Travel Analytics and FACTS have launched a new Australian Business Travel Digest, using data from 227 corporate travel programmes to identify where businesses may be spending unnecessarily.
The FY26 data shows domestic air costs finished 28% above where they began, although well below their December-quarter peak.
One of the biggest opportunities is flexible fares. Across participating programmes, businesses spent $5.7m on flexible-fare premiums to protect against an estimated $1m in change costs.
Travel Analytics founder Simon Crunden said: “The data challenges some long-held assumptions about business travel. Flexible fares appear to be significantly over-purchased, while the penalty for booking late has narrowed. The opportunity is to manage travel more precisely rather than relying on blanket policies.”
Other findings include:
- Only half of eligible overnight domestic trips had accommodation booked through the TMC.
- Fewer than 9% of travellers generate 47% of trips and 40% of air spend and carbon.
- Premium cabin use varies dramatically by destination, supporting more targeted regional policies.
FACTS CEO Derek Sadubin said: “The question isn’t simply whether travel costs are rising. It’s where businesses are spending unnecessarily and what they can do about it. This Digest gives corporate travel buyers practical data to challenge policy, budgets and buying behaviour. We’re delighted to partner with Travel Analytics to provide some useful data to help organisations benchmark and better understand their travel spend.”
Access the full Digest HERE.
The Festival of Aviation & Corporate Travel Summits (FACTS) is Australia’s largest annual gathering of corporate travel, business events, aviation, travel payments and travel technology professionals. It runs 25-26 November 2026 at the ICC Sydney.
