Millennials Want to Travel More for Business

Millennials are nearly twice as likely to want to travel more for business than baby boomers (45% to 26%, respectively). Additionally, a majority of millennials (57%) believe technology can never replace face-to-face meetings to get business done.

These findings come from the latest “GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index,” research from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Foundation — in partnership with American Express.

Millennials are more likely to rely upon social media to meet up with friends when traveling than baby boomers (46% to 17%) and are less likely to want to use their personal credit cards to float business expenses (53% to 69%).

In terms of travel amenities, if only one could be selected, baby boomers would prefer to pay no fee to check bags (47% compared to 34% of millennials), while millennials want free Wi-Fi (30% compared to 17% of baby boomers).

“Millennials are the newest generation of road warriors and, like their more experienced peers, they understand that face-to-face meetings remain key to getting business done,” said Michael, W. McCormick, GBTA’s executive director and COO. “Over the last quarter, business travelers across the board — millennials, Gen Xers and baby boomers — reported that their goals were met on business trips, leading to greater satisfaction.”

The study also found that overall business traveler satisfaction with getting through airport security declined significantly in the past three months (from 55% to 45%). Despite this drop, overall satisfaction levels with the business travel experience remain high (73%).

“Millennials in particular are interested in business travel and see the value it brings to their companies and their careers,” said Susan Chapman-Hughes, senior vice president, American Express Global Corporate Payments. “This generation may see more upsides to business travel because they’ve found new ways to stay connected to their personal and professional commitments while on the road.”

Click here to view the full GBTA report.