The 2024 guide to flexible travel

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The demands and desires of travelers, particularly business travelers, are shifting towards more flexibility in their travel plans. A study from 2018 showed that 37% of corporate travelers were actively seeking more autonomy and flexibility.
This shift has pushed more travel service operators to revisit their cancellation policies and offer more flexible travel options. Companies are now working to give their customers some peace of mind amidst the uncertainty brought about by constantly changing travel restrictions.
Flexibility is at the core for both corporate and personal customers.

What is flexible travel?

Flexible travel refers to the accessibility to booking travel services such as flights, trains accommodation, and car rental that allows for changes in travel dates or cancellations post-booking free of charge or for smaller change fees than usual. Some might also include simple conditions like paying any fare difference that there might be between dates.
Having access to flexible travel services is a big plus for businesses due to the often-precarious and fluid nature of corporate travel. Meetings with clients or business partners might need sudden rescheduling or conference dates can be moved.
For many years, businesses have been penalized for the need to cancel, shift or rebook hotel stays, flights, and so on by being charged very high fees when doing so. They have opted to book more expensive one-way international flights as a roundtrip return date might need changing and end up costing way more. This is often true of all travel services, particularly when paying basic economy fares.
In recent years, businesses have pushed for more malleable arrangements. The ability to book a flight and lock in a good flight deal before the departure date is confirmed, free cancellation, flexible dates when booking hotels or car rental, and so on.
The need for flexibility goes beyond having access to flexible flights and other, similar arrangements. Companies need to be able to cancel or make changes quickly, with as few clicks of a button as possible, no questions asked.
By and large, the industry has been responding to these demands albeit relatively slowly. Travel platform companies like TravelPerk, Delta Airlines, and Alaska Airlines have been some of the front runners of this movement offering flexible options to their customers.

Flexibility at the core of future business travel

Travel has become more complex and, at times, challenging. Check-in times have increased, travelers need to factor in extra time and costs, and international travel, in particular, has grown more difficult due to varying requirements across countries. It has become standard practice to frequently check the requirements and FAQs of your destination’s travel website as your trip approaches.
As a result, flexibility has become essential for both business and leisure travelers looking to navigate this evolving landscape. Many travel service providers have adapted their policies to allow travelers to modify or cancel bookings with ease, often for free or a small fee. Even low-fare airlines like JetBlue have adjusted their policies to accommodate this demand.
The trend toward more flexible travel options for corporate travel began well before recent challenges emerged. As TravelPerk’s co-founder and CEO, Avi Meir, noted, 'Travelers have long been seeking less rigid booking policies and fares from airlines. Flexibility to change or cancel any aspect of a trip, for any reason, is now a standard expectation for both travelers and travel managers.

Enter FlexiPerk by TravelPerk

In the summer of 2019, TravePerk launched FlexiPerk in response to the industry’s need for more flexible booking options which, until that point, had been lacking in the world of corporate travel. With FlexiPerk, business travelers and travel managers are given the option to book flight, hotel, car, or train services and cancel at any time, no questions asked.
The way it works is simple. You pay a 10% fee on every trip in order to be able to cancel at any time up to as close as 2 hours before the trip. Upon cancellation, you are eligible for a minimum refund of 80%. The process of doing so is also much less stressful. You don’t need to run after airlines and service providers for your refund for weeks on end. You simply notify TravelPerk’s customer care via chat, phone, or email and you’ll receive your refund within 7 days.
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