Business travel

Air France is to reduce its short-haul capacity by 15% by the end of 2021, and is launching a voluntary redundancy plan for an estimated 465 positions on its domestic network. The reason: competition from the train and low-cost airlines.

On 13 May, Delta began an experiment that should be of interest to many business travellers: free in-flight Wi-Fi access. However, the trial is limited to two weeks, and to the US airline's domestic network.

Doha, Tokyo Haneda, Athens: these are the top three airports according to the rankings published by AirHelp. Conversely, Paris CDG and Orly are among the worst airports according to the specialist in air passenger rights and compensation.

Star Alliance is increasing its presence in Strasbourg, with the new Lufthansa flight to the Munich hub and the imminent arrival of Turkish Airlines. An opportunity which can be explained by the limited presence of the Skyteam alliance in the Alsatian capital.

Aer Lingus will be offering a premium product to Europe from September, called AerSpace: a real change of strategy for the Irish airline.

Hyatt is expanding its lifestyle offering in Europe with a new Andaz in Vienna and two Hyatt Centric in Italy, in Milan and Venice.

The IAG Group's long-haul low-cost carrier will take advantage of the arrival of a third aircraft at its Paris Orly base to launch a direct flight to Las Vegas and switch to daily service to Pointe-à-Pitre.

The Sukhoi accident will not jeopardise the growth of Aeroflot, which continues to add new international routes.

After six days on strike, SAS pilots have returned to work, following the initialling of an agreement with management on the evening of 2 May.

Design, art of living, comfort: the Muji and Maisons du Monde brands use the same recipes for success in their hotels.

The gradual retirement of Emirates' Airbus A380s is the start of a complete rethink of the airline's strategy, which is now faced with a slowdown in growth.

The Pullman Abidjan hotel celebrated its inauguration, following a total renovation. François Cernejeski, General Manager of Pullman Abidjan, explains the positioning of the Accor group's five-star hotel, and its strategy for business travellers and local customers.

United Airlines' brand new Boeing 787-10 made its debut in Paris on 30 April. The Dreamliner links Charles-de-Gaulle airport to the Newark hub.

Sylvain Bosc was appointed Qatar Airways Senior Vice President for Europe in March. He talks to Voyages d'Affaires about the airline's recent news, its plans for the French market and business travellers.

Marriott is in turn adopting a global accommodation strategy, covering the accommodation rental segment in addition to traditional hotels. When it launches on or around 6 May, the platform will offer a catalogue of some 2,000 properties.

The Wheely VTC service is preparing to make its debut in Paris this summer, targeting business customers in particular with a top-of-the-range product.

Airbnb has teamed up with property developer RXR Realty for a high-end project in the heart of New York. The two partners will devote ten floors within a prestigious Manhattan address - 75 Rockefeller Plaza - to accommodate business travellers in particular.

Pilots at Scandinavian Airline (SAS) have been on strike since Friday. 110,000 passengers will be affected on Monday and Tuesday alone.

A month after suspending operations between Paris and Beijing, and with its return to China expected in May, Aigle Azur is finally focusing on other long-haul destinations.

In line with European Union directives on the liberalisation of rail services, the Spanish government has just announced that it is going to authorise private operators on the AVE lines, the Spanish high-speed train.