Half of business travellers confess to not checking their company travel policy when making bookings, instead focusing on saving time, cost and boosting comfort, according to research from chauffeur company Blacklane.

Unveiled at the GBTA convention in Denver on Wednesday, the study ¨C called Cracking the code to boost policy compliance ¨C also found that while many companies have detailed travel policies in place, only 54 per cent of travellers surveyed consult them often or always.

Of those flouting the rules, 36 per cent said they did so because of cost and 32 per cent blame inconvenient travel times or routes. Furthermore, almost half (47 per cent) of business travellers believe they save their company money by going outside the policy.

Among the most important aspects of business trips for travellers are direct routes (86 per cent), cost (81 per cent), and attractive flexibility and cancellation policies (79 per cent).

Blacklane chief revenue officer Dr Sascha Meskendahl said the research ¡°reveals the strong relationship between limited disruption and business travel policy compliance¡±.

He continued: ¡°Travellers justify booking outside the rules to reduce the number of journey legs, save costs and enhance comfort in order to make efficient use of their time. Policy makers need to take on-board traveller demand for options that make a journey faster and more pleasant in order to boost compliance.¡±?

The study, conducted by YouGov on behalf of Blacklane, sought the views of more than 1,000 business travellers across the UK and US.