Travel Week in Review – November 17th, 2023

Amid all the recent headlines about aviation safety lapses and a troubling rise in close calls, it’s easy to forget that commercial air travel has never been safer. In fact, fatal crashes on a commercial jet plane are extremely rare, thanks in large part to major innovations in aircraft technology and crew training over the years (often prompted by major accidents, such as TWA 800 and Air France 447). In 2022, there were only five fatal accidents among 32.2 million flights, down from seven in 2021 and an improvement… Read More…

In a year dominated by New Distribution Capability changes and challenges, it might not come as a surprise that one carrier that thus far has stayed out of the NDC fray earned the top rating among travel managers in BTN’s annual Airline Survey, and for the 13th time in a row—Delta Air Lines, with a total score of 4.36 on an ascending scale of 1 to 5. We recognize this was an interesting years with monumental changes, especially for corporate travel, so we’re excited and humbled and thrilled about this win,” per… Read More…

Internet and telephone services collapsed across the Gaza Strip on Thursday for lack of fuel, the main Palestinian provider said, bringing a potentially long-term blackout of communications as Israel signaled its offensive against Hamas could next target the south, where most of the population has taken refuge. Israeli troops for a second day searched Shifa Hospital in the north for traces of Hamas… but the military has yet to release evidence of a central Hamas command center that Israel has said is concealed beneath the complex. Read More…

PwC softened its projections for U.S. hotel occupancy in 2023 and 2024 amid economic concerns and an uncertain outlook for corporate travel, according to a report the company released Monday. U.S. average daily rates should increase in each year, according to the company. PwC projects full-year 2023 occupancy for U.S. hotels to reach 63 percent, up 0.7 percentage points year over year, according to its latest Hospitality Directions outlook. This projection is slightly below PwC’s prior forecast of 63.5 percent, issued in… Read More…

United Airlines plans to invest more than $1.9 billion in United’s hub in Terminal B at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and the Houston Airport System will invest $624 million, the carrier announced Wednesday. The Terminal B Transformation Program will include the construction of 40 new gates for United’s domestic and international use, expanded curbside and roadway capability, an expanded ticketing lobby, a streamlined security processing area and two new passenger concourses. Read More…