INSIGHTS
When a crisis calls, is your travel program ready to answer?
Geopolitical instability has created some unpredictable territory for corporate travel. One minute your travellers are cruising at 30,000 feet, the next, their flight path has changed because of an unexpected airport closure. For many travel managers, scenarios like this aren't hypothetical. It’s the new normal shaping daily decisions.
Recently, our FCM Consulting team has been working with travel managers navigating everything from the war in Ukraine to Middle East unrest, sudden border closures, and overnight visa rule changes. "We've seen companies rise to these challenges by running simulations and updating protocols," says Jo Lloyd, FCM's Head of Account Management & Consulting. "But others remain dangerously reliant on vague policies, which means when a crisis hit, minutes are lost, clarity evaporates, and employees are left to figure it out alone."
So, if disruption hit your program tomorrow, how would you know if it's truly a crisis? And would you know exactly what steps to take next?
What defines a crisis?
A major blocker to readiness is definition. Different organisations have vastly different thresholds. Some wait for large-scale conflict or government advisories. Others spring into action for airspace closures, mass protests, cybersecurity incidents, visa policy changes, or natural disasters making headlines. Remember CrowdStrike becoming a household name overnight? Many travellers got caught out.
One multinational manufacturer faced this challenge directly. They faced a fast-moving security threat and made operational decisions quickly, but communication lagged. Flights got cancelled before travellers knew, mixed messages flew around, and internal channels stayed silent. Over 48 intense hours, FCM worked with them to establish clear communication chains and reach all affected travellers. Having a crisis policy isn't the same as being crisis ready.
What happens when you do...nothing?
Failing to prepare creates policy gaps and reputational and legal risks. The consequences pile up. Delays reaching travellers, inconsistent messages, minor incidents becoming major ones, employee trust plumets, and legal exposure appears. Take this hurricane example. Weather models predicted severe disruption 48 hours out, but one company delayed evacuation waiting for official guidance. By the time they acted, flights were full, forcing complex (and expensive) routings and leaving many people stuck for days.
Mind the gap between travel and risk
Here's where many programs fall short. Travel managers often aren't connected with security or business continuity teams. So, when a crisis strikes, they're not part of the early-warning communications or response strategy. Risk teams may not know travellers' locations. Travel managers lack access to real-time intelligence. Travellers get left in the dark.
With decades of experience advising multinational organisations, FCM Consulting has seen a consistent pattern. The companies that navigate crises well have full wraparound strategies built on visibility, coordination, and testing. “Go beyond simply reacting to events,” says Jo Lloyd. “Integrate travel into the company’s wider duty of care framework so that when an alert is triggered, everyone already knows their role”.
Companies that close the gaps share a few tricks of the trade:
One financial services client runs quarterly tabletop exercises with employees across travel, risk, human resources (HR), information technology (IT), and their external travel management company (TMC) aka, us. These exercises generate a live list of process improvements. In the past, this has included optimised SMS templates and accelerated approval chains.
Jo Lloyd, FCM Global Head of Account Management and Consulting also cautions that technology alone is not the answer. “Automated alerts, real-time location tracking, and dynamic itinerary updates are foundational,” she explains. “But when the stakes are high, human action is what makes the difference.” At the start of the war in Ukraine, for example, one multinational evacuated dozens of employees and their families. While technology located them, it took coordinated action of consultants, risk partners, and local contacts to help them out of the situation and empathise with everything they were experiencing.
Can your program handle what’s coming next?
Find out what good looks like in the latest FCM Consulting Insights Report. Explore trends and strategies shaping corporate travel through H1 2025 and beyond, plus access our five-step travel audit to stress-test your readiness (P.S it’s on page 12-13 of the report).