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Week in Review

A shooter has wounded and killed multiple people after opening fire at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida on Friday afternoon, reports Bloomberg.

According to TravelPulse, American Airlines has experienced its third fume incident in the past six weeks. In the most recent incident, seven flight attendants were hospitalized as a result of a cabin odor causing severe headaches.

Buying Business Travel notes British Airways cabin crew have planned a two-day strike on January 10. According to Bloomberg, the airline promises to carry all fliers throughout the strike, with some passengers required to modify their departures.

ABC News reports an hours-long U.S. Customs system outage resulted in thousands of delays for travelers on Monday night.

According to Reuters, Lufthansa plans on hiring more than 3,000 new staff in 2017, mainly consisting of flight attendants.

Buying Business Travel notes Kazakhstan has introduced visa-free travel for all EU and OECD countries for up to 30 days.

According to The Nation, The World Travel & Tourism Council urges Asean governments to focus on infrastructure to cater to future traveler demand.

Tnooz shares Ctrip has bought global ground transportation provider TangRen World. The purchase will enable Ctrip to act as a full-service agency for Chinese international travelers.

According to TTG Media, an insolvency firm reports nearly 2,700 UK travel businesses are in significant distress.

Buying Business Travel reports Heathrow has cut its domestic passenger charges by £10 to boost regional growth.

Tnooz claims private accommodation travel bookings are forecasted to reach $106 billion by 2018, accounting for 1/5 of global hospitality bookings.

According to Skift, a new report claims Airbnb is becoming a bigger threat to hotels than expected. In 2015, only 12 percent of business travelers had used Airbnb in the last 12 months, compared to 18 percent in 2016.

Business Traveler reports a new U.S. law will increase the number of U.S. Customs pre-clearance facilities at the Canadian border.

According to PYMNTS, business travelers could be wasting travel managers’ efforts by not following or understanding their travel policy. The study notes that travel policies must be effectively communicated, otherwise a business traveler’s perception of the policy outweighs the reality of the policy.

Businses Traveller notes Qatar Airways has confirmed a new business class seat, which will be unveiled in March.

HotelMarketing’com reports UK mobile usage for travel is set to surpass desktop usage in early 2017.

According to TravelDailyNews, AirlineRatings.com has revealed its top 20 safest airlines for 2017, with Qantas taking the number one spot.

The New York Times reports New York’s JKF airport will receive a $10 billion upgrade. Governor Andrew Cuomo outlined a plan to modernize the airport and improve nearby highway and transit systems.

According to Skift, rising fuel costs will soon impact the U.S. airline industry, likely causing travelers to pay more to fly than in recent years. Declining jet fuel expenses have come to an end, with crude oil prices more than doubling from February 2016.

This week’s list comes from The New York Times:

52 Places to Go in 2017