GBTA Global Advocacy Newsletter – April 2026

I remember the first time I was working and had a company credit card. My mother relayed advice she had received from Grandpa Jim, always treat the company’s money like it’s your own. Be mindful and buy what you need. I often wonder if governments and politicians ever think this?

If you thought business travel was just about expense reports and sad airport salads, think again. The global travel machine is currently being stress-tested by a cocktail of new rules, political gridlock, and ambitious sustainability goals. Case in point: Europe’s shiny new Entry/Exit System is already racking up tens of millions of crossings—and just as many opportunities for delays, confusion, and the occasional existential crisis in a passport line. With different countries implementing it in their own “special” ways, travelers can expect a charming mix of efficiency and chaos, especially at peak times. And just to keep things interesting, the EU is teeing up even more changes, including a new travel authorization system by 2026 and a grand plan to shove everything into a single app by 2030. What could possibly go wrong?

Meanwhile, policymakers and industry leaders are busy trying to make sense of it all while also saving the planet and keeping planes in the air. GBTA has been in the thick of it—from lobbying in Brussels on everything from rail rights to sustainable aviation fuel, to hosting high-level debates in the European Parliament about how to make travel both greener and less of a logistical nightmare. Across the Atlantic, the U.S. is putting on its own show, with a prolonged Department of Homeland Security shutdown squeezing airport staffing and testing the limits of “we’ll figure it out later” governance. Lawmakers are scrambling to keep aviation operations funded during shutdowns, while the industry pushes for more investment in sustainable fuels. In short: business travel isn’t getting simpler—but it is getting a lot more interesting.