Week in Review

On Wednesday, Brexit’s Article 50 was triggered, beginning the two-year countdown to the official separation of the UK and the EU.

Following last week’s electronics ban, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) broke its silence on the matter. According to Buying Business Travel, IATA has called on governments to find alternatives to restrictions of electronics, branding the ban ineffective.

In response to the ban, carriers have come up with unique workarounds to appease travelers.

According to Business Traveler, Ethiad is set to offer free Wi-Fi and iPads on all US-bound flights for first and business class travelers beginning this Sunday.

USA TODAY reports Emirates rolled out a laptop and tablet handling service, which enables customers traveling to the U.S. to use their laptops and tablets until just before boarding.

Buying Business Travel notes Qatar Airways introduced a laptop loan service on all U.S.-bound flights, in addition to an electronics handling service similar to Emirates.

Reuters reports American Airlines is set to take a $200 million stake in China Southern.

According to USA TODAY, United Airlines faced some backlash after not allowing two girls to board a flight because they were wearing leggings. The young girls were traveling using buddy passes, which requires travelers to adhere to a dress code.

Business Traveller reports U.S. lawmakers have proposed regulation of airline seat sizes. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill that would mandate minimum seat size and minimum distance between rows of seats on commercial airlines.

According to TravelDailyNews International, a new GBTA study, in partnership with Concur, examines booking behaviors for German, UK and French business travelers.

Hotelmarketing’com reports the study found business travelers are increasingly booking direct and expect to use alternative channels more often in the next year.

Skift notes the same study found millennials are the biggest adopters of sharing services in business travel.

TravelDailyNews International shared some tips for how to cope with business travel delays and disruption.

Bloomberg reports the U.S. travel industry fears a “lost decade” following travel restrictions imposed by the new administration.

According to Hotelmarketing’com, Expedia says U.S. hotels and airlines are cutting prices as tourists avoid the country in response to Trump’s immigration policies.