GBTA's New Ancillary Fee Handbook Helps Travel Managers Demystify Add-On Expenses

Research Ranks over 40 Airline, Hotel and Rental Car Ancillary Fees and Identifies the Most Problematic Ones 

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Global Business Travel Association Foundation, the educational arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the business travel industry, today revealed findings from a new study that takes the mystery out of ancillary fees – a fast-growing segment of travel expenses. GBTA's "2012 Ancillary Fee Handbook, Who Charges What, When & Where," provides an overview of the various types of ancillary fees associated with air travel, car rental and hotel stays.

"This study is a tool to demystify ancillary fees and provide travel professionals with information they need to manage this growing slice of business travel spending," said Joseph Bates, Senior Director of Research, GBTA Foundation. 

The study categorizes virtually all the ancillary fees that business travelers can incur through airline, hotel and car rental travel.  It also provides a rating system that evaluates each fee on three essential characteristics:

1. How common it is for a business traveler to incur the fee?
2. How transparent it is to travelers and planners?
3. How easy it is for travel managers to track the fee once it has been incurred?

The Troublesome Ten

GBTA researchers found that the fees that cause the most problems for companies and travel managers are those that are least predictable, can't be paid in advance, and are difficult to track individually.  According to these criteria, the study reveals the ten most troublesome ancillary fees:

1. Airline fees for soft drinks
2. Airline fees for headset use
3. Airline fees for movies and videos
4. Airline fees for food
5. Car rental fees for toll passage
6. Hotel related fees for internet use
7. Hotel related fees for parking
8. Car rental fees for late returns
9. Car rental fees for drop-off of a one-way rental
10. Car rental fees for fuel charge.

"Last summer, our research found that only twenty-one percent (21%) of travel managers are tracking ancillary fees while those fees account for over eight percent (8%) of total travel spend," continued Bates. "Our research shows that ancillary fees have a significant impact on travel budgets and policies. With better insight into how these fees work, travel managers can make more informed choices."

The full report is available exclusively to GBTA members by clicking here and offers detailed insight for travel managers interested in understanding the impact that these fees can have on their business travel spend.  Non-members may purchase the report through the GBTA Foundation by emailing [email protected].

About the GBTA Foundation
The GBTA Foundation is the education and research foundation of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world's premier business travel and corporate meetings organization. Collectively, GBTA's 5,000-plus members manage over $340 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA provides its network of 17,000 business and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers, with networking events, news, education & professional development, research, and advocacy. The foundation was established in 1997 to support GBTA's members and the industry as a whole. As the leading education and research foundation in the business travel industry, the GBTA Foundation seeks to fund initiatives to advance the business travel profession. The GBTA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, see gbta.org and gbta.org/foundation.

SOURCE GBTA Foundation