They're Ordering room service at the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta, queuing up at the first-class-ticket counters in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, and sending in reservation forms for that big trade show in Las Vegas. They are the world's business travelers―and after a three-year hiatus, the road warriors are venturing forth again, breathing new life into the beleaguered travel business. While they stayed home, a lot changed. Travel operators cut their costs and trimmed their capacity. Major airlines have parked rows and rows of planes in the desert. And the number of hotels under construction has fallen to half of the 1998 high. So companies should make a lot more money in 2004 as those full-fare business customers start whipping out their corporate credit cards again.
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