Corporate Travel News For The Americas

Internet Travel Solutions (ITS) introduced (10-Aug-2023) new solutions to support the ability to show new distribution capability (NDC) fares in side by side displays, inclusive of both NDC and traditional EDIFACT airline fares. ITS also introduced the ability to book NDC fares on specific airlines. ITS added Accelya and Sabre NDC shopping and booking paths and combined them with EDIFACT fares. By upgrading to the current Accelya NDC platform, ITS enables users to book NDC fares with American Airlines, Qantas Airways and United Airlines via both agent telephonic support and proprietary booking tools and technology. Next steps include plans to connect to more NDC selling sources and airlines, including additional Accelya hosted airlines and Navitaire NDC hosted airlines. [more - original PR]

United Airlines announced (11-Aug-2023) plans to resume daily San Francisco-Beijing Capital service from Nov-2023. The resumption is enabled by an agreement between the US and China governments to increase frequencies between the two countries. According to OAG, the carrier last operated the service in Feb-2020. No other carriers are scheduled to operate the route. [more - original PR]

Southwest Airlines announced (11-Aug-2023) the launch of a new tool enabling eligible corporate customers to support sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) scalability by purchasing Customer Scope 3 SAF Claims and/or carbon offsets. The 'Southwest Business Assist' tool is powered by climate programme provider CHOOOSE and is set to increase the number of customers eligible to make Customer SAF Claims purchases via Southwest. [more - original PR]

Etihad Airways announced (09-Aug-2023) plans to launch the following services under its winter 2023/24 schedule:

• Abu Dhabi-Dusseldorf: Three times weekly from 28-Sep-2023;
• Abu Dhabi-Copenhagen: Four times weekly from 29-Sep-2023;
• Abu Dhabi-Osaka: Five times weekly from 01-Oct-2023;
• Abu Dhabi-Saint Petersburg: Three times weekly from 29-Oct-2023;
• Abu Dhabi-Kozhikode: Daily from 01-Jan-2024;
• Abu Dhabi-Thiruvananthapuram: Daily from 01-Jan-2024;
• Abu Dhabi-Boston: Four times weekly from 31-Mar-2024.

According to OAG, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi and Air India Express are also scheduled to operate the Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram routes. Etihad will be the sole scheduled operator on each remaining route. [more - original PR]

London Gatwick Airport confirmed (09-Aug-2023) Ethiopian Airlines plans to commence three times weekly Addis Ababa-London Gatwick service on 21-Nov-2023. The service will mark Gatwick's 50th long haul destination and its first service to Addis Ababa since 2006. Gatwick now offers more than 80% of its pre-COVID-19 long haul routes, covering destinations in Africa, Asia, Canada, the Caribbean, Middle East and US. Upcoming long haul service launches include the following:

• Air Mauritius: Daily to Mauritius in Oct-2023;
• British Airways: Accra in Oct-2023;
• Norse Atlantic Airways: Boston and Miami in Sep-2023 and to Bridgetown, Kingston and Montego Bay in Oct-2023. [more - original PR - Gatwick Airport] [more - original PR - Ethiopian Airlines]

CAPA - Centre for Aviation, in a report entitled: 'Canadians believe their job security is dependent on business travel; concerned of threats', stated (02-Aug-2023) new research from SAP Concur has revealed the most pressing challenges facing Canadian business travellers today. Even as the logistics of business travel become increasingly subject to economic volatility, almost all (94%) surveyed Canadian travellers said the future of their career depends on successful business travel in the coming year. For nearly half of Canadian business travellers, travel is critical for keeping up on the latest trends, technology and advancements (48%) and establishing relationships with new clients (47%). [more - CAPA analysis]

SAP Concur reported (27-Jul-2023) the following findings from a survey of Canadian business travellers:

• 96% of Canadian business travellers recognised threats to their company's business travel;
• 94% stated the future of their career depends on successful business travel in the coming year;
• 91% said economic uncertainty is currently affecting their company's business travel, with 47% noting reduced travel budgets;
• 48% of respondents stated travel is critical for keeping up with the latest trends, technology and advancements;
• 47% said travel is key to establishing relationships with new clients;
• 44% view inflation as among the biggest threats to business travel today.

SAP Concur senior global partner business manager Kristen Hrycoy stated: "It is imperative for businesses to invest in the right travel and expense management tools to prioritise employee safety, gain better cost control, and create a travel environment that promotes inclusivity and equity for all". The survey was conducted by Wakefield Research and polled 3850 business travellers in 25 global markets, including 250 Canadian respondents. [more - original PR]

Air Canada relocated (26-Jul-2023) operations to Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport. The terminal migration represents a customer service milestone in the carrier's strategic partnership with Emirates Airline, as the co-location of each airline's operations in the flagship terminal is set to significantly enhance the connecting customer experience. Emirates Airline CCO Adnan Kazim stated: "Working closely with Air Canada, we hope to further enhance travel experiences and offer even more convenient connectivity for travellers". According to OAG, the carrier previously operated from Terminal 1 at Dubai International Airport. [more - original PR]

Delta Air Lines, via its official website, announced (Jul-2023) plans to revamp its 'SkyBonus' corporate rewards programme as 'SkyMiles for Business' from autumn 2023 (Simple Flying, 18-Jul-2023). Existing SkyBonus members may enrol in the revamped programme, which will allow small-to-medium businesses to earn SkyMiles which can be redeemed for award travel, eCredits and Medallion status.

Expedia Group reported the following highlights from an online consumer survey conducted in Mar-2023 (Skift, 18-Jul-2023):

• 72% of respondents were planning additional leisure travel in 2023 to make up for missed opportunities in recent years, including 78% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents;
• Travel intent was led by consumers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (84% planning leisure trips) and the Americas (83%);
• 5% plan to significantly reduce their travel budget for a single trip, compared to 2022. 81% plan to maintain or increase their budget;
• 46% plan to make fewer clothing purchases for travel, 43% plan to reduce souvenir purchases and 42% plan to reduce purchases of new luggage;
• 39% plan to make a business trip in the next 12 months, up from 32% in Jul-2022. 51% of US consumers were planning to travel for business, up from 29% in Jul-2022;
• 95% of travel reward and loyalty programme members plan to travel for leisure in the next 12 months, compared to 67% of non-members;
• 77% of respondents were most interested in travel awards that can be applied to any element of a trip, regardless of brand, including 83% of Millennials and 82% of Gen Z.

The survey was conducted in partnership with Wakefield Research and involved 5500 adults from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the UK and US.