Flexibility is an important element of any travel policy, says Mark Baty, operations manager for Controls Unlimited, Inc., a systems integrator of factory automation located in Perry, Ohio. An inflexible policy won't work well in most cases and will only irritate those who travel. For example, if your organization has generous perks, it does not make sense to squeeze every nickel out of traveling employees. On the other hand, if the organization as a whole is trying to cut costs, it should do so consistently. For example, if your organization bans first-class air travel it should do so for everyone even executives.
Most experts recommend a single, uniform travel policy for all employees, regardless of rank.
Most employers are listening to that advice. Only 28 percent of firms surveyed in 1996 had special travel policies for senior executives, down from 35 percent in 1994, according to the American Express survey. Airfare was the top component of business travel expenses in 1996, and ate up 42 percent of the average business travel budget. By contrast, companies spent only 8 percent on car rental, according to the American Express survey. And those savings will have to be weighed against the inconvenience they cause traveling employees.