Business travel

The strengthening of the Air France schedule to Cuba will be accompanied by route closures on destinations which have not met with the expected success, particularly in the business travel segment.

A few days ago, Cathay Pacific inaugurated a new lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport. 

Lille, the city where the AccorHotels adventure was born almost 50 years ago, saw the unveiling of the brand new "Sweet Room by ibis" room concept.

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. 

The SNCF has transformed the historic Mistral train, which ran between Paris and Nice in the 1950s, into an original venue for receptions, cocktails, dinners and evening events.

Like all the world's major airports, Paris CDG dreams of becoming a new "aerotropolis", an airport city. That's why Aéroports de Paris (ADP), the airport operator and landowner, is so keen to support the development of Roissypôle. New hotels for business travellers will soon be built here.

It now seems to be just a matter of formalities. After almost being taken over by its enemy Ryanair, Ireland's national airline Aer Lingus is finally set to merge with the IAG group, the holding company for British Airways and Iberia. 

The heads of Europe's five largest airline groups met in Brussels on Wednesday. Alexandre de Juniac (Air France KLM), Carolyn McCall (EasyJet), Willie Walsh (IAG), Carsten Spohr (Lufthansa) and Michael O'Leary (Ryanair) agreed on a joint strategy to ensure the competitiveness of European carriers. Four measures have already been targeted following this first meeting.

Air France has just unveiled its newly refurbished business lounge, which has been welcoming business travellers to Bordeaux-Mérignac airport since 12 June.

Brussels Airlines will launch a new route between Brussels and Accra on 26 October. The service to the Ghanaian capital reflects the airline's growing presence in Africa, particularly in the West of the continent. 

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is proposing to introduce a global standard for cabin baggage dimensions, to be known as "IATA Cabin OK" for easier identification.

Thai Airways is going through a pivotal period, with a restructuring plan designed to put the airline's finances on a sounder footing. Several European destinations have seen the Thai carrier cut back. Jean-Michel Nasse, the airline's Passage France Sales Director, takes a look at Thai's strategy, its situation on the French market, and the role of business travel on the network. 

Zipcar launches the Zipcar Pro offer, adapting carsharing to business customers through dedicated solutions and tariffs. 

Alitalia presented its new look in Rome on Thursday. The Italian airline, partly owned by the giant Etihad, intends to move upmarket by promoting Italian elegance on board its aircraft. The integration of Wi-Fi is also part of this new strategy. 

On 14 September, Brussels Airlines will set off for its new destination: Bremen. This will be the first direct service between the two airports. 

Taxi journeys between Paris and Orly and Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airports will soon be subject to a flat-rate fare: a measure that should satisfy many French and foreign business travellers, and which is part of an overall change in the pricing framework, driven by the government.

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

Air China is launching its second daily service between Beijing and Paris-Charles de Gaulle at the beginning of June. The Chinese airline, which is a member of the Star Alliance, is thus reaffirming its growth ambitions in the European market.