Business travel

The strike action launched on Friday by airport security staff has been renewed this Monday. It particularly affects Lyon airport, where 30% of flights were due to be cancelled according to forecasts by Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, the French Minister for Ecology and Transport.

B&B hotels has opened a new establishment in the Portuguese capital, in a famous historic building.

Cathay Pacific recently inaugurated its new First and Business Class lounge at San Francisco International Airport.

A report entitled "The Airport of the Future" has attempted to imagine the main changes in air traffic by 2025. Check-in counters, hold baggage and other airport shops will be a thing of the past, according to the authors, who see this as a sine qua non for the smooth flow of ever-increasing numbers of passengers.

Since 14 December, American Airlines has been offering Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablets to passengers travelling in Premium and Business cabins on certain domestic flights.

US hotels are set to enjoy two positive years overall, in terms of both demand and rates, according to forecasts published by PKF Hospitality Research: good news for professionals in the sector, but a less cheerful outlook for business travellers, who are likely to see their bills rise.

This Thursday, Etihad begins its flights to Chengdu airport in China. Four weekly services are scheduled by the airline.

The Brazilian authorities have just given the go-ahead for the merger between South American airlines TAM Brazilian and LAN Chile to create the LATAM Airlines group.

In the run-up to the strike by Iberia pilots scheduled for Sunday, the Spanish airline has been forced to cancel 32% of its flights.

Hotel prices in Europe fell with the temperatures in December, according to the Trivago index published this week. The barometer shows an average drop of 3% in Europe.

After Lyon Saint Exupéry airport, Europcar is launching its Car Choice service at Nice airport. Business travellers can now collect their vehicle directly, without having to go to a branch. Other airports should see the service arrive in 2012.

A small revolution is underway in the cockpit: American Airlines has just obtained the green light from the American authorities to equip its pilots with iPad tablets, replacing the bulky paper documents used until now.

Spanish carrier Iberia's traffic will be disrupted by a strike action launched by the pilots on 18 and 29 December. Nevertheless, Iberia seems to have found a solution, signing agreements with thirty other airlines to offer its passengers alternatives.

In just a few days' time, a new player in the air transport sector will be making its appearance: on 26 December, Air China will launch its new subsidiary Dalian Airlines, thanks to the green light given last week by the Chinese authorities.

Lufthansa is set to increase its fuel surcharges from Thursday 15 December. This is the 3^th increase of this type in 2011 for the German company.

Swissôtel has launched Swissôtel Circle, a new loyalty programme aimed at its most frequent customers.

Newcastle Airport now has a new hotel with the official opening of the DoubleTree by Hilton Newcastle International Airport on 9 December.

Ethiopian Airlines officially joined the Star Alliance network at a ceremony held at Addis Ababa international airport.

Sydney Airport recently made official its plans for new developments scheduled for 2019. The main news is the unification of Terminals 2 and 3 for Qantas and its partners.

Eurostar has published its results for the 1^er The first half of 2011 saw a slight increase in traffic and sales.