Business travellers are experiencing more disruption to their trips in 2025 than in the previous two years with weather-related incidents on the rise, according to a new survey by TravelPerk.

The Barcelona-based TMC surveyed 7,000 corporate travellers from the UK, Germany, Spain, Austria and the US. It found that 89 per cent of travellers have experienced disruption to their trips in 2025, which was up from a figure of 77 per cent in 2023.

More than half of travellers (56 per cent) have endured delays of more than an hour in the past 12 months, compared with 43 per cent in 2024, while 36 per cent have suffered cancellations (up by 9 percentage points year-on-year) and 26 per cent were affected by missed connections (up by 4 points year-on-year).

Flights still account for most cancellations globally (81 per cent), apart from in Germany where train cancellations (74 per cent) were slightly more common than cancelled flights (70 per cent). The country¡¯s main train operator Deutsche Bahn has been criticised for its high level of cancellations.

The largest increase in disruption came from weather-related incidents which have impacted 39 per cent of travellers this year - an increase from 21 per cent in 2024.

Weather-related disruption was even higher for UK employees at 42 per cent in 2025, compared with just 20 per cent last year. In continental Europe, the problem has been less common with 28 per cent of travellers in Germany and 24 per cent in Spain having journeys impacted by the weather.

TravelPerk¡¯s survey found that business travellers lost an average of four hours and 45 minutes per disrupted trip in 2025 with 39 per cent saying they had to work extended hours to make up for this lost time.

Nearly half of travellers globally (44 per cent) said that disruption had forced them to be late or miss meetings, with 25 per cent believing they had missed out on potential new business due to their journeys being disrupted. This was even higher for C-suite travellers with 32 per cent saying they had lost new business after suffering travel disruption.

This increase in travel disruption has led to 91 per cent of respondents changing their behaviour by checking updates more frequently (42 per cent), allowing more time to reach their destinations (37 per cent) and booking more flexible travel options (36 per cent).

When they are affected by disruption, travellers still strongly prefer to speak to a human consultant over the phone when rebooking (33 per cent). Although the number wanting to use online, self-service platforms was 30 per cent ¨C up from 24 per cent in 2024.

Conversely, demand for chat or SMS messaging options when rebooking has fallen to just 4 per cent ¨C down from 11 per cent two years ago. While only 7 per cent of travellers prefer using AI-based chatbots to rearrange travel.

UK travellers, in particular, are facing more passport-related issues such as denied entry or delayed processing. This figure has risen from 7 per cent in 2023 to 14 per cent this year. This comes as the EU is due to start implementing the long-awaited Entry-Exit System from 12 October.

Roy Hefer, TravelPerk¡¯s chief financial officer,?said: ¡°A delay or cancellation doesn¡¯t have to derail an entire trip or drive up costs. Companies that include flexible fares, cancellation cover and buffer time in their travel policies are far better positioned to boost productivity and ensure return on investment.¡±