Travel Leaders unveiled more travel information based on data collected from its Fall Travel Trend Survey.  If given the chance, business travel agents would like to eliminate the airport security rules limiting liquids in carry-on bags along with mandatory removal of shoes, while leisure travel agents are most concerned about extensive pat-down procedures.

Both business and leisure agents agreed that the top way their clients are avoiding airline baggage fees is to pack lightly and only bring carry-on luggage.

Conducted August 1-19, the survey includes responses from 443 Travel Leaders owners, managers and frontline travel agents throughout the United States. The specific business travel data included is based on responses from 170 agents who indicated that business travelers make up 50% or more of their clientele.

When asked “How interested are your business travel clients in being part of a TSA ‘trusted traveler program’?” only 15.9% of Travel Leaders agents indicated their clients were “very interested” while 34.1% indicated their clients were “somewhat interested.” The total percentage indicating that their clients had little to no interest in such a program was 50.0%.

When it comes to baggage fees, it appears the vast majority of Travel Leaders’ business travelers have few questions.  Nearly 95% of polled business travel agents (94.1%) indicated that a quarter or fewer of calls from their business travel clients are inquiries about baggage information and/or baggage fees. Less than 2% indicated that half or more of their calls from business travel clients related to baggage fees and information.

Source: Travel Leaders