Business Travel Tips

Air France launched a Business Class sale on flights from U.S. to Paris (Charles De Gaulle Airport). It’s a last minute Business Class sale as it is requirs only a 7 day advance purchase.

An example of these discount fares Air France is offering is New York – Paris at as low as $3,089 each-way.

The fares are one-way based on a round-trip purchase, include fuel-surcharge and are flexible, that means there is no charge for refunds or changes. They do not include taxes and fees.

To grab these discounts you must book by November 19, 2008, 11:59PM EDT.
Travel period: November 11 through December 31, 2008.

Below a sampling of the Air France discounts from U.S. to Paris:
New York – Paris $3,089
Houston – Paris $3,152
Boston – Paris $3,666
Philadelphia – Paris $3,698
Chicago – Paris $3,897
Washington D.C. – Paris $3,917
Miami – Paris $4,101

Details at airfrance.us/

Starwood has opened in Beijing the first Aloft outside North America. It’s the Aloft Beijing, Haidian.

Located in the Zhongguancun Science Park near the 4th Ring Road, in a zone including numerous high-tech businesses, the Aloft Beijing is just few minutes from the Golden Resources Shopping Mall and from many of Beijing’s major attractions.

Each of the 186 Aloft rooms is equipped with wireless internet access and plug & play, a one-stop connectivity solution for multiple electronic gadgetry all linked to a 42” flat-panel, HDTV-ready television.

Aloft ha also launched a green program, which promotes ecologically friendly practices, such as for example, providing preferred parking for hybrid cars.

More than 100 Aloft hotels are scheduled to open in markets like China, UAE, India, and North America by 2011.

Members of United Airlines’ Mileage Plus frequent flyer programme will be able to to earn and redeem their miles while flying with the Indian airline Jet Airways.

Similarly members of Jet Airways’ JetPrivilege frequent flyer programme will be able to to earn and redeem their miles while flying with United Airlines.

Jet Airways flies to 42 destinations in India with 357 flights daily and operates flights to 20 international destinations, including among others, New York / Newark, San Francisco, Toronto, London Heathrow, and Brussels.

According to World Travel Market 2008 report, released today, low-cost carriers and budget hotels could take advantage from the global economic downturn.

The study — conducted by Euromonitor International, explains that increasingly companies will choose budget carriers and hotels as they are looking to tighten their travel budget and policies.

Many tourism businesses and airlines will have to adapt to this new trend.
Irish discount carrier Ryanair, in the effort to expand its share of the business travel market, would be looking at the possibility to offer trans-Atlantic services.

The report also said travel markets within the Middle East and Asia will remain strong in the 2009. (source)

With fares starting at $227 each way, exclusive of taxes and fees, United Airlines launched a promotion on flights to Europe and some other international routes.

To land these deals you are required to book and buy no later than November 13.

Also, although these airfares are quoted each-way, you have to buy a round-trip.
Travel period: outbound from November 6 through December 11, 2008 and from December 25 through April 2, 2009. You’ll have to travel Monday through Thursday. (For travel to Argentina and Brazil: all days of the week with all travel complete by January 31, 2009).

Below is a sampling of the discount airfares United Airlines is offering:
- from Washington Dulles to Paris (Charles De Gaulle) $404
- from New York City to Munich $227
- from Chicago to Amsterdam $348
- from Los Angeles to Zurich $288
- from New Orleans to Dublin $311
- from Philadelphia to Frankfurt $272
- from Denver to Paris (Charles De Gaulle) $433
- from Boston to Rome $361
- from San Francisco to Rio de Janeiro $422
- from Boston to Rio de Janeiro $368
- from Washington Dulles to Buenos Aires $561
- from San Diego to Dubai $550
- from Seattle to Cairo $465
Offer details at united.com.