Business travel

The IFTM Top Resa exhibition opens its doors on 23 September, bringing together the key players in the business travel, leisure and events markets in Hall 7.2 at Porte de Versailles. Four days of meetings, conferences and exchanges which, over the 35 previous editions, have established themselves as the leading event for the sector in France.

Wijet inaugurated two new bases this week to support its European expansion. The jet-taxi specialist is now present at Brussels South-Charleroi and Luxembourg airports: two leading European destinations for business travellers. Wijet is thus staying on course towards its goal of becoming the European leader in the jet-taxi sector.

Air France is counting on "a slight improvement" in traffic for Friday. The airline expects to operate more than 45% of its flights despite the pilots' strike.

No European airline has made it to the top of the Flighstats rankings for airline punctuality in August, this time dominated by Saudia Airlines.

Germanwings is expanding its European network by adding five destinations from Düsseldorf, including Paris. Until now, these routes have been served by the low-cost carrier's parent company: Lufthansa.

A new guide published by Skyscanner puts European airports under the microscope, providing a comprehensive overview of the rates offered to business travellers for access to the platform's Internet network during their business trips.

Zipcar arrived in France on 16 September for an official launch and a round-table discussion on car-sharing and the new urban mobility. After conquering the main business destinations in the United States, followed by London and Barcelona, the world leader intends to make its mark in this new market, where carsharing is beginning to find its place and its customers. Interview with Etienne Hermite, Managing Director of Zipcar in France. 

Air France has updated its traffic forecasts for 17 September. The airline, which has been hit by a massive strike, expects a strike rate of around 60% and will therefore not be operating half its flights.

Delta's business lounge at Zurich airport has been relocated to provide more convenient access for business travellers.

Accor will soon be moving into two new strategic locations for business travellers in London: Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. Further proof of the importance the Group attaches to the UK as a business destination.

Concur and Taxis G7 announced a new strategic partnership at the Fusion Exchange Paris event on 9 September. Concur customers can now access taxi booking and expense management services in both France and Europe.

Starwood is strengthening its corporate offer with the launch of the new SPG Pro loyalty programme, the "business travel" version of its Starwood Preferred Guest offer. SPG Pro will enter the business travel market in October, targeting business travel and meeting organisers in a bid to win market share in the global B2B market.

The Marriott Hotels brand is making its debut in a booming business destination: Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, is adding a new five-star establishment to an increasingly dense hotel portfolio, where the group now has five representatives.

The ME Miami hotel is due to open in spring 2015, marking the brand's arrival on the North American market.

Ryanair is making a revolution by officially launching its conquest of the business travel market with the presentation of its new Business Plus offer, designed to appeal to European business travellers. The aim is to reconcile attractive fares with a move upmarket, with the introduction of fast track, flexible tickets and Premium seats.

On 26 August, Accor announced the acquisition of 13 hotels in the United Kingdom. These acquisitions are part of the strategy of HotelInvest, the Group's hotel owner and investor.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published its ranking of the busiest routes in 2013. The Hong Kong-Taipei route tops the list. The New York-Paris route comes tenth.

In just over a month, one of the icons of the Moscow hotel scene will welcome its first guests under its new identity. The emblematic Moscow - or Moskva - hotel, whose contract was initialled by Stalin in his day, is to be rebranded under the Four Seasons banner, providing the hotel group with a prime showcase just a stone's throw from Red Square.

Icelandair has just completed a record July: never before has the airline carried so many passengers. Traffic even reached... the national population of Iceland.

Momondo has published a study dedicated to in-flight Wi-Fi. The flight comparator aims to give leisure and business travellers a clearer picture of the different pricing structures introduced by the major airlines for in-flight Internet access.