Women’s business travel booking habits save businesses millions

Last-minute travel booking can be costly, but it appears women can save businesses millions in travel thanks to their travel booking behavior.

Researchers from Arizona State University, Ohio State University and data scientists from Carlson Wagonlit Travel analysed a 2014 database of 6.4 million flight bookings and found that women consistently book their flights earlier than men – on average about two days earlier.

According to the research, booking two days earlier actually means women were spending, on average, $113 less per ticket. However, when factors such as route, travel class and timing are considered, that gender price difference shrinks dramatically to just $17.

Nonetheless, for a company that has 21,000 travelers, booking those additional two days ahead could mean a saving of $1 million.

According to Harvard Business Review, “this approach shows a way forward for analyzing business travel that focuses less on all-traveler averages and instead delves into traveler segments’ behavior in a statistically rigorous way”.