November 2016 
Delta customers begin receiving bag-status alerts

 
Passengers using the Fly Delta app have begun receiving push notifications on the status of their checked bags, the carrier said Wednesday, November 15th. The notices tell customers in real time when their bags have been loaded onto a plane and when they are arriving at the baggage carousel.


The new service is a result of the $50 million systemwide transition to radio frequency identification (RFID) bag tracking that Delta has undertaken this year.  Delta is the first airline to employee RFID tracking across its network. It says that the system, in which radio frequencies are used to track bags instead of the more common optical bar scanners, reduces bag-handling errors by 25%.


Delta now prints RFID tags at all 344 airports in which it operates worldwide.  The tags appear similar to those used in a standard barcode system. But within each RFID tag is a small, embedded chip and a radio antenna.
 
KLM launching 
Minneapolis service

 
 
Blue Ribbon Business Travel has partnered with automated online expense reporting tools!


Simplify expense reporting for your business travelers.
It's never been easier for business travelers to complete and submit an expense report and quickly 
get reimbursed - all online. 


These expense tools create expense reports automatically, pulling travel and expenses from airline, car and hotel itineraries, personal and corporate credit card transactions, checking accounts, and scanned receipts.  Streamline the expense reporting process and improve the review and approval flow between departments.


They turn lengthy, tedious paper-based approval processes into one-click, online approvals. Managers can easily review and approve expense reports from anywhere, at any time - no paperwork involved. 


In fact, most expenses are pre-approved based on policy rules set in the system, and scanned receipts are included online making review and approvals faster and easier. Expense policy violations are clearly highlighted so managers can request corrections or simply remove questionable line-items and submit the expense report for reimbursement.  


The expense systems convert transactions for international travelers into the appropriate currency based on the date of travel.


To learn more, email us at info@blueribbontravel.com
 
Blue Ribbon Business Travel International Inc. is committed to providing you with useful information on the latest developments in the travel industry. The following information has been compiled from a variety of sources and is updated monthly.
 
 
 
China's HNA Group     to Acquire 25% Stake in Hilton


China's HNA Group is set to acquire 25 percent of Hilton Worldwide in a deal valued at approximately $6.5 billion.  


HNA will acquire the 25 percent equity interest in Hilton and its planned spin-offs of Park Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Grand Vacations from affiliates of the Blackstone Group. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017 and will reduce Blackstone's interest in Hilton to about 21 percent.


"HNA Group has a broad portfolio of successful travel and hospitality businesses and a proven track record of creating value in this industry," Hilton's president and CEO Christopher J. Nassetta said.  "We believe this mutually beneficial relationship will open new opportunities for our brands and guests around the world, particularly in light of HNA's strong position in the fast-growing Chinese travel and tourism market, the largest outbound travel and tourism market in the world."

 
Enterprise Holdings Sweeps Satisfaction Ratings
For a third consecutive year, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is ranked highest in satisfaction among rental car companies, achieving an overall satisfaction index score of 830, according to the J.D. Power 2016 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study.


Travelers who rent a car and then combine business and leisure ("bleisure" travelers) are by far the most satisfied with their rental car experience, according to the study. The study finds that while overall satisfaction is higher among business travelers than among leisure travelers.  


The 2016 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study is based on responses gathered between September 2015 through August 2016 from more than 11,300 business and leisure travelers who rented a vehicle at an airport location.
 


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