Robyn Binks
Senior Product Manager
Hot Weather is a Hot Topic
Eco-conscious choices for travelers, just got easier
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Robyn Binks, who has specialised in sustainability and travel technology for more than a decade, and is a senior product manager at Travelport, says knowledge is power when it comes to providing consumers with eco-conscious options:
Summer 2023 saw some pretty extreme weather events take place across the globe. From fires in Greece, Hawaii, and across Europe, to heavy smog in New York and typhoons in China — and even Burning Man, an event known for dry heat and high temperatures, ended in flash flooding. Climate change was quite literally a hot topic for people and vacationers everywhere this year.
And this directly impacts travel agencies. In the short term, obviously you’ve got more requests for last minute changes and cancellations. Seasonal unpredictability and climate change may, in future, also create shifts in booking patterns e.g. around lead times or destination popularity.
Travelers want to make informed choices and travel retailers have a responsibility to help them do so. The challenge across the industry is how do we provide this level of detail, at scale.
At Travelport, we think eco-conscious travel starts with making more informed decisions. We’re doing our part by equipping agencies with tools to address emerging and changing customer expectations, especially when it comes to eco-conscious travel options. After all, modern retailing is about adapting to what customers need.
CONSUMERS ARE NOW WILLING TO DO MORE
Earlier this year, we shared research which showed just how much customers care about sustainability.
They want to know more about the effects of their journeys — 71% of leisure travelers, and 80% of business travelers said they want more information on carbon impacts to help them assess their journey options.
And travelers are ready to adjust their actions in real time to align with the cause, as our findings showed they’re willing to choose options that could take from their own wallet. Almost half of those surveyed (49%) said they would pay more for a route with lower environmental impact.
This shows that modern consumers care about the environment more than ever. So when you think or talk about modern retailing, sustainability and other ethical considerations have to be part of that conversation. We think this is going to be a huge priority for retailers into the future.
Robyn Binks, Senior Product Manager, Travelport
CORPORATE TRAVEL IS SHOWING A GREATER APPETITE
When it comes to sustainability, we believe corporate travel managers are going to play a huge role. While individuals like you or I aren’t typically held to account over our carbon footprint in our private lives, businesses and other big organizations are scrutinized more heavily. And that means: TMCs need to be enabled to understand the carbon emission impact of a trip, so everyone can make an informed decision.
As our Chief Technology Officer Tom Kershaw recently pointed out: expecting a consumer to spend an extra $100 for a longer layover to save on carbon emissions during their trip might be too much to ask for. But a corporate travel manager has the budget to incorporate that need.
We’ve already seen many companies announce their goals to become carbon neutral or achieve net zero emissions. Reputation, regulatory, customer and even employee pressures are changing the way companies think and act when it comes to managing carbon emissions from business travel. And, for teams where travel is a necessity, corporate travel managers must measure and report on emissions data, while equally providing what the traveler needs.
Expecting a consumer to spend an extra $100 for a longer layover to save on carbon emissions during their trip might be too much to ask for. But a corporate travel manager has the budget to incorporate that need.
We can’t forget that corporate travelers have their own environmental ambitions to account for too. So, businesses with reduction targets and eco-conscious travelers need to be able to access travel options that are accurate, credible and transparent about sustainability. And, they need the right technology to help do it.
WHAT NEW TECHNOLOGY CAN DO
Two things that are important when it comes to sustainability, accuracy and transparency. We must predict well in advance what the likely emissions are going to be. And we need to make that information readily available, and technology is the key to doing it. This is why we continuously adapt and update Travelport products.
We know that customers are asking agencies more and more: what purchasing choices really make a difference? To be able to answer that, agents need accurate, transparent emissions data, on a consistent basis, and for every trip searched for.
That’s why Travelport has partnered with Travalyst a not-for-profit organisation, and coalition working to bring consistent, reliable sustainability information to agents and travelers. The Travalyst coalition has aligned on a single way to publish CO2 emission estimates for flights and the chosen method is the Travel Impact Model (TIM), a framework developed by Google that is publicly available.
And thanks to our partnership with Travalyst, powered by the TIM, we’ve just launched a new carbon emission estimation tool in our platform, Travelport+.
This displays higher, typical, or lower options based on the estimated median CO2 emissions for the route being searched. For agents, this means being able to compare options across carriers, and present that information back to the buyer. So now, when you search for a flight on Travelport+, you see the price, duration, and carbon emission estimates.
For TMCs, this makes it easier than ever to service business travelers who want to know the finer details of their trip, including information on flight emissions.
The good news is, these features are available in one place, Travelport+, and can be accessed via Smartpoint Cloud, Desktop, and API. And the advantage for airlines is that agents can offer the most suitable flight for their customer, using a consistent, and publicly available model. Now, when you decide to book travel, you’ve got three options that can easily be considered, all in one place: the journey time, the cost, and the environmental impact.
WORKING WITH OTHERS TO AFFECT CHANGE
Right now, software and tools provide vital visibility into eco-conscious trip choices. But the bigger picture is, driving real change means adopting an attitude.
The industry as a whole needs to be transparent about eco-conscious information across all travel options, but also it’s about instilling change for the future with new, higher standards of monitoring our impact on the environment.
Co-operation and collaboration is vital, and at Travelport, we’re ready to help. Through our Travalyst partnership, we’re taking an active role in industry-wide collaboration: to drive transparency and consistency in sustainability data necessary to empower travel agents and travel managers.
Now, when you decide to book travel, you’ve got three options that can easily be considered, all in one place: the journey time, the cost, and the environmental impact.
And, our commitment to industry partnerships doesn’t stop there, as Travelport is one of the founding members of the Global Business Travel Association’s (GBTA) Sustainability Leadership Council. As the first travel retailing platform to join this program we’re driving cross-industry collaboration between the consumers and the providers of corporate travel services.
People will always need and want to travel. But, planned more mindfully, travel can be used to create positive change. And collectively, we can provide customers with the tools and information to make better choices.
Sustainability in the travel industry is a critical topic right now. Travelers want access to sustainable travel options.