BTN Expert Q&A

Southwest Airlines isn't the only beneficiary of the end of the Wright Amendment, which limited interstate flights from Dallas Love Field. Virgin America also has seized it as an opportunity to boost its network and its share of corporate travel business. John MacLeod, the carrier's senior vice president of planning and... Keep Reading

Sonesta International Hotels Corp. in January named Carlos Flores, a top executive at the company during the past two years, as its new president and CEO, replacing retiring president and CEO Bill Sheehan. Flores steps to the helm of Sonesta at a time of rapid growth, as the company—which has a total portfolio of 55 hotels in... Keep Reading

NH Hotel Group, Europe's third-largest hotel chain, on Feb. 3 announced further expansion with the acquisition of the 20-hotel Hoteles Royal group in Latin America. NH Hotel Group, based in Spain, also announced it disposed of 30 "non-strategic" properties in 2014 but added nine new ones, leaving the company with around 400... Keep Reading

Africa in recent years has become a growing focus for development by major international hotel companies. While North Africa long has been the primary focus in such development, many hotel companies now are turning more attention to sub-Saharan Africa. Lagos-based research firm W Hospitality Group earlier this year reported... Keep Reading

Berlin - The Global Business Travel Association during its annual GBTA Europe conference here last week announced a charter committing airlines to continue serving the needs of corporate clients as they remodel their pricing and distribution strategies to further personalize the offers they make to travelers. The catalyst for... Keep Reading

New York - JetBlue Airways on Wednesday opened its new international arrivals hall extension at John F. Kennedy International Airport's Terminal 5 here. While JetBlue's international service from New York primarily includes such leisure markets as the Caribbean and Mexico, airline president Robin Hayes said the expansion... Keep Reading

Atlanta - As part of its tightening relationship with joint-venture partner Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic recently began service to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport here, taking over one of Delta's three daily flights to London Heathrow. During an event inaugurating that route, Virgin Atlantic CEO Craig Kreeger and... Keep Reading

New Orleans-Southwest Airlines vice president and chief marketing officer Kevin Krone on Oct. 7 took the hot seat at The Beat Live here, answering questions from attendees and The Beat readers. Among the topics were Southwest's growth plans, an update on its new reservations system and the carrier's distribution strategy. An... Keep Reading

Since launching its Paris-Newark service this summer, all-business-class carrier La Compagnie has met its share of skepticism, given the failures of the model by most prior transatlantic entrants. Co-founders Frantz Yvelin—who also founded L'Avion, the only all-premium-class transatlantic carrier launched during the last... Keep Reading

IHG Owners Association president Eva Ferguson—who has been with the association for 30 years, including nine in her current leadership role—spoke recently with Business Travel News senior editor Michael B. Baker about some of the most recent initiatives facing owners that affect both the look and design of hotels, as well as... Keep Reading