I typically say no to any travel except long-haul (8+ hrs) due to our travel policy. I do not travel Y for private trips, so why would I do it for work.
Originally Posted by
TTmex
But it's not always a company deciding to skimp on travel. Winning certain contracts can be dependent on accepting the travel policy of a client being consulted for. Some of our clients let us bill and book what we want/need, but others insist on tighter controls and if we try to justify a 6k J ticket over a 1.4k Y one then they'll simply choose a local supplier to save on the differences which add up quick with multiple people travelling. Not everyone can freely walk away from contracts over a company's travel policy. It's a privileged position to be in to do so.
That is a very valid point - my employer's policy is that our travel policy takes precedence over client's. I believe it is in the standard contract as well. I did however, once work for a client who allowed premium economy for intra-european flights due to a corporate agreement, which we were able to make use of (a small win). Out of curiosity, do you always contract billable expenses? - we have the option of baking it into the pricing as non-billable, giving more freedom and avoids having to justify every expense line to the cilent, but of course that adds a bit more risk on our side as well.