What's Up in Business Travel | Travel Buyers Cite Optimism for 2025

Send us a textWelcome to What’s Up in Business Travel for Week 9 of 2025.  This is a weekly podcast where we update you on what’s up this week in the world of business travel.  This podcast is great for those who need to know what’s happening all in under 15 minutes.Topics covered during this podcast -Alexa+ takes on travelAmerican Airlines turns to the Supreme CourtAlaska Airlines Flight Attendants approve new contractExpedia Group makes job cutsFrench government imposes airline ticket tax increaseAllegiant Air cuts 9 routesAmerican Express agrees to acquire CenterUber teams with WaymoEmirates expands partnership with Expedia GroupSabre forms $1.56B partnership JetBlue is leading an upgrade of Terminal 5American Airlines to test complimentary inflight Wi-FiHilton adds 30 Small Luxury Hotels to portfolioBermudAir flights available in Amadeus and TravelportJetSmart inks GDS deal with AmadeusYou can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show

Send us a textLinking the Travel Industry is a business travel podcast where we review the top travel industry stories that are posted on LinkedIn by LinkedIn members.  We curate the top posts and discuss with them with travel industry veterans in a live session with audience members.  You can join the live recording session by visiting BusinessTravel360.comYour Hosts are Riaan van Schoor, Ann Cederhall and Aash ShravahStories covered on this session include -"No more tiers" - easyJet tries to lure some of the unhappy British Airways frequent flyer customers with discounts on their own corporate loyalty program.The Flight Centre Travel Group increased their underlying profit by 7% in 2024, boosted with a 2% increase in corporate travel transaction values. American Express Global Business Travel also reported a 10% overall increase in total transaction value in Q4 2024, resulting in a solid financial performance from the TMC.... whilst it seems different in the UK, for some. A report released by The Advantage Travel Partnership and Travelogix suggests the average TMC transaction value declined for a 3rd year in a row, being 6.8% lower in 2024. Qantas also reported on record earnings, posting a 11.2% profit jump for 2024.Qatar Airways receives approval for their desired 25% stake in Virgin Australia.The Expedia Group reaches an agreement with Southwest Airlines, making them the first major OTA to offer the airline's content.The South African domestic airline Airlink increases their alignment with Qatar Airways and can now be paid for in Avios.The Australian OTA Webjet.com.au agrees to pay AUD 9m fine and court costs relating to alleged misleading online sales practices and fee disclosures.Etihad might become the first Gulf carrier to go public in 17 years. It is currently seeking an investor to aid it's IPO ambitions. flydubai posts record profits of $674m for 2024.You can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show

Send us a textWelcome to What’s Up in Business Travel for Week 8 of 2025.  This is a weekly podcast where we update you on what’s up this week in the world of business travel.  This podcast is great for those who need to know what’s happening all in under 15 minutes.Topics covered during this podcast -DOT announces Air Traffic Controller hring planOTAs spent $17.8B on marketing in 2024Airline IT spend hits $37 billion in 2024IATA: Global passenger demand up 10% in JanuarySouthwest flights now on ExpediaSpirit Airlines charges change fees againQatar takes 25% stake in Virgin AustraliaSilver Airways cancels all flights & files bankruptcyEmirates and Garuda Indonesia expand partnershipAkasa Air launches direct flights from Bengaluru to UAEHyatt introduces Hyatt SelectWestJet revamps loyalty programExpensify expands travel tool to full metworkTravelPerk adds AirbnbAlexa’s AI Upgrade: Book Uber Rides and Plan TravelYou can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show

Send us a textLinking the Travel Industry is a business travel podcast where we review the top travel industry stories that are posted on LinkedIn by LinkedIn members.  We curate the top posts and discuss with them with travel industry veterans in a live session with audience members.  You can join the live recording session by visiting BusinessTravel360.comYour Hosts are Riaan van Schoor, Ann Cederhall and Aash ShravahStories covered on this session include -The government of Portugal confirms it's looking for a minority investor in TAP Air Portugal.A post by Chris Kneeland about the small print on hotel shower shampoo, conditioner and bodywash bottles went viral.Dubai based LCC flydubai is planning to launch a domestic airline in India.Southwest Airlines announces a 15% reduction in their workforce, affecting 1,750 employees.A Delta Air Lines flight, using a Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft, crashes during landing at Toronto Airport, flipping upside down. All crew and passengers evacuated safely.Air France-KLM selects Amadeus Nevio to "pursue the broader transformation of its retailing capabilities".The UK Competition and Markets Authority has a change of heart about their previous decision relating to the proposed acquisition of CWT by American Express Global Business Travel.Air India Limited and Lufthansa announce codeshare agreements on 100 routes.Spirit Airlines receives approval to exit their chapter 11 bankruptcy situation to emerge as a private company.You can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show

Send us a textThe NoJetStress Podcast is a traveler wellbeing podcast for frequent business travelers covering health and peak performance on the road as well as to help business travelers maintain optimal health and avoid burnout no matter how much they travel.   Christopher Babayode, a Corporate Travel Wellness Expert shares his insights on Traveler Wellness.This episode includes the following rundown:The frequent flyer recovery problem no one talks about.Why leading with Circadian science matters.The secret power of ‘Zeitgebers’ (time-givers) like light, meal timing, and social cues.Why your body’s clock isn’t exactly 24 hours and how to use that flexibility to your advantage.Simple strategies like hydration timing, light exposure, and tailored nutrition to help you adapt faster.Real-world tips inspired by my years of flying, including how one savvy traveller stayed fresh on long-haul flights while others struggled.You can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created by Christopher Babayode and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  For more information about NoJetStress, visit us at NoJetStress.comSupport the show

Send us a textWelcome to What’s Up in Business Travel for Week 7 of 2025.  This is a weekly podcast where we update you on what’s up this week in the world of business travel.  This podcast is great for those who need to know what’s happening all in under 15 minutes.Topics covered during this podcast -US Travel Agency sales soar to $9.3BSTR: January rates & occupancy rise sharplyHotel staffing shortages easeSabre expects big volume growth in 2025Southwest to cut 15% of corporate workforceCTM's revenue declinesSpirit Airlines cleared to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcyIHG buys Ruby Hotels as 20th BrandAir India & Virgin Australia forge codeshareLufthansa Group & Air India expand codeshareVirgin Atlantic & WestJet expand codeshare Southwest begins operating red-eye flightsYatra shifts focus to corporate travelChase opens Philadelphia Airport Sapphire LoungeYou can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show

Send us a textLinking the Travel Industry is a business travel podcast where we review the top travel industry stories that are posted on LinkedIn by LinkedIn members.  We curate the top posts and discuss with them with travel industry veterans in a live session with audience members.  You can join the live recording session by visiting BusinessTravel360.comYour Hosts are Riaan van Schoor, Ann Cederhall and Aash ShravahStories covered on this session include -An ongoing dispute between Finnair and their pilots over their contracts are escalating to a possible furlough of up to 90 pilots. Qantas, with whom Finnair recently announced some wet lease agreements, have had to make some mitigations to those arrangements to avoid disruptions.Hyatt Hotels is re-organising it's range of brands into a grouping of five portfolios....... they have also acquired Playa Hotels & Resorts for $2.6bn.Eurostar can finally restart direct Amsterdam to London services after refurbishment work at the Dutch station was completed. They've had to operate that route via Brussels since June 2024.Arcube, a post-flight loyalty and revenue optimisation solution for airlines, raised an additional $1.5m in funding.Sabre Corporation is sunsetting TripCase, and Mark Trim from Complex Travel Group is not the only TMC unhappy with how they handled that.Virgin Australia teams up with Hopper's B2B solution HTS to offer their customers "Cancel for Any Reason" flexibility.You can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show

Send us a textWelcome to The BTA Podcast.  In these podcasts we will endeavour to share our thoughts, concerns, optimism and build those all-important human connections with our Partners, Members and Guests.In their first podcast of 2025 Clive and Andrew are joined by Helen Turner and Sam Wells. Many listeners will know Helen, but Sam is a new member of the team and uses this opportunity to introduce herself.  The team then look ahead to the up and coming events including the Corporate Travel Summit, the Parliamentary Dinner and the various sector strategy meetings which are happening in the next few weeks.You can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created by The BTA and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  For more information about The BTA visit us at TheBTA.org.ukSupport the show

Send us a textWelcome to What’s Up in Business Travel for Week 6 of 2025.  This is a weekly podcast where we update you on what’s up this week in the world of business travel.  This podcast is great for those who need to know what’s happening all in under 15 minutes.Topics covered during this podcast -Travel Buyers cite optimism for 2025ASTA launches initiative focused on corporate travelAir ticket price rise - boosting airlines' profitsHertz sells 100K VehiclesAvis Budget looses $2.6BJetBlue to end LaGuardia-Boston flightsAlaska Airlines pulls out of Dallas Love FieldNYC will open 5,700-plus rooms this yearHyatt brand reorgs its 33 brandsAmadeus to provide Breeze Airways contentSpotnana partners to add Indian LCC contentSouthwest accelerates NDC developmentYou can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show

Send us a textLinking the Travel Industry is a business travel podcast where we review the top travel industry stories that are posted on LinkedIn by LinkedIn members.  We curate the top posts and discuss with them with travel industry veterans in a live session with audience members.  You can join the live recording session by visiting BusinessTravel360.comYour Hosts are Riaan van Schoor, Ann Cederhall and Aash ShravahStories covered on this session include -Lufthansa Group airline customers can now use their Apple AirTag within the group's baggage tracing solution. This applies to Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings.United Airlines denies the rumour it might be interested in buying JetBlue. Maybe they read the result of Jay Shabat's poll on the matter. All Nippon Airways and Lufthansa start a proof of concept for One Order using the SIRAX LH platform.Avi Meir reminds us that financial success in the travel industry is possible in his post where he applauds Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's remarkable Q4 results.British Airways backtracks on some of the changes they recently announced to their frequent flyer program.Travel tech company Snowfall relaunches as Junction. Pieter Elbers would love to take IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Ltd) to his old base of Schiphol, but with the reduction of flights there, how will he find the slots? Yteke de Jong shares her conversation with him about this. (Dutch, behind a paywall).Sir Tim Clark of Emirates is once again asking Airbus to bring back the A380.Extra StoriesYou can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show