Week In Review
Kick off your Monday by catching up on last week’s top business travel news. Memorial Day kicked off the summer travel season, and despite long waits at airport security, the Wall Street Journal reports that due to a surge in screeners and a new command center, the TSA was able to cut wait times, though analysts doubt that it is a permanent fix. GBTA’s Director of Public Policy spoke with the Denver Post about how risk-based programs like PreCheck could make a difference in the long-term for fixing the issues with long security lines.
As stories of exhaustively long security lines at many of the United States’ airports continue without any relief in sight, Bloomberg examines the relationship between the TSA and private contractors that many airports rely on for security. Is Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv the world’s safest? CNN reports on the strict and complex layers of security at Israel’s only major international airport that will be the subject of an international conference on airport security next month.
While long TSA lines are cumbersome in the United States, things will be even more challenging in France where general rail and airport strikes are underway to protest changes to France’s labor laws, according to Buying Business Travel. In a show of solidarity, Paris Metro workers joined other port and rail workers in a walkout that coincides with the start of the country’s peak weekend travel times per Buying Business Travel.
In an effort to woo business travelers, Crain’s Chicago Business is reporting that United is rolling out full beds and “pillow mist” among other amenities such as slippers and pajamas upon request.
Some airlines are getting rid of their most egregious fees, according to USA Today.
The New York Times reports on using a virtual travel assistant and other automated devices to help book and coordinate travel as more new apps are becoming available and gaining in popularity.
Once the anchor of a business traveler’s hotel room, several chains such as Marriott are doing away with in-room desks according to USA Today. The move is in response to changing work habits of business travelers who now prefer to work from their bed or the hotel lobby.
U.S travelers to Europe this summer have been issued a travel warning by the State Department, which cites a number of high profile events, such as UEFA Euro 2016 and World Youth Day, as potential terror targets, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Your list for this week:
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Spanish 
French 
Portuguese