With airline seats in short supply, the best advice for meeting planners and meeting attendees this year is to be flexible.
“You are really going to have to be on your toes and watch prices and watch schedules,” advises Terry Tripler, airline analyst and owner of www.triplertravel.com.
To reduce costs in the wake of rising fuel prices, airlines are expected to operate few flights on most routes, Tripler says.
“Flights are going to be so full that if you have a flight that is canceled or there is a missed connection, you will need to know what the alternate is and know what other airline can get you to the destination,” Tripler offers. “It is important to always have an alternate in mind. If you are flying Northwest from Detroit to Miami, attendees should go to the airport knowing they can also take American to Chicago or United to Chicago, or Southwest to Nashville” to connect with alternative flights to Miami.
“You have to know your options,” he continues. “You’ve got to be very proactive this year.”
Tripler also suggests that both meeting planners and attendees factor in more travel time than usual when flying this year.
The carriers will be operating fuller flights, Tripler predicts.
“If the flight is delayed or canceled, you may not get on another flight until the next day, if you are lucky,” he says, so travelers have to prepare for that possibility. "I think a lot of people planning meetings should prepare for the possibility that attendees may not show up on the first day.”
People planning presentations at meetings will also have to keep the possibilities of delayed or canceled flights in mind, Tripler says.
“If it is critical that if you have to be at a meeting at a certain time, you’ve got to allow yourself an extra day,” he advises. “It is just the nature of the business today. In fact, I tell vacation travelers that if they absolutely have to be at work on Monday, they’d better leave to get home on Saturday. If you are giving a presentation on Friday at a meeting, you absolutely have to go in on Wednesday night, or Thursday morning at the latest.”
