What to Watch 2019

Airline Alliances Will MorphBy Michael B. Baker

Global ties between major carriers are set to tighten this year as several joint business agreements near approval, and the global alliance structure could see its first major shakeup in quite some... KEEP READING

Not What to Watch but Where: APACBy American Express Global Business Travel regional director of EMEA & Asia/Pacific for the Global Business Consulting group Philip Haxne

The scale and dynamism of Asia/Pacific economies make the region a vital component of many corporate travel programs. As China opens more connections with the world and India has become the... KEEP READING

Data Management Service Level Agreements Should Become UbiquitousBy Mezi VP of travel strategy & partnerships for American Express Johnny Thorsen

If you are a corporate travel manager, then you probably start each day with a scan of the latest news on data privacy, or rather the lack of data privacy. We are due for a major breach in the corporate... KEEP READING

New Traveler Identification Will Pave the Way for Personalized ChoicesBy BCD Travel senior director of research & corporate innovation Miriam Moscovici

Greater deployment of emerging technologies in 2019 will make the business trip cycle easier to navigate—and increasingly populated with personalized choices. In other words, we're closer than ever to... KEEP READING

Travel Risk Will Increase as Workforce Demographics DiversifyBy International SOS & MedAire SVP & regional medical director Dr. Robert Quigley

Companies send employees abroad now more than ever, but the evolving demographics of the average business traveler bring with them new health and security risks. Ipsos Mori recently released its... KEEP READING

AI's Journey to Add a Personal Touch to Business Travel Will Take RootBy TravelBank co-founder & CEO Duke Chung

Buzzword or not, artificial intelligence will move beyond travel booking to all aspects of the travel experience from before booking to real-time itinerary changes to post-trip actions. But don't expect... KEEP READING

Travel Management Company Challengers Will Drive Traveler CentricityBy Adam Perrotta

When corporate travel booking and management provider TripActions earned "unicorn" status by reaching an investor valuation of $1 billion in November, observers saw not only an affirmation of the... KEEP READING

Airline Rewards Will Grow Fruitless, While Hotel Fees Will IncreaseBy Executive Travel CEO Steve Glenn, adapted from his 2019 travel industry projections

The U.S. will tax tickets purchased with frequent-flier points at $50 for domestic, $100 for international coach and $500 for international business class. Free tickets require so many frequent-flier... KEEP READING

Will Marriott's Online Travel Agency Commission Negotiations Affect Corporate Programs?By Elizabeth West

This time last year, Marriott International hit the corporate market with some big news: It would slash meetings commissions from the conventional 10 percent to 7 percent. This year, a different type of... KEEP READING

2019 Will Be the Year of Data-Powered EventsBy Hubb founder & CEO Allie Magyar

We've only dipped our toes into using data to create richer experiences and stronger connections at events, but that's all about to change. Bluetooth Low Energy adoption will explode: The wireless... KEEP READING