The video conferencing industry has a lot to thank British Airways for. They have proven once again how unreliable travel can be. As BA cabin crew walks off the job we have seen more than half of all their flights cancelled, including some long haul flights to Australia.

Of course, you don’t need a major strike like this to be reminded of how detrimental business travel can be, on your time and on your budget.  It’s not uncommon to find yourself circling over Sydney or Melbourne waiting for your landing slot. Add a touch of frost or fog and your flight could be re-routed. With the airlines working on lower margins it’s not uncommon for a flight to be cancelled if all the passengers can be accommodated on the next one.

Add up those hours of waiting, waiting and waiting, to the cost of the ticket, taxis and parking and you’re presented with the real cost of business travel. Sydney travelers also have the dubious honour of travelling through the airport badged the worst in the country recently by the ACCC.

IP Visuals keeps track of some of the costs associated with travel, so you can see how much you save when a face to face meeting in person is changed to a face to face meeting online. What isn’t factored in is the removal of uncertainty and the associated stress that goes hand in hand with air travel these days. Instead, click the icon and connect.

So, on behalf of all businesses, we say “thank you British Airways”. Thank you for reminding us what an old fashioned notion air travel is. Sure we need it from time to time, for annual conventions and major client pitches, but less so for those internal meetings that drag us across the country. Instead, today I’d just like to make it home on time.  Of course, with IP Visuals' on-demand conferencing, I can still hold a meeting even when I’m at home. And my bed is fully reclined, the food’s great and I don’t care where the exit doors are located. Good night. 

Read other IP Visuals blog entries here.