Week in Review

If you thought winter’s worst was over – oh boy, are you in for some fun! Much of Europe was plagued by extreme weather conditions ranging from heavy snows and freezing winds, CNN reports. Not surprisingly, the so-dubbed “Beast from the East” disrupted travel in Scotland, Ireland, England and most of mainland Europe.

The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. is experiencing its own weather problems, and as of Friday afternoon, USA TODAY notes airlines have already cancelled over 2,500 flights.

According to 4Hoteliers, a no-single use plastic hotel launches in Thailand in May. The hotel claims to be one of Asia’s first hotels to prohibit the use of plastics.

AccorHotels CEO Sebastian Bazin suspects mobile payments and interactive technologies like Google Home and Amazon Echo could threaten the hospitality sector, Hotelmarketing’com notes.

IATA aims to have one billion passengers fly on sustainable aviation fuel flights by 2025, TravelDailyNews International reports.

According to Skift, American Airlines and Qantas have filed an application through the U.S. Department of Transportation to form a joint business.

The same source reports Uber and Lyft drivers in New York City have received the green light to display ads in their vehicles.

In airport improvement news, Buying Business Travel reports Dubai International Airport will be upgrading its southern runway, resulting in a 45-day closure in 2019.

Chicago O’Hare International Airport may also be seeing some major improvements in the $8.5 billion USD range. The Chicago Tribune claims Mayor Emanuel and Chicago’s airlines are currently negotiating a deal to expand the airport as part of an eight-year plan.

Continuing on with this airport theme, Business Traveler writes Denver International Airport is officially a smoke-free facility, joining more than 600 airports across the country.

4Hoteliers reports Qatar Airways acquired the 174-room Sheraton Melbourne Hotel in a A$135 million deal (~$104.6 million USD).

According to Bloomberg, airlines are backing a startup that could fix the overbooking problems we’ve been witnessing recently.

Business Traveller notes Singapore’s Changi Airport is increasing departure fees for passengers in order to fund improvements to the airport.

House lawmakers blasted the Transportation Security Administration over its PreCheck strategies this week, USA TODAY reports.

In other TSA news, the organization is aiming to improve the transgender screening process, USA TODAY writes.