Business travel

Sabre's inventory is growing: GDS has signed an agreement with La Compagnie, the new "100% business" transatlantic carrier between Paris and New York.

Capitaine Train has published an infographic listing the reasons why French travellers take the TGV. The document, based on the "National Transport and Travel Survey", estimates that 36.2% of business customers use the high-speed network.

Cédric Pastour spoke on Thursday about Aigle Azur's new strategic direction. The airline's Chairman and CEO confirmed that operations on the Paris-Moscow route would be suspended, and that the Paris-Beijing project would be postponed.

Korean Air is extending its cooperation with one of the 29 airlines linked to the Korean carrier by code-share agreements: LAN.

Business travel will be disrupted once again this week on the Lufthansa network. The strike called by the Vereinigung Cockpit union begins this Monday afternoon, and has been extended to long-haul flights.

While all the experts agree that Asia will continue to drive growth in air transport over the next few years, the continent is not free from turbulence, mainly due to increased competition, political factors and the slowdown in the Chinese economy.

Qantas is preparing its move to a new area dedicated to the Australian airline at Perth airport, by starting construction of a new business lounge for domestic flights.

Air France announced on 16 September that it had reached an agreement with the pilots' unions to develop Transavia France. Management describes this as a "balanced solution, the fruit of responsible and peaceful social dialogue".

The MICE offering is gaining momentum at oneworld, which has just made official further enhancements to the 'oneworld events' programme, both in terms of pricing and network, almost a year and a half after the solution was launched in May 2013.

The EasyJet application now includes a "passport scanning" function to make check-in easier for business travellers. A first in Europe.

The ANA Wi-Fi Service in-flight connectivity programme will take on a new dimension in 2015. The Japanese airline plans to equip 30 Boeing aircraft from April onwards on its international network, in addition to the improvements planned on domestic routes.

Bordeaux-Mérignac airport will soon be linked five times a week to Istanbul airport, with the addition of a new weekly service on 1 January.^er December by Turkish Airlines.

On 9 October, Eurostar inaugurated its brand new Business Premier lounge, designed to welcome business travellers in optimum conditions at Brussels-Midi station.

Interview with Federico Gonzalez Tejera, CEO of Spanish hotel group NH Hotels Group. 

Launched in 2004, Hotel Indigo, the lifestyle brand of the IHG Group, made its debut in Paris at the end of September, right next to the Opéra. This Paris opening illustrates the rapid growth of this boutique offering, particularly in Europe with the recent inaugurations of Hotel Indigo Madrid-Gran Via, Rome-St George and St Petersburg Tchaikovskogo.

Aigle Azur will no longer be operating the Paris-Moscow route from 26 October. Its CEO Cédric Pastour explained this decision when presenting the results for the 2013 financial year, linking the fall in turnover on the route to the Ukrainian crisis.

The strengthening of Germanwings' base in Stuttgart will be of particular benefit to business travellers to the Côte d'Azur. Lufthansa's low-cost subsidiary will be taking advantage of the opportunity to expand its services to and from Nice airport.

After restructuring, the time has come for Air Austral to renew its image and products.

Marriott International will soon be launching its Autograph Collection brand in a leading business destination: the inauguration of the Kameha Grand Zurich will mark the brand's arrival on the Swiss market, while another establishment is also planned in Barcelona, helping to strengthen Autograph Collection's presence in Europe.