The Times Australia
Small Business News

.

Booking travel for your boss? Managers reveal the biggest travel mistakes their assistants have made


Mistakes – from choosing the wrong time to book, to overbooking flights and accommodation – are all common missteps that assistants and team members make when arranging travel for their bosses. Now, a new survey of business owners and managers has revealed that more than half (55%) have either been inconvenienced, stranded between flights, or lost money when their teams have looked after their travel bookings. 

 

The findings have been taken from a survey of an independent panel of 255 SME owners and decision-makers, commissioned by Corporate Traveller, a leading travel management company for SMEs and a division of Flight Centre. Corporate Traveller asked survey respondents about nine mistakes that their team assistants, or someone in their organisation, has made when booking travel. 

 

Saskia Boxem, NSW/ACT Head of Customer Success for Corporate Traveller, said that by sharing the results, in-house travel bookers can take note of the slip-ups that are being picked up by their managers, and seek to address them.  

 

She said: “Booking business travel can be a complicated process, especially when arranging travel for large groups or booking at the last minute. As assistants do their best to juggle travel bookings alongside their other, often higher priority tasks, they can sometimes be more prone to making mistakes. 

 

“However, for many businesses and managers, these mistakes can have a large impact on their budgets and be costly ones to make and rectify. To help alleviate the pressure, team assistants should consider using travel booking platforms and travel management companies, such as Corporate Traveller, which offer round-the-clock support and the best travel expertise,” continued Saskia. 

 

The top mistakes team assistants are making when booking business travel, ranked below: 

 

1. 40% of the mistakes are missing out on good deals by booking last minute. The most common error made by those who admitted to making a mistake, with two-fifths (40%) of respondents who have made mistakes when booking travel saying they had overspent on bookings, because they booked too close to the travel date. It’s easy for assistants and office managers to be distracted with other urgent tasks and so business travel bookings can slip down the priority list. So, by the time the booking is made, prices have shot up due to demand. 

2. Getting traveller’s details incorrect on bookings make up 27% of mistakes. More than a quarter (27%) of those who admitted to making mistakes said they had incorrectly inputted traveller details when booking travel. Whether it’s misspelling a name, an incorrect date of birth, or a wrong name altogether, incorrect traveller details take time to rectify. Businesses are unlikely to make this mistake when using a travel management company or platform, which eliminates manual errors by creating a booking profile for each traveller. 

 

3. 27% of mistakes are flights that don’t align. More than a quarter (27%) of travel bookers that have made mistakes admitted to this error. Travellers can be left without a bed to sleep in if their flight arrives after hotel check-in has closed or miss their flight if their adjoining flights times are unaligned. This is the third most common mistake, which not only incurs added costs, as additional bookings will need to be made, but it can also put the traveller at risk if they are stranded in a new city late at night. 

4. 
25% of errors are travel booking that are not approved or go over budget. If an employee is left to book their own travel, they could risk overspending on a hotel or flight and by the time management has noticed it could be too late to amend without financial penalties. It’s the fourth most common mistake made by those who admitted to getting things wrong when booking travel, at 25 per cent. A travel management company, on the other hand, can lock in a spending cap to keep a lid on frivolous spending. 

5. Making bookings that inconvenienced travellers make up 24% of mistakes. Businesses also reported that when travel is managed by assistants or other team members, there is a risk the traveller could be booked onto an inconvenient flight time, or at a hotel that is miles from their early morning meeting location. Almost a quarter (24%) of businesses that have made travel booking mistakes admitted to this particular error.  

 

6. Booking with travel providers that have poor service make up 24% of errors. An assistant that books travel on behalf of their manager may not be privy to the best travel services, and 24 per cent of those who have made mistakes booking travel said this had happened in their business. Instead, by using a travel management company and leaving business travel booking to the experts, businesses can be assured that they are booked onto the travel provider that best suits their needs and expectations. 

 

7. 20% of mistakes have the wrong destination or date. This may seem an inconceivable mistake to make, but Corporate Traveller’s survey results indicate this is the seventh most common mistake made by businesses that have admitted to booking errors, at 20 per cent – and comes with huge cost implications, especially if the business has booked the cheapest airline tickets that don’t allow date changes or don’t offer refunds or credit.

 

8. 15% of errors were bookings with incorrect people or number of people. Booking for large groups can be stressful, risking mistakes. Booking for too many or too few people, or the wrong names, can also be difficult to rectify and 15 per cent of those who have made mistakes admitted to this error. A flight or hotel may no longer have availability, or refunds might not be applicable on the type of booking made. 

 

9. Overbooking, such as booking too many rooms or flight seats. While last in the ranking, overbooking was admitted by 11 per cent of travel bookers who said they have made mistakes when arranging travel in-house. If the employee making the booking has chosen the cheapest flight seat, refunds or credits might not be available. Likewise, if they have a booked rooms directly with the hotel, they might lose the deposit. 

“Not only are there financial implications to rectify the mistakes, but an organisation’s corporate reputation could suffer damage if a traveller arrives late to a meeting because of a simple booking mistake.” Saskia said.


For more information or to book a business consultation, visit corporatetraveller.com.au

Property Times

Rubber vs Concrete Wheel Stops: Which is Better for Your Car Park?

When it comes to setting up a car park in Perth, wheel stops are a small feature that make a big difference. From improving driver accuracy to preventing costly damage, the right choice between rubber and concrete wheel stops could save you time, mon...

What Is the Australian Government First Home Buyers Scheme About?

For many Australians, buying a first home can feel like a daunting task—especially with rising property prices, tight lending rules, and the challenge of saving for a deposit. To ease this burden, the Australian Government has introduced a First ...

Flipping vs. Holding: Which Investment Strategy Is Right for You?

Are you wondering whether flipping a property or holding onto it is the better investment strategy? The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all. Both strategies have distinct advantages and risks, and choosing the right one depends on your financial goals, ...

A Guide to Smarter Real Estate Accounting: What You Might Be Overlooking

Real estate accounting can be a complex terrain, even for experienced investors and property managers. From tracking rental income to managing property expenses, the financial intricacies of real estate demand more than just basic bookkeeping. A si...

Food & Dining

Not all processed foods are bad for you. Here’s what you can tell from reading the label

If you follow wellness content on social media or in the news, you’ve probably heard that processed food is not just unhealthy, but can cause serious harm. Eating a diet dominated by highly processed foods means you’re likely to consume more kil...

Italian Street Kitchen: A Nation’s Favourite with Expansion News on Horizon

Successful chef brothers, Enrico and Giulio Marchese, weigh in on their day-to-day at Australian foodie favourite, Italian Street Kitchen - with plans for ‘ambitious expansion’ to be announced in the coming months.  Italian Street Kitchen: A slice o...

Après Skrew: Peanut Butter Whiskey Turns Australia’s Winter Parties Upside Down

This August, winter in Australia is about to get a lot nuttier. Skrewball Whiskey, the cult U.S. peanut butter whiskey that’s taken the world by storm, is bringing its bold brand of chaos to Aussie shores with Après Skrew: a mash-up of alpine energy...

450 people queue for first taste of Pappa Flock’s crispy chicken as first restaurant opens in Queensland

Queenslanders turned out in flocks for the opening of Pappa Flock's first Queensland restaurant, with 450 people lining up to get their hands on the TikTok famous crispy crunchy chicken tenders. The highly anticipated opening comes after months of d...

Business Times

From Farms to Festivals: How Regional NSW Is Repurposing Shipping…

Regional NSW communities are repurposing containers for farms, tourism, and events Farmers and small businesses use them...

Nail it with points: Flybuys members can redeem points for instan…

Flybuys launches new in-store redemption at Bunnings stores across Australia Tuesday 19 August, 2025 – Flybuys, Australia’s ...

Understanding Energy Use Patterns by Season

Australia’s climate changes noticeably across the year. These seasonal changes don’t just affect what we wear or how we trave...

The Times Features

NSW has a new fashion sector strategy – but a sustainable industry needs a federally legislated response

The New South Wales government recently announced the launch of the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy, 2025–28[1]. The strategy, developed in partnership with the Australian Fashion ...

From Garden to Gift: Why Roses Make the Perfect Present

Think back to the last time you gave or received flowers. Chances are, roses were part of the bunch, or maybe they were the whole bunch.   Roses tend to leave an impression. Even ...

Do I have insomnia? 5 reasons why you might not

Even a single night of sleep trouble can feel distressing and lonely. You toss and turn, stare at the ceiling, and wonder how you’ll cope tomorrow. No wonder many people star...

Wedding Photography Trends You Need to Know (Before You Regret Your Album)

Your wedding album should be a timeless keepsake, not something you cringe at years later. Trends may come and go, but choosing the right wedding photography approach ensures your ...

Can you say no to your doctor using an AI scribe?

Doctors’ offices were once private. But increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) scribes (also known as digital scribes) are listening in. These tools can record and trans...

There’s a new vaccine for pneumococcal disease in Australia. Here’s what to know

The Australian government announced last week there’s a new vaccine[1] for pneumococcal disease on the National Immunisation Program for all children. This vaccine replaces pr...