Smiling service, snacks, and a great movie selection: these small things make hours spent on a plane just a little more bearable. But the experience can vary wildly depending on which carrier you pick.
25.06.2024 - 18:39 / travelpulse.com / Mia Taylor
Travel Weekly’s annual Power List is out and this year the collection of the world’s biggest travel sellers includes an all-time high of 72 agencies.
The Power List’s class of 2024 increased by 11 companies over last year despite the fact that a new $110 million threshold was established to qualify. (Last year’s qualifying threshold was $100 million.)
The top six companies on the list for 2024 remain the same as 2023, though Travel Weekly says that’s likely to change next year if American Express Global Business Travel's (no. 3) acquisition of CWT (No. 5) moves forward.
Also notable, survey responses provided by agencies as part of this year’s Power List compilation process reveal a “strong sense of buoyancy” throughout the industry, says TravelWeekly.
Here’s a closer look at this year’s top 24 for 2024.
Rankings are based on each company's 2023 sales.
Booking Holdings maintains its reign at the top of the Power List again this year. The publicly held company, which provides online travel and related services to consumers and local partners in more than 220 countries and territories, recorded $150.63 billion in sales for 2023. That figure is an increase from its 2022 sales of $121 billion.
Expedia Group held onto its second place ranking for another year. Its 2023 sales were $104.08 billion. The online travel agency includes a variety of well-known brands including Expedia, Hotels.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, Vrbo, Trivago, and Hotwire.
American Express Global Business Travel remains in the number three spot on the Power List for another year. The company’s sales for 2023 were $28.2 billion.
Yet another company holding its ranking between last year’s list and this year, BCD travel recorded sales of $20.3 billion for 2023.
CWT held onto its number five position between the 2022 and 2023 Power List. It’s sales for 2023 were $15.8 billion.
Flight Center sales for 2023 were $15.2 billion. That’s increase from $11.7 billion in 2022 for the publicly traded travel company whose brands include Flight Centre leisure travel and corporate divisions Corporate Traveler and FCM.
Chase Travel Group, a global full-service travel provider of JPMorgan Chase & Co, climbed one slot in the rankings. It’s sales were $10 billion for 2023.
American Express Travel fell one place to number eight this year. The full-service and lifestyle services provider for American Express cardholders reported sales of $9.8 billion for 2023.
Moving up one slot in the rankings over last year, Corporate Travel Management reported sales of $9 billion for 2023. The publicly held company spans corporate, events, leisure, loyalty and wholesale travel.
A newcomer to the Power List, Navan Group is a privately held company that owns the corporate agency Reed &
Smiling service, snacks, and a great movie selection: these small things make hours spent on a plane just a little more bearable. But the experience can vary wildly depending on which carrier you pick.
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