Business travel

Etihad is getting up to speed with the launch of mobile boarding passes, which became official on 26 June. France is not yet one of the markets concerned.

Free Wi-Fi access should be available to business travellers from autumn onwards at New York's four airports: JFK International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and Stewart International. However, the free connection will be limited to 30 minutes.

The Paris-Mumbai flight launched in May by Jet Airways will become a daily service from Thursday 26 June. Until now, the Indian carrier has operated four weekly flights.  

Iberia is extending its MyBagTag baggage identification service to include flights with stopovers and ten international destinations.

Etihad is preparing to take a 49% stake in Alitalia. The two airlines announced on Wednesday that they had agreed on the main terms of a deal that has yet to be finalised.

Long-awaited, soon to open - the 1^er August to be precise - the new Parisian luxury hotel Peninsula has stylishly revisited the former Majestic hotel, just a stone's throw from the Arc de Triomphe. A new era has dawned for this Belle Epoque building, meticulously brought back to life after four years of work by a legion of craftsmen and restorers.

On July 11, Air India will become the first Indian airline to join a global airline alliance: this was the decision of the Star Alliance Board of Directors, which met on June 23 in London.  

Since 24 June, business travellers in the Basque Country have had access to a new business destination: for the first time in its history, a Finnair aircraft has landed in Biarritz.

The strike action launched by air traffic controllers on 24 June is expected to have a moderate impact on business travel. The main disruption should be limited to airports in the south of France, for flights to Spain, Portugal and North Africa.

While preparing for the unveiling of a lifestyle brand, probably in the autumn, Hilton Worldwide has just revealed its eleventh brand, Curio. Curio is part of a very current trend among hotel groups to welcome establishments with character into their fold alongside their standardised brands. Marriott with its Autograph Collection and recently Rezidor with its Quorvus Collection have adopted this 'soft brand' strategy to attract independent hoteliers. To win them over, Hilton is leveraging its commercial strength and the 40 million members of its HHonors loyalty programme.

Work is scheduled for this summer on the Lyria network, which will lengthen journey times for business travellers to Bellegarde and Geneva. 

The Starwood group inaugurated the Four Points by Sheraton Ljubljana Mons hotel on 19 June. A small event for the Slovenian market, where the big names remain - very - discreet.

The renewal of business cabins began this week on British Airways' medium-haul fleet. Over the next twelve months, 95 aircraft will undergo this extensive makeover, inspired by the interiors of the A380 and Boeing 787.

El Al is adopting DreamStream technology on board its flights to and from Europe, enabling business travellers to access streaming entertainment programmes directly from their own mobile devices.

Business travellers in Los Angeles now have access to a brand new business lounge designed to improve efficiency and passenger relaxation.

Qatar Airways is expanding its network in Asia with the launch of a new daily flight to Tokyo Haneda, the airline's third Japanese airport after Osaka and Tokyo Narita.

Mandarin Oriental is adding to its list of Asian destinations with the opening of a hotel in Taipei. 

We've already seen sea and rail cruises. Now Four Seasons is inventing air cruises with a private jet in the luxury brand's colours. 

The Hilton Group will be making its debut in Myanmar this October with the opening of two hotels: the Hilton Nay Pyi Taw and the Hilton Ngapali Beach Resort. And this is just the beginning.

Qatar Airways is launching a new baggage identification system: the "My Q-Tag" system enables business travellers to print out their own baggage tag before leaving for the airport, making the passenger journey more seamless.