For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

Where press releases are breaking news

Delta Air Lines offsets most carbon emissions for over 300K customers on Earth Day

by

In celebration of Earth Day today, Delta is offsetting the emissions of all domestic leisure and business travel into and out of New York, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Raleigh-Durham and Atlanta for over 300,000 customers across the country.

Plantable seed paper cutouts shaped like airplanes will be distributed on these selected flights to let customers know the environmental impact of their flight has been offset and inspire them to offset additional travel on delta.com/co2. Once planted, this special paper airplane will sprout non-invasive wildflowers.

“Delta led the U.S. aviation industry by launching the first carbon offset program in 2007, making it easy for customers to reduce the environmental impact of their travel,” said John Laughter, Senior Vice President – Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance. “Delta is also the only major airline to voluntarily cap carbon emissions at 2012 levels by purchasing carbon offsets.”

Since 2013, Delta has voluntarily purchased over 12 million carbon offsets, which is equivalent to the emissions from 1.7 million cars or electricity use for one year in nearly 2 million homes. This is more than any other U.S. airline. Today alone, Delta will buy almost 50,000 carbon offsets. To put this in perspective, 50,000 offsets will equal the emissions from more than 10,000 cars driven for one year.

Delta’s carbon offsets to benefit Conservation Coast project in Guatemala

Every offset Delta purchases today will benefit the Conservation Coast offset project, which provides environmental protection from deforestation and sustainable livelihood opportunities for communities in Guatemala. These offsets will help conserve over 400 bird species and 54,000 hectares of threatened rainforests situated along the Caribbean coastline of Guatemala.

The Conservation Coast project also supports sustainable livelihoods within local communities by teaching things like economically viable and environmentally sustainable agricultural practices that work with the environment rather than against it. To date, over 700 jobs are being supported by the project, 30 percent of which are held by women.

“At Delta, we believe connecting the world begins with caring for it,” said Laughter. “The offset projects we support are holistic, going beyond addressing the environmental impact of travel to provide resources, empowerment and financial opportunities to underserved communities like those involved in the Conservation Coast project.”
Offsetting is affordable. A roundtrip ticket from Atlanta to New York emits 0.28 metric tons of CO2, which can be offset for less than $5.

These offsetting efforts and more are why Delta was honored the Vision For America Award by Keep America Beautiful in 2017, recognized with Captain Planet Foundation’s Superhero Corporate Award in 2018, named to the FTSE4Good Index for four consecutive years, included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for eight consecutive years, given an honorable mention in Fast Company’s 2019 World Changing Ideas Awards and named one of America’s 100 most sustainable companies according to an in-depth Barron’s study.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Brexit has not deterred business travelers in the UK

by

UK’s 2018 Hotels Market Report shows that the UK regional capitals are performing strongly with overall room nights booked growing by 8% across the top 250 UK cities.

London continues to be business travelers’ favorite capital for work trips with 663,000 room nights booked in 2018, an increase of 5% when compared to 2017. But Edinburgh experienced the highest level of growth in 2018 with room nights booked increasing by 16%, Belfast was up 13% and Cardiff up 5%.

The 2018 Hotels Market Report analyses data from corporate hotel bookings made between January and December 2018 by Advantage’s TMC members, who represent around 40% of the UK business travel sector, highlighting business travel trends and booking behaviour.

The report also shows significant growth for cities in the Midlands and North East, with Derby seeing the highest growth with 31% more booked room nights compared to 2017, while York, Nottingham and Gateshead also saw double-digit percentage increases.

Top Ten UK Cities – Booked Room Night Percentage Increase (year-on-year), January – December 2018

1. Derby – 31%
2. York – 22%
3. Plymouth – 21%
4. Inverness – 20%
5. Nottingham – 18%
6. Edinburgh – 16%
7. Reading – 15%
8. Belfast – 13%
9. Norwich – 11%
10. Gateshead – 10%

Global Results

The business world continues to travel widely, with the 2018 Hotels Report recording that hotel demand remains strong in many international cities with New York, Auckland, Wellington, Houston, Paris and Sydney topping the Advantage Top Cities list. In total, worldwide volume grew by over 393,000 room nights, a total increase of 8.74% compared to 2017, indicating that SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) corporate accounts, in which Advantage TMCs specialise, continue to perform strongly.

The total number of bookings made by Advantage business travel members in 2018 saw similar growth – up 8.76% – while the average length of stay remained constant, at 1.87 nights. Increased demand and higher occupancy globally meant hotel rates have increased by US$2 to an average daily rate (ADR) of US$169.41.

The report also looks at trends on bookings and ADR for cities and locations around the world, with New York once again topping the list as the highest volume worldwide city outside the UK, with 90,799 room nights booked at an average rate of US$395.97 per night. Increases were also seen in Bangalore (up 54%), Kuala Lumpur (up 36%) and Boston (up 27%).

The corporate hotel sector continues to grow, with another significant increase in bookings year-on-year, made by independent TMCs. Despite continued uncertainty in both the global and UK economies including Brexit, hotel room night demand is at record levels in many destinations. Although not all destinations in Britain saw an increase in room nights booked, ADR remained strong.

The report is representative of hotel bookings made across most of the major international and independent hotel groups including: Accor, Apex Hotels, Choice Hotels, Citadines, Clayton Hotels, Design Hotels, The Doyle Collection, Edwardian Hotels, glh Hotels, Hallmark Hotels, Hilton, HotelREZ, Hyatt, House of Daniel Thwaites, IHG, Jurys Inn & Leonardo Hotels, Loews Hotels, Macdonald Hotels, Maldron Hotels, Melia Hotels International, Millennium Hotels & Resorts, The Montcalm Hotels, NH Hotels, O’Callaghan Collection, Omni, Park Plaza, Pegasus, QHotels, Quest, Rotana, Radisson Hotel Group, Sabre Hospitality, Small Luxury Hotels, TravelClick, Travelodge, Village Hotels Club, WorldHotels Collection and Wyndham Hotel Group.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Wings Travel Management Appoints Chief Operating Officer: Asia Pacific based in Singapore

by

Wings Travel Management , a leading global travel management company providing business travel services to clients in the finance, construction, security, energy and marine sectors, has appointed Sonja Hamman to the newly-created role of Chief Operating Officer – Asia Pacific, based at the company’s office in Singapore. The move reflects the importance of the region and its potential for growth, since Wings established an operation in Singapore in early 2018 after acquiring Olympia Travels & Tours.

Sonja Hamman first joined Wings in 2001, and her impressive 18-year career with the global travel management company has spanned diverse operational, senior management and project-led roles in the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria and Angola.

Most recently, she has held the London-based position of Director of Global Strategic Partners & Yield Management during which time she has been instrumental in expanding Wings global supplier relations portfolio, focussing on supplier negotiations, NDC solutions and content..

Prior to this role, Hamman was Director of Global Projects, managing major initiatives such as the launching the Wings’ wholly-owned operation in Lagos, Nigeria; the acquisition and integration of Michelle’s Travel in South Africa; and establishment of Wings’ IATA and ticketing functionality in Angola – a non BSP region.

Her robust understanding and experience of Wings’ business has also been honed by setting up the company’s UK operation in 2002 in the role of Director – Operations – UK & Europe. This was Wings’ first office outside South Africa, where the company was founded in 1992. Hamman grew the UK business from the ground up, to a total of three offices. From here she moved to become Director – Oil & Gas Division with the remit to grow and expand Wings’ global energy business. While in this role, she also worked closely with the company’s Learning and Development team to establish the Energy Academy™, a unique in-house educational programme giving Wings’ travel consultants an in-depth understanding of how the oil and gas sector operates, in order to service their clients more insightfully.

“I am delighted that Sonja has taken up this strategic role – her extensive experience in opening and operating new regions coupled with her Wings DNA, places her as the perfect candidate to consolidate our operations in Singapore, and build a platform to grow our business in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Tony Sofianos, CEO, Wings Travel Management

“Wings is strategically and uniquely positioned to service existing global customers, but also capitalise on the growth opportunities across the corporate, energy and marine sectors thanks to our unique value proposition and wholly owned global operations” added Sofianos

Sonja Hamman stated: “I am very pleased to be joining Wings’ Asia-Pacific region as it’s such an exciting market with many opportunities. As well as ensuring the Wings brand becomes a recognised market leader in Singapore, I also look forward to driving the development and execution of our growth strategy for Asia-Pacific.”

About Wings Travel Management:

Wings is an award-winning global travel management company which has carved a niche in the market as a trusted travel provider for clients in the finance, construction, security, energy and marine sectors where travel is an integral part of their business model. Founded in 1992, Wings’ global reach spans North America, South America, UK/Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, where the company has wholly owned and managed regional offices. Wings Travel Management employs over 400 people around the world and has a global turnover of around US$325M. Wings is known for its unique expertise in navigating complex and challenging business travel, as well as generating cost savings without compromising on traveller safety. The company’s advanced, customizable technology solutions are all seamlessly accessible over a standardized global platform. www.wings.travel

Travel News | eTurboNews

Moscow Domodedovo Airport reaches out online to the world

by

Moscow Domodedovo Airport strives to develop online services. Every day 35,000 users visit its official website. On the website, passengers can buy plane tickets, purchase insurance and book a hotel room.

The airport has launched an online service allowing to book and pay for VIP and business lounges in Domodedovo in Moscow as well as in 80 other domestic and 64 international airports.

This solution was developed in partnership with a business travel agency Travelmart. The new feature allows passengers to order fast track services and pass preflight formalities quickly.

Business lounges at Moscow Domodedovo Airport are quite popular among passengers. In 2018 approximately 600 000 people visited our lounges, a 12% year-to-year rise. Business lounges are located in both domestic and international departures zones. The lounges are open around the clock and available for all passengers regardless of fare class. Moscow Domodedovo Airport features different services in business lounges including an all-you-can-eat buffet, a working space, free Wi-Fi, TV and printed media, a cloakroom. What is more, we also offer an individual transfer to the airplane.

There are ten business lounges at Moscow Domodedovo Airport. The airport manages five business lounges while S7 and Swiss airlines, as well as UTG aviation services, handle the rest of them.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Travel Trends Index: International and domestic travel growth projected to dwindle

by

Travel to and within the U.S. grew 3.2% year-over-year in February, according to the U.S. Travel Association’s latest Travel Trends Index (TTI).

However, the predictive Leading Travel Index (LTI) continues to project a slowdown in both international and domestic travel growth, as both segments could continue to feel the effects of rising trade tensions, volatile financial markets and weakening business and consumer confidence. These factors have the potential to stunt travel growth and dull American competitiveness at a time when the U.S. is seeking to reverse its declining share of the global international travel market.

Though international inbound travel grew for the ninth consecutive month, the segment grew only 1.4% in February. Domestic travel increased 2.8% year-over-year in February, with growth in both the business and leisure travel segments. Domestic business travel outpaced the leisure segment for the first time since October 2018, registering slightly above its six-month moving average with a 3.0% growth. Leisure growth fell slightly below its six-month moving average with a more tepid 2.6% growth rate.

Looking ahead, domestic and international inbound travel are both projected to grow, but at a moderate pace.

Said U.S. Travel Senior Vice President for Research David Huether: “Growth is expected to decelerate in the case of domestic travel while international inbound travel is projected to remain soft. This is consistent with an expectation of stable-yet-moderating economic growth both in the U.S. and globally.”

U.S. Travel economists caution that this decelerated growth rate will make it even more difficult for the U.S. to regain its diminishing share of the global international travel market. Acting on certain legislative initiatives—such as Brand USA’s long-term reauthorization and the rebranding and expansion of the Visa Waiver Program—can help the U.S. increase competitiveness in the global travel market.

The TTI is prepared for U.S. Travel by the research firm Oxford Economics. The TTI is based on public and private sector source data which are subject to revision by the source agency. The TTI draws from: advance search and bookings data from ADARA and nSight; airline bookings data from the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC); IATA, OAG and other tabulations of international inbound travel to the U.S.; and hotel room demand data from STR.

Click here to read the full report.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Strongest year-by-year growth in a decade expected

by

The number of business trips and the cost of those trips is set to rise in 2019, according to the 14th annual International Travel Management Study (22 October 2018). Almost half (45 percent) of the 777 corporate travel managers surveyed by AirPlus in 24 countries expect their company to travel more in the year ahead. That figure is up from 35 percent in 2018 and the highest since the global financial crisis of the late 2000s.

Only 10 percent of travel managers believe their company will travel less, while 44 percent expect no change. India is the country where the highest number of travel managers (83 percent) forecast more trips in 2019. In contrast, 33 percent of Russian travel managers, more than any other country, predict less travel.

Travel managers are economic optimists

Almost half (46 percent) of travel managers expect the global economy to affect business travel positively in 2019. That is well up on last year (27 percent) and the highest figure in the six years the study has asked this question. Only 16 percent of travel managers expect the economy to affect business travel negatively, down from 20 percent in 2018.

The optimism among travel managers may seem surprising given several risks threatening to slow the global economy in 2019, including Brexit, slower growth in the Chinese economy and international trade disputes. But at time of writing the International Monetary Fund’s 2019 forecast is for global GDP growth of 3.5 percent (slower than 2018 but still a relatively high figure), and business travel volume and GDP have long been shown to correlate.

Expect business travel to cost more in 2019

The almost inevitable consequence of more travel is more cost, and sure enough, 51 percent of travel managers expect their company to increase its travel spend in 2019 — up from 41 percent in 2018.

“Our travel managers’ prediction of increased corporate travel highlights the importance that business travel has gained over the years. Regardless of any possible positive or negative effects of the global economy, travel managers consider business travel to be necessary and essential in order to gain new business and meet corporate challenges”, says Yael Klein, a marketing director. “But more travel also means companies need to pay increased attention to controlling their rising spend. Luckily, there are many excellent tools and techniques to help track and manage travel spend. 2019 is definitely the year to put these good travel management practices in place, or review them if you already have a strong managed program.”

Action points recommended to control budgets include:

  • Make sure you have a good corporate payment solution providing the best possible travel spend data.
  • Review your policy to identify fresh potential savings.
  • Re-visit your supplier deals. If you have more spend, you also have more spending power.
  • Communicate. Tell your travelers that costs are increasing

Travel News | eTurboNews

Travelport survey shows U.S. business travelers happy to pay for conveniences, even if giving up personal data, privacy

by

ATLANTA — August 9, 2018 –   A majority of U.S. business travelers are willing to spend their own money to pay for non-travel policy conveniences like upgraded hotels, faster hotel WiFi and airline seat upgrades  according to the  “U.S. Business Traveler & Travel Policy 2018” survey published today by Travelport (NYSE:TVPT), a leading travel commerce platform.

The survey also shows business travelers are deeply divided—with 55 percent agreeing and 45 percent disagreeing—over whether to allow their employers to use GPS tracking solutions to monitor their movements and location while on business trips.

The willingness of business travelers to trade personal privacy for enhanced corporate security reflects their readiness to make sacrifices in return for other benefits. For example, 70 percent of travelers are willing to offer their personal data in return for personalized ads that are relevant to them when booking business travel online.

Other trends revealed in the survey include:

 

  • Time is money: Convenience is the motivating factor when choosing an airline for business travel. Forty eight percent of respondents prioritized factors like flight departure and arrival times, as well as direct flights, while only 12 percent cited company cost-savings and keeping a work/life balance.
  • Booking flexibility could improve: While compliant with policies, travelers want more freedom to self-service flights and manage their own expense reports. While almost 100 percent of travelers comply with their company’s travel policies, more than 80 percent agree they would like to work for an organization that allows them to book travel directly and which allows automated, digital expense reporting.
  • Travel budgets are up: Company resources available for travelers to do their jobs. Fifty-seven percent of respondents say their 2018 business travel budget is larger than their 2017 travel budget.
  • Business travel is a perk: Approximately four out of five travelers like to travel for business. 40 percent definitely agree they would like to work for an organization that asks them to travel frequently and almost 90 percent are allowed to keep for themselves the loyalty points accrued during business travel.

Commenting on the survey, Erika Moore, Travelport’s vice president and general manager of U.S. Sales said, “The survey suggests standard corporate travel practices may be falling short of business travelers’ expectations while on the road. Convenience and a familiar consumer experience are important to business travelers when planning and managing their journeys. That’s why our mobile solutions, such as Travelport Trip Assist, along with our agency tools, are so relevant to the needs of today’s corporate travel managers and their clients.”