This year we also asked business travellers to give us their views on the increasing hassle of travel in general.
For example, we had anecdotally heard that there were a large number of delays on flights to Beijing. So we decided to ask whether our readership found this a problem. We received 113 votes from people who said they had experienced an above average number of delays on flights to Beijing.
The comments we received were even more interesting. ôYou cannot count on anything like a schedule flying in an out of Beijing,ö said one respondent. Another noted: ôThe travel from Beijing to Hong Kong continues to get worse, with the delays rumoured to be weather, military exercises, and plane maintenance.ö
Travellers felt the delays were impacting business. ôIt is extremely annoying that you cannot plan your schedule in the way that you want it to be, as the delay is always unpredictable. I have to budget more time for travel these days when going to Beijing,ö said one frequent flyer. Another noted: ôI have to allow a whole day for travel each way to/from Hong Kong, which reduces the number of meetings I can schedule in Beijing.ö And confirmed another: ôMeetings are scheduled based on an expectation of a 1.5 hour delay û time is wasted.ö
One business traveller noted that the last flight back to Hong Kong on a Friday was always delayed, and hence to be avoided. A Singapore-based traveller noted that whenever they flew back from Beijing, ôthe flight is always delayed. We will be seated in the plane, but wonÆt take off until 45 minutes to one hour later.ö
In the most vitriolic response we got, a respondent said: ôIt sucks, it is a totally inefficient airport.ö
But how do travellers feel about travel in general? Has the increased security at airports made travel more of a chore? It would seem so. ôI am avoiding long haul flights as carry on items are severely limited,ö said one respondent. Another noted: ôIt is the frustration more than anything else. Business travellers should receive a FastTrack service.ö
ôThe delays at security checkpoints are becoming a significant concern,ö said one other frequent flyer. ôAirports are transit points, I don't expect to spend my life in them.ö Another noted: ôFlying is definitely more painful than before.ö
Problems with travel from Heathrow airport and to the US also came up repeatedly. ôI really would reconsider whether it is necessary to travel to places like the US, unless I definitely have to,ö said one respondent. ôI will scratch the US off my list in terms of leisure travel due to that. And for business, I wonder whether video conferencing can do the job. I would rather have the meeting in the wee hours instead of going through all that trouble. Time is money."
The use of conference calls as an alternative to travel was a common theme this year. Go to the next page for the results of the best airlines section of the poll, and page 3 for best hotels section.
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