What's Up in Business Travel | AI Adoption Accelerates Across Hotels

Send a textWelcome to the What’s Up in Business Travel  podcast for Week 8 of 2026.  This weekly podcast is great for those who need to know what’s happening in the world of business travel - in under 15 minutes.On this week's podcast, we cover the following stories:United & JetBlue expand Blue Sky partnershipNorth American On-Time performance reboundsAir Canada reports record Q4 and strong year resultsExpedia Group leans into AI and direct booking growthUnited to acquire O’Hare Gates from SpiritEurope’s Entry/Exit System causes airport delaysAir Transat exits U.S. market due to demand dropNavan Study highlights transparency challengesIxigo launches airport cab serviceSouthwest rolls out Starlink WiFi Uber expands Autonomous Vehicle rolloutAmadeus to decommission self-service developer portalOTAs gain share in Tours and ActivitiesSabre and WestJet extend technology partnershipYou 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 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 podcast episode include:Wizz Air will start offering flights to the US, after it became known they have applied for rights to fly there but later in the week their CFO Ian Malin clarified their application related to providing charter flights for the World Cup.Spanish OTA DESTINIA acquired Netflights and Travel Republic, both much larger companies, from dnata.Emirates plans to hire 20,000 staff in the next 5 years.Property management company GuestReady has acquired Lightbooking and its 200 units in the Canary Islands for 1.2 million euros.Navan will shut down the Reed & Mackay brand and transition all customers to Navan.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 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 podcast episode include:Avis Budget Group will close their Zipcar car sharing service in the UK.Singapore Airlines, who already holds a 25% stake in Air India Limited, signs a broader agreement between the two airlines to work even more closely together.Pilots and unions come out very critical about the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) fine of only US$2.4m to IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Ltd) for their recent disruptions to flights.Spain’s competition authority imposes fines on four TMCs for allegedly colluding in public-sector tenders for corporate travel services. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines starts offering free wi-fi on their inter-European flights. Marjan Rintel, CEO at KLM, talks about that.The hospitality property management system Mews raises US$300m, giving them a $2.5b evaluation.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

Send a textWelcome to the What’s Up in Business Travel  podcast for Week 6 of 2026.  This weekly podcast is great for those who need to know what’s happening in the world of business travel - in under 15 minutes.On this week's podcast, we cover the following stories:AI adoption accelerates across hotelsWTTC issues stark warningEmbraer to build planes in IndiaExpedia Group cuts jobsARC launches orders-based reporting and settlement systemAmerican's indirect channel share 'Fully Restored'Navan to end Reed & Mackay BrandQantas divests its share in Jetstar JapanSouthwest launches assigned seatingAvelo launches credit cardDelta launches new Delta Business siteKLM rolls out free wifiAmerican Airlines upgrades appApple AirTag 2 is releasedAccor launches app in ChatGPTYou 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 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 podcast episode include:Heathrow Airport announces a £1.3bn investment programme for 2026.The Las Vegas based airline Allegiant is to acquire Sun Country Airlines in a $1.5bn cash and stock deal.eDreams ODIGEO and Tryp.com end up in a legal battle, raising plenty of discussion about agentic AI, screen-scraping and more.Google launches the Universal Commerce Protocol with a group of retailers. In a highly engaged and discussed post, Benjamin Rhatigan explores the future impact of this in how travel is bought and sold.Sabre Corporation invests in BizTrip AI to "bring agentic AI to corporate travel". In his post, Branko Karlezi talks about some of the results already achieved with this partnership.Ryanair - Europe's Favourite Airline decides against equipping it's fleet with Starlink internet connectivity....whilst Lufthansa Group does invest in Starlink, announcing that 850+ of the aircraft in many of their airlines will have this enabled, starting in the second half of 2026.China opens an antitrust probe into Trip.com Group due to alleged "monopolistic practices and abuse of its dominant market position".The most engaged post of the week goes to Rebecca Crook, where she talks about her frustration with the "something went wrong" message on British Airways' websites and app many of us are very familiar with.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

Send a textWelcome to the What’s Up in Business Travel  podcast for Week 4 of 2026.  This weekly podcast is great for those who need to know what’s happening in the world of business travel - in under 15 minutes.On this week's podcast, we cover the following stories:Allegiant Air to Acquire Sun Country Airlines in $1.5 Billion DealWinter Storm Triggers Record U.S. Flight Cancellations Trip.com Faces Antitrust Probe in ChinaARC Reports Record $100B in Airline Ticket SalesU.S. to Suspend Immigrant Visa Processing for 75 CountriesDelta Orders Boeing 787-10s as Business Travel ImprovesCapital One to Acquire Brex in $5.15B DealSabre Partners with BizTrip.AIAir India Deepens Global Reach With Expanded PartnershipsAirAsia X to Rebrand as AirAsia Amid RestructuringHilton Expands Apartment-Style OfferingUnited launches advance meal purchaseLufthansa to Add Free Starlink Wi-FiYou 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 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.In this episode, Christopher talks about:Wearable Technology & Sleep Tracking (0:48 - 4:02)Dr. Garley's perspective on wearable sleep devicesThe limitations of heart rate variability (HRV) monitoringWhy clinical symptoms matter more than device readingsThe trust we place in consumer technology vs. medical expertiseAI in Healthcare (4:42 - 7:35)The risks of self-diagnosis using AI toolsWhy AI struggles with the "gray areas" of human healthThe importance of what's unsaid in medical consultationsHealthcare access disparities driving AI adoptionSleep in the Corporate World (7:55 - 13:17)The massive hidden cost of poor sleep in organizationsWhy employees don't call in sick for sleep issues (but should)Sleep's impact on productivity, innovation, and workplace accidentsRisk management and company culture considerationsThe value of anonymous sleep assessmentsWorkplace Sleep Strategy (10:58 - 13:17)Statistics: 10% of adults have chronic insomnia14 additional sick days per year for those with sleep problemsLow-hanging fruit: effective treatments that deliver resultsHow better sleep improves all aspects of employee wellbeingBetter Sleep Clinic Services (14:03 - 15:35)Doctor-led clinic with NHS consultants and sleep specialistsRange of sleep disorders treated: insomnia, sleep apnea, circadian rhythm disordersAll consultations and tests available online/remotelyGold standard treatments including CPAP and prescription optionsFree strategy consultations for organizationsMelatonin & Jet Lag (15:32 - 18:52)Melatonin as a signaling molecule, not a sleeping pillThe problem with high-dose, long-acting supplementsHow to use melatonin correctly for circadian rhythm adjustmentThe holistic approach to managing jet lag and travel fatigueYou 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.com and check out the P.H.A.R.E Well Audit Checklist.Support the show

Send 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 podcast episode include:Travel industry fintech platform Travel Ledger integrates with Expedia Group's Travel Agent Affiliate Program to offer seamless reporting on virtual card spend by the agent.Amadeus announces that Lufthansa Group has chosen their Nevio platform for 9 of the group's airlines to "power a traveler-centric transformation toward modern airline retailing".Royal Schiphol Group receives plenty of criticism for a recent disruption to Schiphol airport from what appears to be a total lack of planning for adverse winter weather.Last month a new high-speed rail service between Doha and Riyadh was announced. Kit Aspen dives into this a bit more with his thoughts on this.The most engaged post of the week goes to Gilbert Ott, who recently joined oneworld Alliance as their Director of Loyalty.This is a special edition of the podcast. Whilst we will discuss the above, each of us have come up with a wish list item for our industry & predictions for 2026.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 a textWelcome to the What’s Up in Business Travel  podcast for Week 2 of 2026.  This weekly podcast is great for those who need to know what’s happening in the world of business travel - in under 15 minutes.On this week's podcast, we cover the following stories:Aeromexico tops 2025 On-Time performanceHawaiian Airlines to invest $600MAvelo will downsizeREAL ID deadline nearsHilton cuts ties with Minnesota hotelBCD Travel & Delta Air Lines forge strategic partnershipLufthansa & Amadeus partnerEtraveli Group acquires WenrixAir India & AirBaltic enter codeshare agreementTSA expanding PreCheck touchless ID to 50 new airportsAlaska Airlines places its largest aircraft orderAir India expands its European footprintAmerican launches Free Wi-FiYou 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 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 podcast episode include:American Airlines stops awarding miles and status points on basic economy fares.They have also launched a $5,000 offer which will get you immediate Gold status. This was launched so quietly earlier in December I totally missed it, but luckily I spotted Iñaki's post.Italy fines Ryanair - Europe's Favourite Airline a whopping €225m for their "abusive strategy against OTAs".There were 4 mergers & acquisition stories during the last 2 weeks of 2025.Ann's personal experiences on Brightline.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