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Airfares Drop Due to Plunge in Oil Prices, But Rising Fees Negate Savings

The GBTA Foundation released its quarterly U.S. business travel forecast last week. It included a projection that average airfares have dropped to $379 this year, down from $392. This is a long anticipated drop for consumers due to the collapse in global oil prices. I talked about this phenomenon with Fortune’s Chris Elliott who wrote…

Travel Buyers Show Strong Support For Current Distribution System
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Travel Buyers Show Strong Support For Current Distribution System

On September 1, the Lufthansa Group implemented a €16 per booking surcharge on travel purchased anywhere other than its websites, service centers and airport ticket counters. This morning we issued the findings from a new global survey conducted by GBTA and its European partner network showing 42 percent of travel buyers surveyed have decreased bookings with Lufthansa since it…

GBTA Calls for “Top-to-Bottom Review” of Weekend’s Air Travel Disruption

GBTA Calls for “Top-to-Bottom Review” of Weekend’s Air Travel Disruption

Earlier this week, GBTA issued a call for a top-to-bottom review of the air travel disruption that caused cancellations and delays of flights across the nation. We issued the following statement: Over the weekend, an air traffic disruption caused by a ‘technical glitch’ resulted in more than 3,400 delays and 640 cancellations of flights across the…

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Week in Review

Last weekend, an air traffic control glitch caused major delays hitting Washington, D.C. and New York especially hard. GBTA called for a top-to-bottom review of the air travel disruption calling it an unacceptable outcome and pressing for a close examination of the long-term planning process. In better news for consumers, Slate reports that airline ticket…

One-Half of Travel Buyers to Cut Spending with Lufthansa Once €16 Per Booking Surcharge  Goes Into Effect on September 1
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One-Half of Travel Buyers to Cut Spending with Lufthansa Once €16 Per Booking Surcharge Goes Into Effect on September 1

GBTA recently conducted a survey of travel buyers living in the United States and put out the release below this morning revealing its findings. In June, the Lufthansa Group airlines announced that it plans to add a surcharge to tickets purchased anywhere other than its websites, service centers and airport ticket counters beginning next week…

Competition and the Sharing Economy Highlight Monday at GBTA Convention
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Competition and the Sharing Economy Highlight Monday at GBTA Convention

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the voice of the global business travel industry, kicked off its first industry session at Center Stage with Charisse Jones of USA Today asking hard-hitting questions from Southwest Airlines’ Gary Kelly and Etihad Airlines’ James Hogan. The interviews focused on the future of airline competition, Open Skies, antitrust…

GBTA Calls for New Dialogue on Expanded Business Traveler Bill of Rights
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GBTA Calls for New Dialogue on Expanded Business Traveler Bill of Rights

Every year at GBTA Convention, I have the privilege of giving attendees an update on the advocacy issues affecting our great industry. Below you will find the speech I plan to deliver this afternoon. As you may have seen, the sharing economy hit the campaign trail. Just a few weeks ago, some of the most…