Business travel

The tension between the United States and Iran, which resulted in the bombing of two American military bases in Iraq, is forcing airlines to review their flight plans in the region. Air France and several European airlines have decided to stop flying over Iran and Iraq...

The Spanish NH Hotel group is to strengthen its upmarket offering with the acquisition of eight hotels formerly owned by Boscolo, enabling it to expand the presence of the Anantara luxury brand in Europe.

In Los Angeles, the American Airlines Admiral lounge is now equipped with an automatic translation system supplied by Google to improve the welcome for business travellers. The initiative was announced at CES 2020 in Las Vegas.

The major consolidation of air transport in the United States has seen the emergence of a small number of giants dominating the market. But until now, none of them had ever been initiated from the West Coast. The future could change all that.

"In the near future, the key words will be personalisation, technological intuitiveness and a global travel experience": Eric Leopold, IATA's Director of Transformation, gives his vision of the future of air travel.

The opening up of rail transport to competition is entering a new phase. Foreign operators will undoubtedly come to compete with SNCF on its most profitable national lines. But opportunities are also opening up for the French company in neighbouring countries.

The reduction in VAT in Germany means a reduction of 10% on Deutsche Bahn's main lines. But this is not the only good news unveiled by the German rail company.

China Southern officially left Skyteam at midnight on 31 December. However, most of its cooperation agreements with alliance members have been preserved...

According to the 2019 results unveiled on 2 January by Air Indemnité, more than 3 million air passengers were affected by disruptions last year in France, despite a sharp fall in flight cancellations (-50%) and a marked improvement in performance at Air France.

Airbus celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. François Caudron, Vice President Marketing at Airbus, looks back at the major trends in aeronautics, particularly in terms of environmental performance and cabin layout, and shares his vision of the aircraft of tomorrow.

The pace is almost dizzying. With the continuous launch of new brands and the regular takeovers of established players, the major hotel groups have thrown themselves wholeheartedly into a multi-brand strategy. Here's an overview of the latest developments.

Elimination of single-use plastics, healthy food, animal welfare: the hotel industry is taking new initiatives to strengthen the sustainable side of its business.

The Japanese government is to boost the attractiveness of Tokyo Haneda airport by allocating 50 new slots that will increase the international connectivity of the Japanese hub.

SNCF expects 1 TGV in 2 for 31 December, the 27th day of strikes.

Greater automation, more control of the product by the passenger, but also more paid services: the future of air transport is taking shape around these three concepts, as a symposium organised by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently demonstrated.

British Airways is preparing to test a new robot called Bill, designed to guide passengers around the London Heathrow hub.

Moxy Hotels, part of the Marriott group, is expanding into business destinations, particularly in France, with the opening of a hotel at Paris CDG. An opening in Mexico City has also just been announced.

Air Canada has set up specialised artificial intelligence (AI) laboratories to integrate this technology into its operations and customer experience.

A strike in Germany is disrupting Lufthansa's catering operations. Business travellers will be able to fly, but not eat on board...

The recent reopening of a Madrid icon of 50s architecture, the Edificio España, and of a new hotel in San Francisco by Spain's RIU Hotels and Resorts demonstrates the group's interest in also becoming a benchmark for business travellers in major cities around the world.