Business travel

The opening up of cross-Channel rail services to competition is becoming clearer: the Intergovernmental Commission recently issued an operating licence allowing Deutsche Bahn to enter the Channel Tunnel. Eurotunnel is delighted with this step.

Emirates was awarded the Skytrax title of "World's Best Airline" in 2013 at the World Airline Awards held during the Paris Air Show. The Dubai-based airline thus succeeds Qatar Airways, ranked in 2nd place.^th position this year, with Singapore Airlines completing the podium.

The InterContinental Osaka hotel opened on 18 June in the Grand Front Osaka district: a new luxury address for business travellers in Japan.

On Monday, Air France-KLM and Jet Airways announced an extension to their code-share agreements, effective from 19 June, covering three new destinations: Chennai, Calcutta and Hyderabad.

Marseille airport has recently introduced a free Wi-Fi connection, with 20 minutes' free access.

The inauguration of The Oberoi, Dubai marks the Indian hotel group's arrival in a leading business destination, with a luxurious 252-room property.

Thalys could see a competitor emerge in 2015 on the Paris-Amsterdam route, in this case the Dutch company Travelteq, which plans to run five return trains a day.

On 12 June, Sabre presented its new Sabre Rail SNCF graphical interface, which gives rail reservations a facelift by combining simplicity and efficiency. Available since April 2013 in its pilot version, the new tool will notably lead to the disappearance of ATB printers.

On Wednesday, American Airlines inaugurated its new transatlantic route, linking New York-JFK airport to Dublin every day.

The strike action launched by air traffic controllers on Tuesday 11 June has led to the cancellation of 1,800 flights at France's main airports. This disruption was anticipated by the DGAC, which had asked airlines to halve their flight schedules ahead of the strike.

Beware of unpleasant surprises at boarding time: EasyJet is reviewing its policy on the size of baggage accepted in the cabin, with effect from 2 July. Some suitcases could be relegated to the hold if they take up too much space.

Business travel will be disrupted from 11 to 13 June by a strike by air traffic controllers. The French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) is trying to anticipate this by calling on airlines to halve their flight schedules.

The Ascott group will be launching its first two Citadines Apart'hotels in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) in early 2014. More than 300 new flats are planned, marking the brand's arrival in the Gulf region.

Accor and HRS Group are strengthening their global partnership through a new strategic agreement covering both the leisure and corporate segments.

The Virgin Group's launch in the hotel sector is becoming clearer: a hotel is scheduled to open in New York in 2016, two years after the opening of the company's first hotel in Chicago.

The Marriott group wants to import the AC Hotels brand into the United States and the Americas in general. Its target: young, trendy business travellers, mainly from generation Y.

Turkish Airlines is adding Marseille to its French catalogue with the inauguration of a new route between Istanbul and the city of Marseille on Tuesday 4 June.

Since the weekend, Delta has been operating flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Newark Liberty International Airport, a route previously operated by its joint venture partner Air France.

Virgin Atlantic is in the midst of a busy period, marked in particular by the proposed joint venture with Delta and the launch of the airline's first domestic flights. Eddy Gomes Calado, the airline's Sales Director for Europe, provides an update on Virgin Atlantic's new direction and its medium-term ambitions in France and worldwide.

On 30 May, Accor unveiled its new "Away on business by Accor" technology service: an iPad application dedicated to business travellers, making it easier to book hotels and manage business trips. The aim is to make business travel "user-friendly".