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The latest business travel insights, technology trends, vacation specials and travel tips!

Major Changes Coming to United’s MileagePlus

United fliers who redeem frequent flier miles for flights have always been able to nail down precisely how many miles they need to cash in for a dream vacation. Starting Nov. 15, and right in time for the holiday travel rush, that predictability all goes away when the airline’s MileagePlus program switches from fixed award…

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Coming Soon: ONE Order

If you work in the travel industry, you’ve probably heard of New Distribution Capability. NDC is the airlines’ attempt, through IATA, (the International Air Transport Association) to upgrade the technology used by their indirect partners (TMCs, online booking companies and corporate online booking tools) to sell airline tickets. But, NDC is only the first of…

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Atlanta Still World’s Busiest Airport

The “World’s Busiest Airport” title for 2018 will have a familiar ring to it. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is forecast to take that title yet again for 2018, marking the 21st consecutive year that the airport has hosted more passengers than any other airport on the planet. That’s according to the preliminary full-year passenger numbers…

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Boeing 737 Max Jets Grounded

With President Trump issuing an emergency order yesterday grounding the Boeing 737 Max fleet in the United States, Southwest, American and United scrambled to replace Boeing 737 Max 8s and 9s on their routes and rebook passengers as quickly as possible. A Southwest flight from Oakland to Newark landed at 7:10 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, the…

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American, Hyatt Launch New Loyalty Benefits

A new World of Hyatt and American Airlines AAdvantage loyalty partnership lets you earn more rewards points & miles when you travel. You can earn World of Hyatt points on American Airlines purchases and you can earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles on Hyatt purchases. When you have an elite membership status with either loyalty program,…

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Continuous Sourcing: Shaking Up Procurement

The way in which corporations select their travel partners is changing. Sourcing air, hotel and car rental travel, traditionally undertaken through an annual RFP, can take three months and cost thousands in lost productivity. No wonder travel managers are looking at alternatives. Contemporary sourcing is quicker, using real-time and predictive data for decision-making in partnerships…

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Back Taxes Can Jeopardize Your Passport

The IRS has reiterated its warning that taxpayers may not be able to renew their passports or get a new one if they owe $52,000 or more in federal taxes.   In January of last year, the IRS began implementing new procedures for individuals with “seriously delinquent tax debts.” The change in the law came…

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Aloha Reckoning

In April 2018, a spring storm crept up on Kauai’s north shore, dumping record rainfall that generated flash floods that swept away homes, bridges, roads and crops. Most of the Garden Isle was unaffected, and Kauai went on to set a record for visitation for the ninth consecutive year. But traffic in the bucolic north…

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Ancillaries: Keeping Track of Extras

Once upon a time, when you booked an airline ticket, that was it. Your seat, your bag, your in-flight meal and entertainment – everything was included, whether you took advantage of the option or not. Not anymore. Ancillary services – primarily, though by no means exclusively, charging for bags and seats – is big business…

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Consolidating Meeting and Business Travel

At many companies, different departments oversee the planning of small offsite meetings and the procurement and booking processes for corporate business travel. In addition, small events are often charged on corporate credit cards, and the expensing is categorized under general travel and entertainment, rather than business development. That discrepancy causes inefficiencies, including a lack of transparency…

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