Week in Review

In the wake of Hurricane Irma, flights began resuming service on Tuesday, reports USA TODAY. Over 16,500 flights were cancelled due to the natural disaster.

According to AINonline, regional airports were working to minimize issues on Wednesday, such as lack of power and sufficient fresh water.

According to the Los Angeles Times, airlines say that examples of ‘price gouging’ during Hurricane Irma were aberrations. Delta capped the prices for all flights out of Florida and the Caribbean at $399, and United capped fares out of Florida at the same rate.

The Washington Post reports that American Airlines expanded its travel alert to include more than 50 airports, offering special fares to individuals traveling to or from areas impacted by Irma until September 17.

If you would like to assist GBTA members impacted by Hurricane Irma, please consider contributing to our GoFundMe campaign.

According to Hotelmarketing’com, Google is rolling out tabs to hotels’ knowledge panels on mobile devices. The tabs enable users to view hotel rates and reviews without being taken elsewhere.

Skift notes that business travelers are weighing the ease of biometrics against privacy concerns.

Successful Meetings reports that Bizly has launched a new platform that promises an RFP-free booking process for small meetings.

According to 4Hoteliers, hotel booking data for 2017 shows a 97 percent increase in hotel bookings in India compared to the same time last year.

The same source notes that Ctrip has launched “Hotel Plus” to upsell hotel services. The function allows hotels to upsell catering, airport transfer, and other services when prepaid room bookings are made.

Business Traveller reports that Amtrak trains are set to get new interiors as part of a $16 million project.

According to Skift, Lola has pivoted away from leisure travel to become a business travel booking tool.

4Hoteliers notes that Latin America may be poised for the next big airline industry boom.

CNBC reports that Airbnb is hoping business travelers will forgo hotels.

According to Buying Business Travel, Easyjet has launched a new feature that allows customers to book other airlines’ flights and connections for long-haul flights.

Business Traveller notes that in-flight Wi-Fi is now available on Air Astana.

TravelDailyNews International reports that Uber has partnered with leading weather technology company ArabiaWeather.