Helpful Hints to Make Corporate Travel Planners Shine!

Corporate travel planners want to make sure that their executives have a successful and comfortable flight whenever possible.

Comfort and reducing stress makes for doing better business at the other end.  If there is an important meeting, presentation or event, of course the more rested and at ease after flying the better.  Convenience is the watchword when booking your executives on flights – convenience whenever possible.  So here is one item that is probably one of the most important, as well as often frustrating…seating!

At a time when companies are cutting costs, business class seating may not be an option for some business travelers.  So how does a corporate travel planner choose a good seat in coach, and make sure the traveling exec has a chance at a pleasant flight?  Let’s face it, few of the airplane seats are really good, and when a seat is bad…it’s awful!

Bad seats corporate travel planners should avoid:

1. One place you want to be sure not to book is those directly adjacent to a bathroom! First problem – lots of people stand around them.  Second problem – you have to deal with odors you might not want to smell.  Third problem – these seats (usually at the back of the plane) don’t lean back fully – sometimes not at all.
2. Avoid seats near the engines or you could a have a lot of noise to contend with
3. 3. Sitting in the back also tends to subject you to fuel odors.

Better-to-Good seats corporate travel planners should book:

1. Remember that exit row seats have extra leg room, but are only assigned at check-in because they are not allowed to seat anyone under 16 in those rows.
2. Bulk head rows have no storage underneath the seat in front of you because there isn’t one.  It’s a mixed blessing if you have two carry-on items.
3. In general, the closer to the front the quicker off the plane when it lands…  On international flights your luggage will usually beat you to the luggage belt as immigration lines can be long.  First persons off the airplane are first persons on the immigration line.  On domestic flights, though, even if you get off last you will probably get to the luggage belt before your luggage.  Let’s face it, if you only have carry-on then being at the front of the plane makes it a breeze to grab and go!

Let’s face it – there is no ideal seat.  Airplanes and airlines differ in their design and rules and layouts.  Most airlines show their seating layouts, much like when you purchase tickets from a theater and they have a house seating chart online.  But what’s a corporate travel planner to do?

There is a service called Seat Guru that shows a large array of interior layouts for different airlines.  They offer a graphic map of seats showing good seats in green and poorer choices in red.

Don’t forget that after a trip, returning to Philadelphia, Newark, or JFK and the like, a great way your executive can get home with ease is to leave the driving to experts.  Your business traveler will always get a terrific seat in our limousines.  We’re here to help corporate travel planners shine in what they do.  Call us!