Chicago, London Among Top Business Travel Destinations in 2014

Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 10:00 PM ET, Wed April 29, 2015

Sifting through data compiled over the course of the past year, American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has released its latest business travel snapshot, revealing the top domestic and international business travel destinations for 2014 in addition to a number of other insights.

Based on actual booking data from U.S.-based business travelers, the two biggest takeaways from the report are the rankings of the most visited cities among road warriors last year.

Here's a look at the top 10 domestic destinations:

1. Chicago

2. San Francisco

3. New York

4. Philadelphia

5. Phoenix

6. Seattle

7. Los Angeles

8. Houston

9. Minneapolis

10. Dallas

GBT also revealed the top five domestic city pairs for 2014, four of which included the Big Apple, unsurprisingly. New York-Chicago was the most popular route, followed by Boston-New York, New York-San Francisco, Dallas/Fort Worth-Chicago and Atlanta-New York.

LaGuardia Airport accounted for all of the aforementioned routes involving New York.

Meanwhile, Canada accounted for 20 percent of the top 10 international destinations for business travelers last year, with Toronto and Montreal each making the cut.

Here's the breakdown for most-visited international cities:

1. London

2. Toronto

3. Mexico City

4. Cancun

5. Shanghai

6. Paris

7. Tokyo

8. Sao Paulo

9. Montreal

10. Amsterdam

New York-London via John F. Kennedy International Airport and London Heathrow Airport was the top international city pair in 2014, followed by Newark-London.

New York-Toronto, London-Chicago and Chicago-Toronto rounded out the top five.

GBT's business travel snapshot also found that a whopping 95.6 percent of business travelers flew coach on domestic flights last year, compared to just 65.8 percent on international flights.

Though a higher percentage of business travelers flew first class on domestic flights (4.4 percent) than international flights (2.6 percent), a combined 31.7 percent flew business class or premium coach on international flights.

Finally, GBT's research revealed that professional services, technology/communication, and manufacturing were the top traveled industries over the course of 2014.

Although the findings are sure to differ in 2015, how significantly they will remains to be seen.


For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.

Topics From This Article to Explore

More From TravelPulse

Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

Grow Your Travel Business With Certified Courses

Travel Agent Academy
Travel Agent Academy
Majestic Resorts Specialist ProgramDiscover all-inclusive luxury at Majestic Resorts in paradise.
Travel Agent Academy
Travel Agent Academy
Allianz Specialist ProgramProtect every journey with Allianz Partners Travel Insurance.
Travel Agent Academy
Travel Agent Academy
Los Cabos Specialist ProgramSell the magic of Los Cabos: luxury, adventure, and endless sunshine.
Travel Agent Academy
Travel Agent Academy
Majestic Resorts Specialist ProgramDiscover all-inclusive luxury at Majestic Resorts in paradise.
Travel Agent Academy
Travel Agent Academy
Allianz Specialist ProgramProtect every journey with Allianz Partners Travel Insurance.
Travel Agent Academy
Travel Agent Academy
Los Cabos Specialist ProgramSell the magic of Los Cabos: luxury, adventure, and endless sunshine.

Don't Miss These Travel Agent Events and Trainings

Watch Now!
Mexico for the Western Traveler Part 1: 2026Thursday, October 22, 2026
2:00pm Eastern
Join Travel Weekly, TravelAge West and TravelPulse in the virtual studios for Discover Mexico for the...
Upcoming Webinar
Europe Made Easy: Sell with Confidence with Classic VacationsFriday, October 23, 2026
2:00pm Eastern
From iconic cities to hidden gems, discover how Classic Vacations helps travel advisors navigate the...
Upcoming Webinar
Japan Beyond the Golden Route: Luxury and Hidden GemsMonday, October 26, 2026
4:00pm Eastern
Turn over a new leaf in Japan during this webinar, where we'll look beyond the cherry blossoms and...
Watch Now!
Mexico for the Western Traveler Part 1: 2026Thursday, October 22, 2026
2:00pm Eastern
Join Travel Weekly, TravelAge West and TravelPulse in the virtual studios for Discover Mexico for the...
Upcoming Webinar
Europe Made Easy: Sell with Confidence with Classic VacationsFriday, October 23, 2026
2:00pm Eastern
From iconic cities to hidden gems, discover how Classic Vacations helps travel advisors navigate the...
Upcoming Webinar
Japan Beyond the Golden Route: Luxury and Hidden GemsMonday, October 26, 2026
4:00pm Eastern
Turn over a new leaf in Japan during this webinar, where we'll look beyond the cherry blossoms and...