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2015 Best Airlines and Hotels for Business Travel

21 Oct 2015

While business travel is consistently a venture that prioritizes efficiency over all else, there is also a very real and present comfort factor that plays a part when choosing who to partner with for all your company’s travel needs. So knowing who is at the top of their game is of the utmost importance. We will discover this year’s top picks for both domestic and international travel, as well as the top hotels of the year.

Airlines were chosen based on a few different factors that are often important to the jetsetter, such as: in-flight total experience, rewards program, airport lounges, and of course, the big one -customer service.

Domestic Best in Business

Domestic is used much more often, for most companies, so we will discuss these airlines first. The number one contender for business travel in 2015 was Virgin America, according to Fortune and Travel + Leisure’s Best In Business travel survey.
As far as in-flight experience goes, Virgin has shown that it is committed to staying ahead of the pack and is continuing to show its customers a superb experience. Actions like adding Wi-Fi service for a number of popular aircraft and offering on-demand meal service have ensured Virgin’s place at the top of the pack for domestic air travel.

The Top 5 in overall ratings also include JetBlue, as well as surprise contender to many, Alaska Airlines. At the bottom of the top is Delta Airlines, as well as the cost efficient, Southwest Airlines.

While Virgin obviously did well in all criteria measured, they excelled especially in the factors of customer service as well as in-flight experience. However, other airlines topped Virgin in specific other areas of observation. For instance, Delta holds the title this year for best airport lounge; which surprised some people, seeing that American & United’s Lounges are typically at the top of the list. Southwest also did well, coming in second place in frequent flier programs and third regarding customer service.

Global Best in Business

For those in the United States, those are the airlines that you want to look to when you’re setting the bar for your upcoming trip, when you’re staying stateside. For those of you looking to get to a conference in Zurich, set up a meeting with a prospect in Kuala Lumpur, or go check out a new site to open an office in Argentina, this Global Carrier List is for you. For this Best in Business List, again from the polls of Travel + Leisure, this list polled customers on basically the same factors as the domestic questionnaire. Which included, as a refresher, in-flight total experience, which includes entertainment, rewards program, airport lounges, and customer service.

As many expected, and as has been the case consistently in recent years, Singapore Airlines was the unanimous decision as the best in the business for global travel in 2015. This is the second consecutive year Singapore Airlines has held up this championship belt, and if the past is any indication of the future, they don’t show any signs of stopping. Plans for the future include exciting upgrades for premium economy customers flying to and from the U.S., including leather seats and 13-inch HD screens.

Of course, Singapore Airlines isn’t the only airline out there making noise. Emirates, Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, and Qatar Airlines round out the big 5 of global business travel.

Emirates won the title for best business class in-flight experience, while Cathay Pacific (out of Hong Kong) took the cake for the best first class luxury in-flight experience. Air New Zealand was mentioned in the top 5 for customer service, and Qatar, Emirates, and Virgin American Airways were noted as having some of the best airport lounges around.

Outside of those highlights however, Singapore Airlines did make a near sweep of the competition. This giant out of the Asian market won in big categories such as, customer service, the best airport lounges, the top frequent flyer program and best economy class and premium economy class in-flight experience.

Best Hotels For Business in 2015

While it’s often joked that a seasoned international business traveler lives her life in the skies, traveling from one meeting to another, we know the real truth is that a global jetsetter lives his or her life in various hotels across the world. So, Travel + Leisure polled the world’s high volume, high quality, travelers and found the best of the best in hotels for 2015. Questionnaires were based off a variety of factors, including customer service, room design and amenities, business and meeting facilities, value, and loyalty programs.

Peninsula Hotels, with its 10 different locations across the globe took home the gold for 2015, these luxury locales beat out big names such as Shangri-La and Mandarin Oriental. While Peninsula is of course equipped with the must-haves, such as Wi-Fi access, Gym Access, and business center access, these hotels set themselves apart with their unique and attractive luxuries. Some of which include anytime check-in, which sometimes is overlooked, specialized bedside lighting panels, and lavish spa treatments.

The Peninsula received top honors for best room design and amenities, however did not make the top 10 in regard to value or business and meeting facilities. Other top names like Shangri-La, and Park Hyatt received top honors for customer service and value respectively. Each company and hotel do all things well, but certain areas are in special practice. So when you’re looking to book your next hotel, be sure to choose what fits for a specific trip as many of the top hotels are very good at specialization and customization for their top clients. Nevertheless, the full list of the overall top 10 hotels for business travel in 2015 are as follows: