October 18, 2022

Direct Travel

News Briefs

October 18, 2022

In This Edition… the 2022 GBTA Business Travel Index is published, flight schedule updates – including in to next year, Delta invests in air taxi company and tweaks member benefits, American launches Flagship Suite and new premium economy seats, Delta relocates in O’Hare, codeshare updates, facial recognition relating to air travel, Enterprise expands in South Africa, corporate hotel rates likely to rise, various hotel expansions, earn Delta SkyMiles at Starbucks, the best airport lounges, many travel tips, and much more!

Dans cette édition… l’indice des voyages d’affaires de 2022 de la GBTA est publié, les mises à jour concernant les horaires des vols – y compris ceux de l’année prochaine, Delta investit dans une compagnie de taxis aériens et modifie les avantages offerts à ses membres, American lance Flagship Suite et de nouveaux sièges en classe économique supérieure, Delta déménage à O’Hare, le point sur la reconnaissance faciale et le transport aérien, l’expansion de Enterprise en Afrique du Sud, la hausse probable des tarifs hôteliers pour les entreprises, quelques projets d’agrandissement d’hôtels, la possibilité de gagner des points Delta SkyMiles chez Starbucks, les meilleurs salons d’aéroport, de nombreux conseils de voyage et bien plus encore!

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Why Travel is the New Driver of Business Growth and Culture

A post-pandemic shift is occurring within corporate America: The office setting has been redefined as employees and companies adapt to new priorities and demands. Read More

How a Managed Travel Program Helps Keep Costs Down for Your Business

Here, we break down how making the move to a managed travel program can streamline efficiencies and pinpoint savings within this new travel environment. Read More


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Global Business Travel Spending is Coming Back, but Recent Headwinds Push Anticipated Full Recovery Into 2025 and 2026

GBTA.org — Inflation, energy prices, supply chain challenges, labor shortages, and regional developments add 18 months to industry recovery forecast, according to the 2022 GBTA Business Travel Index. Read More


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Air Canada Expands Summer 2023 Schedule

Travel Market Report — Air Canada is adding more international flights in light of increased demand for next summer. Read More

Delta Air Lines Opens New Terminal, Sky Club at Chicago O’Hare Airport

Travel Pulse — Delta Air Lines opened its new home in Terminal 5 of Chicago O’Hare International Airport to the public on October 12. Read More

Delta Invests $60M in Air Taxi Company Joby Aviation

PhocusWire — The carrier plans to use electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for home-to-airport transportation. Read More

United Plans 2023 Transatlantic Expansion

Business Travel News — United Airlines in 2023 will add transatlantic service to three cities and increase service to six more. Read More

Delta Air Lines Increases Status Thresholds for SkyMiles, Adds Some Benefits

Travel Market Report — Delta Air Lines is upping what it takes to qualify for Medallion Status for its SkyMiles loyalty program. Read More

Lufthansa Airlines Is Banning the Use of Apple Airtags to Track Checked Luggage

SFGate — One of the largest airlines in Europe is doubling down on its ban of Apple AirTags on checked luggage during flights. Read More

American Airlines’ New Cabin Configurations Target Premium Flyers

Travel Weekly — AA’s plans, which include the Flagship Suite and new premium economy seats, would push it well clear of United and further ahead of Delta in terms of widebody seat percentage. Read More

WestJet, Korean Air Expand Codeshare

Business Travel News — Canadian carrier WestJet’s code will be placed on Korean Air’s flights from each Toronto Pearson and Vancouver to Incheon International Airport in Seoul. Read More

Delta Air Lines Collaborating With MIT to Reduce Climate Impact

Travel Pulse — Delta Air Lines has announced that it is collaborating with MIT in an effort to reduce its environmental impact in the form of preventing persistent contrails, which are roughly 10 percent of all contrails and create long-standing clouds that trap heat and ultimately warm the earth. Read More

Alberta-Bound: WestJet Teams With Province to Boost Aviation Industry

Travel Pulse — The Alberta government and WestJet have announced a memorandum of understanding with the goal of making Alberta a bigger player in the aviation industry. Read More

Delta Air Lines Plans Terminal 5 Move at Chicago O’Hare

Wheels Up — The airline is scheduled to move on October 12th. Read More

United Airlines Plans to Resume Hong Kong Flights from January

Bloomberg — United Airlines is planning to restart Hong Kong flights as soon as January, becoming one of a handful of major airlines to resume passenger flights to the city, which has largely been cut off to the outside world since the start of the pandemic. Read More

Airline Industry Facing Parts Supply Chain Issues and Airplane Shortages

Travel Pulse — The industry continues to be hampered by staffing shortages. Read More

United Drops 4 U.S. Cities, Cuts 12 Routes in Latest Shakeup

Afar Magazine — Airlines aren’t yet done with scaling back on service. Read More

Still Struggling, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport Will Limit Capacity Into 2023

Travel Market Report — Schiphol said that it “made this choice to provide travelers a reliable travel experience.” Read More

Air Canada Adds Flights Between Halifax and Newark, Vancouver and Houston

Travel Market Report — Both new routes will start in December. Read More

DOT Approves Delta-Latam Joint Venture

Travel Weekly — The carriers are allowed to jointly operate, schedule and market flights between the U.S. and Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay and Paraguay. Read More

United to Pull Out of JFK in October

Business Travel News — Backing up its threat issued in early September, United Airlines on Oct. 29 will “temporarily suspend” its service at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Read More

United Airlines Cancels Cape Town Flights Amid Jet Fuel Shortage

Simple Flying — United has axed a roundtrip service from Newark to Cape Town after being unable to source fuel. Read More

Delta Adds Atlanta to Edinburgh Route for Summer 2023

Recommend — Atlanta, break out your kilts and plaids: it’s Edinburgh for the summer via Delta Airlines starting in May 2023. Read More


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U.S. Temporarily Reopens Pilot Program for Online Passport Renewal

Afar Magazine — The State Department has reopened the online portal for Americans to renew their passports—but only for a limited time. Read More

Facial Recognition Will Play a Significant Role in the Future of Air Travel

Travel Pulse — The future of biometric enrollment and advanced security in using your data for air travel. Read More

Government Travel Warnings & Alerts

U.S. Department of State — Information on current government issued travel warnings and alerts. Read More


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Enterprise Expands into South Africa

Business Travel News — Car rental provider Enterprise Holdings has expanded operations into South Africa following a franchise agreement with Woodford Group, the country’s largest independent car rental company. Read More

J.D. Power: High Prices Suppress Car Rental Satisfaction

Travel Weekly — Customers renting vehicles at the airport aren’t any happier this year than last, and high prices are likely the reason. Read More


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Hotel Rates Level Off but Corporate Rates Likely to Rise

Business Travel News — Global market lodging rates have declined since early June, but remain 10 percent higher than in September 2019, according to TripBam. Read More

IHG Signs Agreement to Develop 10 New Hotels in Germany

Hotel News Resource — IHG Hotels & Resorts today announces the signing of a Multi-Development-Agreement with Solutions4Hotels GmbH, a commitment to develop 10 hotels of the Holiday Inn brand family with approximately 800 rooms in Germany. Read More

Hyatt Planning to Add 20+ New Hotels Through 2024

Recommend Magazine — Following their acquisition of Apple Leisure Group, Hyatt is expanding throughout Mexico and the Caribbean. Read More

Marriott Sets More China Openings

Business Travel News — Marriott International plans new developments in Central and Greater China, the company announced Friday. AC Hotel by Marriott Suzhou is set to open this December, and The Ritz-Carlton, Wuhan is poised to open by the end of 2024. Read More


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You Can Now Earn Delta SkyMiles Rewards by Drinking Starbucks Coffee

Travel Market Report — The partnership is the second time Starbucks has teamed-up with an airline’s loyalty program. Read More

Five Tips To Take the Stress Out of Traveling This Holiday Season

Travel Pulse — There are no guarantees in life but these tips could save you some preventable stress and headaches this winter. Read More

The Best Airport Lounges in the United States

Afar Magazine — And how to gain access to these preboarding sanctuaries. Read More

Hurricane Ian Aftermath: The Road to Recovery for Tourism Will Be a Long One

Fort Myers News-Press — Major tourist attractions in central Florida began reopening Friday after Hurricane Ian ripped through the state. But the storm’s path of destruction along the southwest coast left many businesses facing a long rebuilding process. Read More

The CDC Drops All Country Specific COVID-19 Travel Advisories

Travel Market Report — The change is yet another marker in the travel industry’s ascent out of COVID-19. Read More


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Wyndham Expands Meetings Collection Globally

Business Travel News — Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is growing its meetings offering through the global expansion of The Meetings Collection. Read More

2022 Holiday Party Trends

Prevue Meetings — It’s time to start planning for your corporate holiday event! Read More

Corporate Event Spend to Rise 83 Percent in 2023

Meetings & Incentive Travel — The research also reveals that many event organizers still struggle to capitalize on attendee and engagement data from their in-person events… Read More

Global Outbound MICE Market to Reach $1272.2 Billion by 2031

Yahoo! — It isn’t just luxury travel that is rebounding post-COVID. The meetings segment is thriving thanks to outbound travel to fantastic destinations. Read More

Looking for guidance on planning your next convention, incentive, or group trip? Direct Travel will assist with all your meetings and event details!  Whatever your needs may be when it comes to your event, you can always depend on us to design streamlined travel arrangements, plan strategic meetings, and deliver real-time results. For details, please send a message to: [email protected].

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