The Austrian Business Travel Association awarded the traditional cactus for the biggest annoyance of the year again this year. What is new is that a rose was also given to “reliable partners”. The airline industry cashed in on the prickly plant due to the delayed refunds.

"In this extraordinary situation for the business travel industry, we wanted to award the" Rose "to reliable partners who have endeavored to mitigate the effects of the crisis through innovative ideas and helpful services," said ABTA President Andreas Gruber, explaining the idea behind the "Rose " of the year.

The business travel experts rated the "accommodating service of the hotels in terms of cancellation conditions" and the "all-round availability (24/7)" of the travel agencies equally, so that two roses were awarded. It looked less “rosy” in the airline sector: The two cacti are going ex aequo to the “European patchwork of Corona-related travel restrictions” and the “Sluggish ticket refunds by the airlines”, which are the biggest annoyances for Travel this year Managers and business travelers represented.