Business Travel News

Greedy, greedy, greedy. Keeping the bidding to low-cost carriers would indeed inject some competition into airports where it is at times sorely lacking, as well as protect consumers that the U.S. Justice Department said it was looking out for in the American/US Air lawsuit.

An expedited car rental pickup process may be more important to business travelers than the latest in-car GPS or other technology amenity.

It isn't only the extra legroom, but the power outlets, priority boarding and complimentary entertainment will be enticements to book the Extra Comfort seats on long-haul flights for Hawaiian Airlines.

The boundary between professional and private worlds is increasingly blurred due to digital devices, and that has profound effects on the traditionally defined silos between managed and unmanaged travel worlds. And these changes differ from culture to culture.

JetBlue's Mint service will be disruptive in that competitors will likely match the $599 to $999 one-way fares. Competition like this should shake things up.

The company still hasn't recovered from the slump in business travel post-recession, and with the macro picture on the sector changing fast with rise of digital, divesting, at least part of it, is the right move.

The frequency of and attendance at international business meetings will continue to grow thanks to companies' renewed confidence in an improving economy. But the meeting market is moving from Europe towards Asia meaning that the degree of growth for individual cities depends on their location.

American Airlines has a lot on its plate these days, and it's a huge company. An internal team focused on startups helps the airline earn goodwill among entrepreneurs, and the team can put startups in touch with the right people at the airline who can lend a hand.

Market forces eventually will have to force improvements in regional airlines' pilot wages. And mainline airline partners are going to have to kick in some money for pilot training, and ensure that lowly paid regional pilots will find an easier path to the big payday at major airlines.