Scotland improves on business travel offering

Transporting the musicians and instruments of the RSNO requires serious planning.

Of the 12 million trips made by domestic visitors to Scotland in 2013-15, 1.73m were classified as business travel. That's 14 per cent of the total number of domestic tourist trips made to Scotland. Whether you are travelling to or from Scotland on business, it is the job of airlines, rail operators, terminal staff and taxi drivers to make the journey as stress free as possible so that you arrive at your destination ready to work.Wi-fi access and workstations are becoming almost a prerequisite on trains and in airports.

Flexible working is a trend that’s taking hold across a range of industries. Mobile technology has raised expectations of availability and, as such, business travellers need the facilities to stay calm and connected throughout their journey.

“There are two things that our business passengers are always asking us for,” explains Rob Lang, head of marketing at Edinburgh Airport.

“One is speed and efficiency and the other is choice. That’s choice of destinations that the carriers are flying to and it’s choice of retail outlets because business travellers are generally time poor and do their shopping at the airport.”

In response to customer demand, Edinburgh Airport revamped its retail offering last year. For business passengers, speed is of the essence with a fast track lane taking them direct from the car park to security and provides live updates on the airport’s website to keep travellers updated on the time it will take to get through the scanners.

“We have also brought in things like the family line to improve efficiency,” says Lang. “It’s about making sure that families have that breathing space to relax and get through without too much stress and that business travellers can get through as fast as they want.

“We are increasing the seating within the departure lounge. We have the much-loved USB charging points for phones and wi-fi has almost become a hygiene factor for people.

“We give everyone two hours’ free wi-fi and that takes some of the stress out of the journey. We are the first hello and the last goodbye for a lot of business people flying through.”

For some, business travel is more complicated than getting a person from A to B.

Employing a travel management firm to handle the planning is one way businesses can be sure they are getting the best price, most direct route and the insights of an experienced professional.

“We have a whole range of accounts with all different industries from finance to drinks companies,” says Jon Grosse, groups manager at Glasgow-based Stewart Travel Management.

“I have had experience of dealing with travel for the arts for over 20 years and companies like to work with someone with experience who knows what they are talking about.

“A lot of orchestras will have a truck for the big instruments if they are travelling in Europe, but if they are going further afield then everything has to go on the plane. You are talking about double basses and snare drums and that all has to go as cargo on the aircraft.”

He says the biggest trend in the last ten to 15 years has been the move by airlines to cut costs, which in turn has meant increased restrictions on hand luggage allowances.

“We are in an age now where it’s such a competitive market in the airline industry that it’s about getting people on the plane rather than anything out of the ordinary,” says Grosse.

“There has been a big switch to airlines charging more for excess baggage. Historically you would have had the full-service airlines with all sorts of departments to look after that side of things.”

Logistical challenges aside, lower cost and more readily available travel means more people are on the move for work than ever.

Then there are additional flight routes in and out of Scottish airports and improved infrastructure on the ground – the £41 million Edinburgh Gateway station opened in December, plugging the airport into the national rail network.