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Picture the scene. The venue is ready. The coffee is hot. The name badges are lined up like troops on parade. There’s just one snag. The keynote speaker is stuck at an airport, and half the guests still haven’t landed.

A conference can be planned down to the last minute. It can also come undone with one missed flight.

For the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions trade, better known as MICE, flights are not just a way to reach the venue. They can decide whether the show starts on time. And as travel costs rise, a cheap seat may prove costly if it gets a guest there too late.

That is the warning from air charter broker Chapman Freeborn. It says event teams should judge the cost of the whole trip, not just the fare. The stakes grow when 100 or more people must reach one place in a tight time slot.

Airfares rise, and so does the cost of a late guest

The price news is grim enough. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and ALTOUR expect the average global airfare to rise 4.7% in 2026, to US$756. Their 2027 Global Business Travel Forecast also puts the average daily meeting cost at US$263 per guest in 2026, up 3%. It predicts US$267 in 2027.

Andy Hutchinson, Director of Passenger Charter UK at Chapman Freeborn

These are global forecasts, not prices for a given trip. Still, they show why travel buyers are watching the full bill. A missed arrival may mean an extra coach, another night in a hotel or an event team left to sort out the mess. None of those costs shows up in the airfare search box.

“We’re seeing corporate travel planners place increasing emphasis on the overall attendee experience, reliability and control of logistics,” says Andy Hutchinson, Director of Passenger Charter UK at Chapman Freeborn.

A fine opening speech is little use if the audience is still in the queue for passport control.

Dubrovnik: 130 people, two planes, one plan

A trip from London to Dubrovnik offers a case in point. Chapman Freeborn says a firm had to fly 130 people to Croatia for an incentive event. Seats on scheduled flights were on sale. The arrival times, alas, did not suit the resort programme.

The broker found two aircraft. The client chose the London departure airport and flight times to suit the group. Guests left through private terminals, with branded headrest covers adding a dash of company flair. Both flights took off on time, Chapman Freeborn reports, and the guests arrived on time.

The case shows what more control can achieve. It does not prove that charter is always cheaper or more reliable. The firm has not given a like-for-like cost comparison, so no savings can be verified.

There is also a social gain. On a reward trip, the flight can be part of the fun. Guests meet early, share the mood and land as a group. Some firms may see that as worth paying for. Others may not.

That cheap airfare may have a sting in its tail

For many events, scheduled flights are still the best bet. They serve more routes, run more often and may offer a far lower price. When guests fly from many cities, there may be no good reason to hire a plane.

But suppose 100 staff need to leave one city and reach a venue by mid-afternoon. If no single flight has room, the group may have to split. Now they have more buses to book, more bags to track, and more people to check in. One late flight can hold up the lot.

“If a delay or cancellation affects just one flight, it can create problems for the wider event,” Hutchinson says. “You can end up with people arriving at different times, additional transfer requirements and potentially key attendees missing the opening of the programme.”

Nor is there a set group size that makes charter a bargain. A full plane from one city is one case. Guests flying from Sydney, Perth, Singapore and London pose quite another. The right plan may use scheduled flights for most guests and a charter for the main group.

And the charter quote needs a close read. Ask what it covers. Does it include airport fees, ground staff, food, bags, and late changes to the price? What if the guest list shrinks? Who pays if the plane must be replaced? The fine print is not the most lively part of event planning. It may be the most useful.

One more item to weigh: emissions. A half-full charter and a full scheduled flight may have very different footprints per guest. Any carbon claim needs proper evidence, not a glossy slogan.

Start with the event. Then choose the flight.

Plan smart: work backwards. Set the time when the first key guest must be at the venue. Then build the trip around that deadline.

Take a 6 pm opening, with guests due at the venue by 4.30 pm. If the drive from the airport takes an hour, they need to leave the airport by 3.30 pm. That means the aircraft must land well before then. Guests still have to get off, clear entry checks, and collect their bags. Add some room for delays, too.

Even the choice of airport isn’t as simple as it seems. The nearest airfield may shut early or lack the right ground service. Another airport may be farther away but offer an easier trip from aircraft door to hotel door. Flight slots, runway limits and road links all count.

The bags count as well. A sales team with carry-on cases is one thing. A trade show with stands, screens and heavy display gear is quite another. Loads and handling needs can change which aircraft will do the job.

Charter has limits, of course. Bad weather, air traffic rules and aircraft faults can still spoil the plan. Hiring a plane does not give anyone the power to order the clouds aside. It can, however, give the planner more say over the route, airport, and flight time.

Six questions to ask before the guests take off

Before buying seats or chartering aircraft, event teams should ask:

How late can the group be before the event is at risk?
Can one scheduled flight carry them, or do they need to split?
What will the whole trip cost, from airport to venue?
Which airport works best for both the flight and the road trip?
Will bags, access needs, privacy or branding affect the choice?
What is the backup plan if the flight runs late or cannot operate?

For Australian event teams, these are not small points. Long routes and limited flight options leave little room to recover when plans go wrong. That is worth testing before the venue, hotel rooms and stage crew are all locked in.

The GBTA and ALTOUR forecast points to slower fare rises in 2027. It does not promise a return to the old cheap days. So the aim should not be to buy the lowest fare at all costs. It should be to buy the trip that works.

After all, guests can forgive a bland canapé. They are less keen on a conference that opens before they arrive.