Week in Review

GBTA released its latest quarterly forecast for U.S. business travel this week and business travel volume is on the rise. Charisse Jones of USA Today reported on the study saying an additional 2 million business trips are expected to take place this year over last and cites GBTA’s Joe Bates explanation that the cost of taking a business trip is falling because of lower prices that we’re seeing.Chicago Tribune’s Gregory Karp talked with GBTA’s Mike McCormick about companies putting more travelers on the road not only because they can afford to, but because they continue to see a strong return on their business travel investment.

If you spend a lot of time in the skies, you may be happy to read Business Traveler’s report on five exciting new airline seats. Less exciting, the Chicago Tribune reported on a study showing airlines in the U.S. are doing a poorer job of serving travelers, with more late flights, more lost bags and more customer complaints.

Could cramped airline seats cause more fights and even health concerns? As many airlines try to squeeze more seats in, Bart Jansen of USA Today talks both sides of the story in his latest article.

GBTA unveiled our first panel this week for GBTA Convention 2015. The panel will delve into the future of travel distribution featuring moderator Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president, marketing and sales for Best Western along with panelists Scott Alvis, CMO, Amadeus North America; Douglas Anderson, President & CEO, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and David Pavelko, Director, Travel Partnerships, Google. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more big announcements about Convention!

Back to airline news, Reuters reports the Ivory Coast has received authorization from the United States to start direct flights between the two countries boosting the West African nation’s hopes of becoming a regional transport hub.

Are you always connected? Skift reports on a Gogo study that found international air travelers are generally more tech-dependent and eager to find Wi-Fi onboard and more open to paying for the convenience when compared to U.S. travelers.

Hotelmarketing.com says travelers are map app-happy. According to a study, map apps ranked as the No. 1 travel-related apps used by U.S. smartphone owners when on trips.

We all spend a lot of time in airports. Ever wonder what your fellow travelers are up to with their noses buried in their smart phones and tablets? Well, I leave you with this infographic from Tnooz breaking down what are travelers saying when they use social media at airports.