The beginning of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June boosted domestic travel activity and pricing in the United States, but international demand softened.... KEEP READING

In May 2026, despite high travel costs due to geopolitical tensions and rising fuel prices, U.S. and global business travel showed resilience, with air travel sales rising and hotel performance strengthening.... KEEP READING

Attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel continued in the beginning of April but the countries reached a tenuous mid-month ceasefire, although the U.S. maintained a blockade of Iran and the Strait of Hormuz remained under Iran's control, keeping oil and jet fuel prices elevated.... KEEP READING

March's dawn coincided with the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East, with joint airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Iran followed by retaliatory Iranian strikes throughout the region and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.... KEEP READING

After a very tenuous 2025, February featured some of the strongest U.S. hotel performance in more than a year, perhaps further evidence of consolidating business travel demand. The month ended on an ominous note, however, with the Feb. 28 outbreak of armed conflict in the Middle East between the United States and Israel and Iran.... KEEP READING

January 2026 saw a rise in overall travel demand, with U.S. agency air ticket sales topping $10 billion for the first time, though corporate travel demand was down by 2.7%. While international air demand grew 5.9% year-over-year, domestic demand increased slightly by 0.1%. U.S. hotel revenue rose by 0.4%, despite occupancy declining again.... KEEP READING

December capped a sluggish year for the U.S. hotel industry, which wrestled with factors like stagnant business transient travel demand, less government travel even outside of the autumn federal government shutdown and lower inbound international demand. ... KEEP READING

The U.S. federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1 continued through Nov. 12. The effects of the shutdown became more wide-ranging in November, after the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration mandated 10 percent capacity cuts at 40 "high-traffic airports." The capacity cuts were reversed in the days following the budget deal, but they undoubtedly had an effect on November's business travel demand and performance figures while they were in place. ... KEEP READING

The U.S. federal government shut down on Oct. 1 after Congress could not agree to a budget deal. The shutdown would last throughout October and into November. The consequences in October for the business travel industry took shape quickly, perhaps most visibly in flight delays triggered by staffing shortages among air traffic controllers, who are employees of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and who were not paid during the shutdown. ... KEEP READING

The number of air tickets sold in September by U.S. corporate travel agencies and settled by ARC increased year over year for the first time in 2025. That increase was only 0.44 percent year over year, and such trips can be tricky to quantify, but it nevertheless was in the black for the first time since December 2024.... KEEP READING