After months of doing their jobs from home, many executives and employees say all those hours in the sky and nights away from home may not be necessary going forward, the Wall Street Journal reported. A major decline in corporate travel spending would have vast implications for the nation’s airlines, hotels and rental-car companies. Air carriers have predicted it could take years for business travel to recover to their pre-Covid-19 levels, though a vaccine could bolster confidence. Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian said on an industry webcast earlier this month that the carrier would operate twice as many domestic flights in July as in May. Still, “business travel is very limited right now,” he said. After 9/11, it took the airline industry six years to recover. As many companies look to cut costs, travel is an easy place to start, industry veterans say. “It’s a lot more palatable to say you’re going to cut 30% of your travel, versus lay off more people,” said Sloan Dean, chief executive of Remington Hotels, which operates nearly 90 properties for brands that include Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt.
