BTN Expert Q&A

It's been over a year since American Express Global Business Travel acquired KDS and Roxana Bressy took over as KDS CEO, following Dean Forbes departure in 2016. The T&E provider kept a low profile last year as it found its footing. KDS also is expanding its team so much that Amex GBT VP of product marketing and innovation... Keep Reading

Three-year-old hotel solutions tech startup Conichi hit the corporate travel scene big in 2016, earning BTN's Innovator of the Year Award and other industry honors in Europe and the U.S. But Conichi—which pitched itself as an agnostic layer of technology that integrates with various hotel systems to deliver such capabilities... Keep Reading

Delta has undertaken a flurry of activity this year in building global alliances and joint business ventures, including significant investments in several of its international partners. Those moves earned Delta CEO Ed Bastian a spot on BTN's 2017 25 Most Influential list, and Bastian spoke with transportation editor Michael... Keep Reading

It's been nearly a year since Norwegian Air Shuttle received its long-sought approval to expand its service to the U.S., heating up competition on transatlantic routes. The low-cost carrier remains in growth mode and is expanding its premium offering, which targets business travelers. While it already maintains large... Keep Reading

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is investigating whether forthcoming biometric facial scans for departing foreign travelers could speed up other airport processes, like Transportation Security Administration checks, baggage tagging, lounge entry and even duty-free purchases. The agency will introduce facial scanning in... Keep Reading

Twenty-one year BCD Travel/Advito executive Bob Brindley has left the mega travel management company and consultancy to join artificial intelligence-driven travel app provider TripActions. He will broker supply-side relationships for the startup, both with content partners and product licensing with agency partners.... Keep Reading

InterContinental Hotels Group CEO Keith Barr assumed his new role as head executive on July 1, stepping up from his prior position as chief commercial officer. But already Barr has ambitious plans for IHG. He spoke with BTN lodging editor Julie Sickel.... Keep Reading

The proposal process to determine the future of Alitalia is winding down, but executives insist the carrier will not accept a marriage of desperation. New chief commercial officer Fabio Maria Lazzerini said Alitalia's financial situation has improved since it began bankruptcy proceedings this year. Saying things are... Keep Reading

After working on Lola for the consumer market, Lola founder and CEO Paul English, who was founder and former chief technology officer of Kayak, pivoted this spring to a focus on unmanaged and lightly managed small and midmarket travelers. The hybrid artificial intelligence- and human-powered mobile travel assistant is now... Keep Reading

Managed travel has been a laggard in the business intelligence space. Pi has had the advantage of working in other sectors that have complex data, industries like retail and healthcare. That has informed how it supports business travel data analysis. The company has just changed its name to PredictX. CEO Keesup Choe spoke... Keep Reading