- Business travelers are ditching chaotic airports in favor of the Eurostar service, new data suggests.
- The number of corporate customers has rebounded to 70% of pre-COVID levels, per the Eurostar data.
- The Eurostar train is still running a reduced service and plans to build services back gradually, per Bloomberg.
Business travelers are catching the Eurostar train instead of gambling with chaotic airports and flight disruptions, new Eurostar data shared with Insider suggests.
The rail operator's data shows that corporate travel via the international rail service has increased to 70% of pre-COVID levels over the last six months, despite Eurostar only running 75% of its pre-2019 timetable.
Eurostar's chief commercial officer, Francois Le Doze, said via the statement that business travel had resumed "faster than we expected in 2022," especially considering the company was "only running around three-quarters of our pre-pandemic timetable."
He added: "We are confident that this trend will continue after the summer period, with September traditionally marking a busy month for corporate travel."
A spokesperson for Eurostar told Bloomberg that the rail service planned to continue with plans to build back services gradually, despite the increase in passengers, to avoid experiencing the chaos that is affecting the global aviation industry.
The aviation sector has experienced huge upheaval in recent months. A series of last-minute flight cancelations, stories of lost luggage, and chaotic scenes at airports are making some passengers think twice about travel plans.
Corporate travel between London and Paris saw the fastest recovery among US companies, according to the data. The banking, consultancy, and luxury sectors were the main US industries driving this increased demand.
Eurostar says its managed corporate accounts also increased by 40% between 2019 and 2022 amid growing concerns over sustainable travel. Almost a quarter of Eurostar's clients mandate train travel for journeys where possible, the statement said.