Business travel

Malaysia Airlines has no plans to return to continental Europe before 2020 or 2021, even though the airline has just confirmed that it will be renewing its entire long-haul fleet.

G7 taxis are launching a new "Connect" service, enabling passengers to pay for their journey directly from their smartphone once they are in their taxi.

Lufthansa will soon be launching two new strategic routes for French business travellers in the "Grand Ouest" region. Nantes and Bordeaux will be linked to the airline's two hubs: Munich and Frankfurt airports.

Following in the footsteps of travel agencies, Airbnb is continuing to weave its web in the world of business travel. A centralised payment solution will be launched with AirPlus in 2017.

Reconciling business and leisure travellers: this is essentially the credo of V.Pro, the new booking and service tool unveiled on 15 November by Voyages SNCF. In anticipation of a "business" section planned for early 2017.

A study published by Concur confirms the dominant role played by rail in the European business travel market, and analyses the behaviour of these business passengers.

AccorHotels is continuing its shopping spree in the trendy hotel market by acquiring a stake in Germany's 25hours Hotels. The objective is clear and fully assumed: to give the brand the global reach it aspires to.

L'instant Paris officially opened its doors on 7 November at Paris CDG airport. This new space, dedicated to connecting passengers, includes a hotel and comfortable areas to improve the time spent in transit.

British Airways will soon be returning to Nantes, nine years after the airline last landed at France's ninth-largest airport.

The approval of the project for a third runway at Heathrow opens up new horizons for the London airport, which is already projecting itself as a new European hub and plans to cover new destinations.

The future low-cost airline that Air France wants to launch in winter 2017 - codenamed "Project Boost" - will be a hybrid between a traditional airline and a low-cost carrier, the equivalent of a simplified service carrier. There are already examples of this in Asia with Silk Air, launched by Singapore Airlines, and in North America with Air Canada Rouge. In Europe too, with an illustrious development: that of Eurowings - formerly Germanwings until last year, and a spin-off from the German airline Lufthansa.

On Thursday, the management of Air France-KLM presented the details of the Trust Together plan. Among the nine strategic pillars, the group will focus in particular on the launch of a new airline which, while not officially low-cost, should return loss-making routes to profitability.

Having spent 16 years working for some of the biggest names in business travel - KDS, KDS, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, KLM - as well as having experience in purchasing, Dick Wissink joined Trainline at the end of September with solid expertise in business travel. The new BtoB Sales Director for Europe shares his vision of the company as it integrates CaptainTrain.

The inauguration of the NH Collection Mexico City Reforma was celebrated at the end of October. Ramón Aragonés, Managing Director of the Group, alongside Regional Director Eduardo Bosch, explains the strategic importance of this new business address. Interviewed in Mexico City by Florian Guillemin.

On 19 October, the managers of NH Hotels and the Mexican authorities celebrated the inauguration of the NH Collection Mexico City Reforma, in the business district of the Mexican capital. The opening of this new hotel will underline the new ambitions of the group and its top-of-the-range brand in the Americas.

Thai Airways International and Singapore Airlines for the Airbus A350, Malaysia Airlines for the Airbus A380: the three airlines are adjusting their strategies to the European aircraft manufacturer's aircraft.

Chinese conglomerate HNA is to take a 25% stake in Hilton Worldwide, just a few months after acquiring Carlson Rezidor and its Radisson Blu and Park Inn brands. This is yet another illustration of the growing power of Chinese hoteliers.

Transformed into hotels, many historic sites tell wonderful stories to business tourists who, for the duration of a seminar, borrow the time machine to discover their rich past. Convents, châteaux or noble residences: organisers are spoilt for choice...

The Spanish airline has just unveiled its Premium Economy cabin - a first for Iberia - which will be introduced from the summer on selected flights to Latin America.

As part of its "be my guest" project, the long-stay chain Adagio has presented a full-scale test of the expected changes to its offering.