Week in Review
A new report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research’s (Cebr) finds face-to-face meetings contribute £193 billion to the UK economy on an annual basis. According to Travel Daily News, Cebr suggests companies stand to gain an average of £147,200 per year when conducting face-to-face business. The Washington Post reports TripAdvisor has received a license to book and sell travel services to Cuba from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The company can only book services that fall under one of the 12 approved reasons, not including recreational trips.
CNET notes Amtrak has joined the FAA in banning Samsung Galaxy Note7s from their property, including but not limited to trains, Thruway buses, stations and platforms.
According to Buying Business Travel, the government has approved the addition of a third runway at Heathrow after years of delays. The proposed timetable suggests the runway will be fully operable in 2025 or the late 2020s. Business Traveler shares Hong Kong International Airport plans to build a mega airport terminal called Skycity. The development will consist of a hotel with at least 450 rooms in addition to retail, dining and entertainment facilities.
Skift reports American and Southwest are raising fares by $5 each way in an attempt to reverse a price slump lasting nearly two years. Not long ago, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly announced the airline is considering charging ancillary fees to make up for missed revenue goals in 2016. According to USA TODAY, Kelly has no intention of charging bag or change fees.
According to Bloomberg, high-definition, 3D CT scans of luggage could soon replace static X-ray images at airports. New generation scanners have the potential to improve airline security due to their ability to detect potentially hazardous objects more quickly and readily than their current counterparts.
Skift shares findings from a new MMGY Global report suggesting millennials are the most frequent business travelers, taking 7.4 business trips in the past year, compared to 6.4 for Gen Xers and 6.3 for baby boomers. They also found that 81 percent of all groups preferred to use ridesharing services over taxis. According to Tnooz, Sabre conducted a survey finding regional differences in ancillary spend by air passengers. On a global level, passengers value extra leg room and seat selection above all.
A new GBTA Foundation study outlining technology’s role in event planning was unveiled at Lanyon Live on Thursday. The study reveals the most valued and most desired features when it comes to site sourcing technology and found 57 percent of planners use events or meeting management technology or software when planning events.
The Santa Monica Observer reports Delta now offers customers the ability to track their checked bag as it bounces from one airport to another. Customers can follow their bag on a mobile journey that uses pins to display where the bag has been in addition to the last scanned location.
This week’s list comes from Business Insider:
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