CONNECTED TRAVELLER

"Customer expectations for connected luggage are clearly there. We've been working on this for several years and we've been able to test it...

Everyday objects have never been so connected. After telephones and watches, we now have smart suitcases and e-tags, which are set to make travellers' journeys through airports smoother.

Rethink Technology and iPass have published the Cost of Connectivity Index for business travellers: an opportunity to better measure the financial impact of technological mobility, depending on the type of connection (4g or WiFi).

From chic PCs and shock-proof hard drives to smartphones that can withstand the test of time and malware, the new Voyages d'Affaires shopping selection gives an overview of the new arrivals on the connected business travel market.

In September, Microsoft will be launching a new product designed to take the world of meetings into a new dimension. The Surface Hub - as it is called - offers companies two options, depending on their objectives and budget.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is launching SkyZen, a mobile application designed to improve the well-being of business travellers before, during and after their trip, in particular by combating the harmful effects of jet lag.

The Louvre Hotels group is embarking on an original initiative that is particularly relevant to business customers: all the group's brands will gradually adopt the Wifi + and Wifi ++ labels, depending on the speed offered by the establishment. 

On Tuesday at the Radisson Blu Boulogne, GBTA France organised an afterwork dedicated to the new NDC (New Distribution Capability) standard, promoted by IATA and set to transform distribution in the airline sector. The discussions between Yanik Hoyles, Director of the NDC programme at IATA, and Alexandre Jorre, Marketing Director at Amadeus, provided a clearer picture of the new prospects offered by the NDC standard to the various players in the market, as well as identifying the grey areas that remain as regards the possible applications of these multiple uses.

The KDS Now event was held at the Salle Wagram in Paris on Thursday. The theme of this 5th edition was the personalisation of the door-to-door tools developed by KDS, and preceded the launch of the KDS Neo Move application.

Since the end of April, Montpellier airport has been offering free, unlimited access to the Wi-Fi network.

Since its launch at the end of 2013, the Bird Office website has been rethinking the codes of meetings. The 100% online platform builds bridges between partners under-utilising their meeting rooms and users looking for space, savings and originality. The French start-up, which applies the recipe of the collaborative economy to BtoB, is now taking things a step further with the launch of its revamped website: a new, more intuitive showcase, featuring a rating system for meeting rooms and users. Interview with Arnaud Katz, co-founder of Bird Office.

Can today's business traveller do without an Internet connection, even if only for a few hours? Given the efforts made by airlines to provide WiFi on board their aircraft, it would appear not!

On Wednesday, Concur and the Club des Directeurs de Sécurité des Entreprises (CDSE) formalised a partnership designed to "put employee safety at the heart of companies' strategic challenges".

Booking.com is now offering a 'business' section aimed at business travellers and travel managers. The Booking Business site has recently been launched on the French market, targeting small businesses in particular.

Audi has just launched Audi on demand on the American market, a car rental system operating via a mobile application and featuring a concierge service. 

Capitaine Train unveiled its application for the Apple Watch on Friday. The train ticket booking website has taken great care with the design and functions of its new mobile showcase.

The Office Riders platform is making a name for itself in the world of the collaborative economy: the French site offers start-ups, business travellers and other self-employed people the chance to rent all or part of a flat by the hour or day in order to work there or organise a meeting or event. 

Air France has just launched its dedicated application for the Apple Watch, enabling business travellers to centralise their flight information around their wrist.

All trains on the Rhônexpress - the shuttle that runs between Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport and the city centre - now offer free Wi-Fi to business travellers arriving in or leaving the capital of the Gauls.

The Voyages d'Affaires nomad selection plays the finesse card with XXS-sized hard drives, magnetism with this magnetic screen, and even self-destruction with this ultra-secure smartphone.