Exclusive consumer research reveals the attitudes, needs and behavior business travelers, with analysis broken down both by demographic characteristics, and by travel and booking methods. Business travelers are changing, as Baby Boomers retire and Gen Xers and Echo Boomers begin to travel more for their jobs. New low-cost carriers and upscale hotels are already targeting brands to the younger generation of travelers, offering amenities enhanced by the latest technology trends. In the upcoming decade, travel suppliers must adapt to the trend-driven lifestyle of Gen Xers and Echo Boomers, in order to avoid price commodization and grow customer loyalty.

This report covers travel conducted for business purposes, with fares paid by the business. Because no airline forces passengers to disclose the purpose of their travel, there is no precise industry measurement of business travel. The closest approximation is found by tallying sales of first-class, business class, and full-fare tickets, also known as Y-Class and H-Class tickets.

Six years of specific sales data provide a factual and impartial presentation of the market as a whole. Mintel also evaluates the performance of individual sectors in the market, and provides information about the major companies and brands. Using the SPSS forecasting package, Mintel creates a five-year forecast of U.S. retail sales, revealing potential opportunities for growth and product development.