| December 11, 2012 |
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- Survey: Most European companies stuck to travel budgets in 2012
Sixty-three percent of companies in Europe maintained their corporate travel budgets in 2012 and 23% increased spending, according to the American Express Global Business Travel survey. The survey found that 73% do not plan to revise their corporate-travel forecasts for 2013 and 16% will increase their budgets. Reuters
(12/6)      
- Check in automatically with Flybe
Flybe has unveiled an automatic check-in option fliers can elect when purchasing a ticket. The service delivers a flier's boarding pass to his or her smartphone about 36 to 15 hours before departure. With the electronic boarding pass, the flier doesn't have to check in on the carrier's website. BusinessTraveller.com (U.K.)
(12/6)
- Germanwings appeals to business travelers' frugality
With many cash-strapped companies ordering employees to fly economy, starting in July, Germanwings will offer business travelers the option to exclude perks such as priority check-in and a second piece of luggage to save money. The airline hopes the move will help it compete against Ryanair and easyJet. Reuters
(12/6)
- Airlines scramble to add flat beds in business class
American Airlines is just one carrier trying to keep up with competitors like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic that offer fully flat beds in their business-class cabins. The carrier will begin retrofitting its fleet in 2014, and the first bed will arrive on the new Boeing 777 early next year. United boasts more flat beds than any other airline, and Delta has fitted nearly half of its business-class fleet with flat beds. The Wall Street Journal
(12/6)
- Hotels offer after-dinner dessert and drink rolled into one
Hotels are infusing liquor into their desserts so patrons can enjoy the flavor in their after-dinner treats. The W Westwood's Nine Thirty in Los Angeles serves alcohol-infused ice cream, and the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix infuses liqueur into marshmallows. HotelChatter
(11/29)
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Are flat beds in business class incentive enough to make you switch airlines?
 | Absolutely! |
| Not by themselves, no |
| That's up to my company |
 | If you can talk brilliantly about a problem, it can create the consoling illusion that it has been mastered."
--Stanley Kubrick,
American filmmaker
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| Business Travel Resources | SmartBrief for The Business Traveler Partners |
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Recent SmartBrief for The Business Traveler Issues:
- Thursday, December 06, 2012
- Tuesday, December 04, 2012
- Thursday, November 29, 2012
- Tuesday, November 27, 2012
- Tuesday, November 20, 2012
| | | Lead Editor: Liz DeHoff
Contributing Editor: John McGran
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