Business travel

Good news for passengers on US domestic routes: service quality was up in 2017, according to a study by US universities.

According to forecasts published by SNCF on Monday, one TGV in three and one TER in two will be cancelled during the strike on 29 May.

The German group is launching a new 'Economy Light' fare to North America. The target is long-haul low-cost carriers on the North Atlantic, such as Norwegian, Level, Air Transat and Air Canada Rouge.

On 25 May, Delta launched a new flight between Indianapolis and Paris CDG. This is the only direct transatlantic flight between Europe and Indiana, and Delta's 13th destination from Paris airport.

Does a code-share agreement between Air France and Australia's flag carrier Qantas herald a future direct flight between France and Australia?

One Transilien out of 2, 3 TGV out of 5 and 2 Intercités out of 5: these are the SNCF forecasts for the strike day on 23 May.

With the spread of home automation and the emergence of the Internet of Things, hoteliers are working on ultra-connected rooms that respond to the touch of a finger, the eye, and soon the voice.

The AccorHotels group has signed an agreement with Ector. The start-up is now providing its services to members of the loyalty programme. Members benefit from the equivalence of their loyalty programme with that of Ector and earn points in the Accor Club for each euro spent with the valet parking service.

A partnership between CDS Groupe and the Dayuse.com platform aims to fill empty hotel rooms during the day with business travellers.

American car rental company Hertz is offering members of its loyalty programme unlimited 4G in Europe. To do this, Hertz is providing its customers with a smartphone that can connect up to five devices to the internet and provide 30 minutes of international calls per day.

Consultancy firm PwC predicts good results for the European hotel industry in 2018 and 2019, following an excellent 2017. Paris, Lisbon and Amsterdam are among the destinations expected to benefit most from this windfall, while the Brexit is weighing on the prospects for the London hotel industry.

AccorHotels will be offering event organisers Cvent's Passkey solution, which makes it easy to manage bookings and communication around meetings from a dedicated website.

Already present on the Paris-Shanghai and Paris-Kunming routes, Air France partner China Eastern intends to launch a Paris-Beijing flight in 2019/2020.

Through its "Curio Collection by Hilton" light brand, the American hotel group aims to offer its customers the independent hotel experience. Interview with Mark Nogal, global head of the brand.

Through his establishments - the Grand Pigalle Hotel and Hôtel Grands Boulevards in Paris, the Henrietta in London - Olivier Bon, co-founder of the Experimental Group, aims to transform hotels into living spaces.

They all have fewer than fifty rooms and take advantage of their modest size to offer travellers that personalised welcome not always found in chain establishments. Design or cosy, independent hotels are a charming alternative to the big business classics.

A former director of the Hachette group and Presstalis, and a minister under Alain Juppé between 1995 and 1997, Anne-Marie Couderc is taking over as head of the Air France-KLM group during the transition phase.

Competition is fierce in the low-cost air transport sector to Japan, but it remains essentially concentrated in the hands of non-Japanese operators, particularly in the long-haul sector. Japan Airlines aims to change this situation by launching a low-cost airline serving Asia, Europe and the United States by 2020.

Business travellers due to take the train on Monday 14 May can expect an extremely complicated day on national and international lines, as well as in the Ile-de-France region.

Already a major player in South America, AccorHotels is strengthening its presence in the region with the acquisition of Atton Hotels.