Week in Review

Flights between Southeast Asia and Europe were disrupted this week due to the closure of Pakistan’s air space, Business Traveller reports. According to Khaleej Times, Pakistan has reopened its airspace with some restrictions.

Customer details were stolen from an Amadeus distributor in India, Phocuswire notes. A company employee of Resbird Technologies illegally took identifying information from a number of passenger name records.

The FAA has banned the transportation of lithium ion batteries and cells in airplane cargobecause of their potential to explode, Gizmodo notes. The ban does not apply to passengers, who are still permitted to bring their electronic devices on board.

Ground transportation provider Sixt is introducing electric car-sharing to the Berlin market, Electrive notes. The publication reports, “the signs are already quite visible: In Berlin, the Sixt Share electric vehicles have been recognisable around the cityscape for about two weeks now.”

As flights become the preferred way of transporting trafficking victims, the airline industry is determined to confront the issue. According to ABC4, non-profit group Polaris says 71% of labor trafficking victims are brought into the U.S. on a plane.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is fining American Airlines and Delta Air Lines for keeping passengers aboard planes during tarmac delays, USA TODAY writes. Passengers are supposed to deplane if their domestic flight has been sitting on the tarmac for three hours or four hours for an international flight.

According to Skift, meeting planners face a unique challenge when it comes to making meetings and events healthier. According to new research, meeting planners don’t consider the events they coordinate to be entirely healthy.

On May 25, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect with the goal of strengthening the collection, transfer and protection of data of EU citizens. We recently talked to Mark Sharoff, GBTA senior research analyst, and Kevin Iwamoto, senior vice president for GoldSpring Consulting, to discuss the impact of GDPR in the travel and meetings world.

Airlineratings.com released its list of the top 20 best airlines in the world for safety, Better Homes and Gardens writes.

The full opening of Istanbul’s new airport has been delayed again, Business Traveller reports. The opening is now scheduled for April 7, not March 3 as previously announced.

According to HotelMarketing’com, IHG is experimenting with dynamic pricing for its reward bookings. Dynamic pricing enables suppliers to adjust the room rate or price of an airplane seat based on market demand.