Week in Review

Tim Clark, president of Emirates Air, recently expressed concerns about the effects of Brexit on the EU economy, according to The National. Lufthansa’s CEO has also stated that he expects demand for air travel to fall if Britain leaves the bloc. GBTA’s recent Western Europe BTI found that while the ease of travel may be curtailed if Brexit occurs, the effect on both the UK’s and Europe’s overall economies would likely be manageable.

Skift reports on the findings of GBTA’s latest Western Europe BTI, as well, stating that despite continued worries over terrorism and uncertainty about the future of the European Union, business travel spending in Europe is heading for robust growth. International Meetings Review also reported on the findings as did Buying Business Travel.

The Economist also looks at the possible consequences of a UK Brexit from the EU for business travelers. The article mentions the possible effects on Britain’s and the EU’s economy, as well as noting that the cost of travel would increase. Additionally, the article mentioned the strong correlation between business travel and commerce.

Meetpie reports on GBTA’s latest study on extended stay accommodations and the finding that finding appropriate accommodations is one of the hardest challenges  for travel bookers. Skift also reported on the new GBTA findings, stating that the sharing economy has not yet caught on with extended stay business travel.

A bipartisan group of senators is urging the Department of Transportation to investigate Lufthansa’s Distribution Cost Charge surcharge as anti-competitive according to Travel Agent Central. The article cites GBTA data from last year that found 42 percent of business travel buyers have decreased bookings with Lufthansa since the surcharge went into effect.

Tnooz examines how technology is shaping business traveler behavior. With the lines between work and personal life blurring, business travelers now say that they want convenience and flexibility in booking travel. The article cites a 2015 GBTA study.

Since the first travel booking websites debuted over fifteen years ago, people have been proclaiming the end of travel agents. Bloomberg looks at how new apps are using the personal touch of travel agents to improve the user experience in the next generation of customizable travel apps.

The Houston Business Journal is offering some zika tips for summer business travelers.

Passengers traveling on Delta will soon be able to get all of the carrier’s in-flight entertainment for free, according to USA Today. Starting July 1, all movies, TV shows and music available from the carrier’s “Delta Studio” offerings will be complimentary on all of Delta’s two-class planes.

Free entertainment may be one of the few perks in the back of the plane. The middle of the plane, however, is becoming so posh that Business Class is replacing First Class, with some carriers eliminating the First Class option all together, according to The Economist.

There was a decline in occupancy in US hotels, according to Travel Daily News. The decline is expected to continue through 2016 and 2017.

There is a business travel boom underway in the Baltics, according to Buying Business Travel. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were among the top growth markets for UK business travel with visits in 2015 to Estonia up 697 percent on the previous year and spend up 745 percent.

Travelers to Europe this summer are using caution, but are not cancelling their trips despite the State Department’s travel warning, according to 4 Hoteliers. European-bound travelers are, however, more likely to insure their trips this summer.

Your list for this week comes from USA Today: The World’s 20 Longest Dreamliner Routes