Business Travel

Business travel is bouncing back in Boston. The Hub has the fourth-highest increase in business traveler hotel occupancy in the nation, according to TravelClick North American Hospitality Review - up 14.2 percent this summer, compared to last year. That's behind Detroit (up 26.8 percent), Minneapolis-St. Paul (17.2 percent), and Charlotte, N.C. (16.6 percent). Nationwide, demand for business travel is up 7.4 percent. Business travel is the fastest-growing segment of the hospitality industry, according to TravelClick, a consultancy.

With increased competition around the world to take advantage of the growing global economy, Massachusetts and New England offer a strong entry point for international companies looking to do business with the United States. Tens of thousands of American companies have major business interests overseas. US trade with Japan alone accounted for $66 billion worth of exports in 2011. About $2 billion of that is attributed to Massachusetts. Japan is the number four trading partner for both the United States and Massachusetts.

DALLAS - The three largest US airlines say they are seeing an uptick in demand for business and premium tickets, which could signal the beginning of a recovery in all-important corporate travel. At Delta Air Lines Inc., chief financial officer Hank Halter said yesterday that the company sold more corporate tickets in November than it did in the same month last year - the first such increase all year. But Delta, the world’s largest airline company, had to cut prices to get those sales.

ANA Group, Japan's largest airline, reported an 8.4 billion yen ($108 million) quarterly loss as travel declined after the earthquake in northeastern Japan. All Nippon Airways said Friday that rising crude oil prices, which push up jet fuel costs, are also a challenge. Consumer sentiment remains weak in Japan after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami devastated the country's northeast, dampening demand for travel. ANA reported a loss of 5.2 billion yen in the April-June quarter of the previous year.

DALLAS — Delta Air Lines Inc. and American Airlines, the largest US carriers, forecast second-quarter gains of at least 17 percent on a benchmark for industry revenue as rising demand buoys fares. Passenger revenue for each seat flown a mile will climb about 20 percent, Atlanta-based Delta said yesterday in New York. American parent AMR Corp. said revenue on the same basis from its main jet operations would increase at least 17 percent. Analysts watch so-called unit revenue because it measures what airlines earn on each available seat.

With increased competition around the world to take advantage of the growing global economy, Massachusetts and New England offer a strong entry point for international companies looking to do business with the United States. Tens of thousands of American companies have major business interests overseas. US trade with Japan alone accounted for $66 billion worth of exports in 2011. About $2 billion of that is attributed to Massachusetts. Japan is the number four trading partner for both the United States and Massachusetts.

NEW YORK - As the economy begins to shift gears from dismal to slightly improved, the travel industry sees some reason for hope - but not much. The US Travel Association expects travel spending in the United States to decline by nearly 9 percent this year, to $705 billion, which includes domestic business and leisure travel as well as spending by international visitors. Spending is expected to increase by 6 percent in 2010, but that does not make up for the large decline in 2009.

ANA Group, Japan's largest airline, reported an 8.4 billion yen ($108 million) quarterly loss as travel declined after the earthquake in northeastern Japan. All Nippon Airways said Friday that rising crude oil prices, which push up jet fuel costs, are also a challenge. Consumer sentiment remains weak in Japan after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami devastated the country's northeast, dampening demand for travel. ANA reported a loss of 5.2 billion yen in the April-June quarter of the previous year.

Some years ago, on a flight from Kansas City, Mo., to Boston, the woman sitting next to Lee Levitt asked him if he would give up his aisle seat in exchange for her husband's middle seat a few rows back. Levitt, a Needham businessman, considered the long, cramped flight he would have to endure in a middle seat and told the woman, "No. " The woman responded by jamming her high heel into Levitt's thigh. "At first I did nothing," recalled Levitt, a frequent business traveler who now works for IDC, a market research company in Framingham.

BEDFORD — Business travel is bouncing back at Hanscom Field. More corporate executives, engineers, and salespeople flew in and out of Hanscom last year, with takeoffs and landings of business jets up 7 percent compared with 2009, mirroring modest improvements elsewhere in the economy. “We’re a barometer for what’s going on in the regional economy,’’ said Barbara Patzner, Hanscom Field airport director. The field, built by the US Army Air Corps before World War II, houses 79 business jets, along with 11 helicopters and 266 single-engine, twin-engine, and...

JetBlue Airways is giving Boston business travelers their own version of the popular All You Can Jet pass. From Aug. 22 to Nov. 22, passengers can take an unlimited number of flights from Logan International Airport to any JetBlue city - 55 in all - for a flat rate of $1,999. For $1,499, Boston pass holders can fly to 13 nonstop destinations, mainly on the East Coast. The BluePass, aimed at business customers, is more flexible than the All You Can Jet pass, allowing travelers to book and change flights up to 90 minutes before departure.

Business travel is bouncing back in Boston. The Hub has the fourth-highest increase in business traveler hotel occupancy in the nation, according to TravelClick North American Hospitality Review - up 14.2 percent this summer, compared to last year. That's behind Detroit (up 26.8 percent), Minneapolis-St. Paul (17.2 percent), and Charlotte, N.C. (16.6 percent). Nationwide, demand for business travel is up 7.4 percent. Business travel is the fastest-growing segment of the hospitality industry, according to TravelClick, a consultancy.

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines is looking more and more like the big airlines it loves to needle. The once-quirky upstart flies to the big, busy airports it used to shun. It lets travelers cut in front of the boarding line — for a fee. Its revamped frequent-flier program is more complicated. Now comes Southwest’s boldest move, its $1 billion purchase of AirTran Airways, completed yesterday. All the changes are designed to help Southwest compete for high-fare business travelers. With AirTran, Southwest increases passenger traffic 25 percent.

BEDFORD — Business travel is bouncing back at Hanscom Field. More corporate executives, engineers, and salespeople flew in and out of Hanscom last year, with takeoffs and landings of business jets up 7 percent compared with 2009, mirroring modest improvements elsewhere in the economy. “We’re a barometer for what’s going on in the regional economy,’’ said Barbara Patzner, Hanscom Field airport director. The field, built by the US Army Air Corps before World War II, houses 79 business jets, along with 11 helicopters and 266 single-engine, twin-engine, and...

The severe winter storms blanketing parts of Europe with snow and ice are having a ripple effect on local holiday travel this week as airlines cancel flights between London and Logan International Airport. All but a few of the 12 daily Logan and Heathrow Airport arrivals and departures were canceled Saturday and Sunday, and more were scrapped yesterday and today as severe weather conditions continue to hobble Europe’s busiest airport. American Airlines canceled its four daily flights between Boston and London yesterday and anticipated having just...

DALLAS — Delta Air Lines Inc. and American Airlines, the largest US carriers, forecast second-quarter gains of at least 17 percent on a benchmark for industry revenue as rising demand buoys fares. Passenger revenue for each seat flown a mile will climb about 20 percent, Atlanta-based Delta said yesterday in New York. American parent AMR Corp. said revenue on the same basis from its main jet operations would increase at least 17 percent. Analysts watch so-called unit revenue because it measures what airlines earn on each available seat.

Clem Bason, chief executive of the Hotwire Group, which includes travel discount site Hotwire.com, talked to reporter Katie Johnston Chase about the joys of going on vacation, the wonders of Sedona, Ariz., and his favorite Hotwire deal. What’s going on in the discount travel world? In January, more than half of the hotel rooms in the country on any given night were completely empty. . . . It’s like 1.8 million hotel rooms a night. So that’s our entire goal in life, really, to help those companies sell those things that would otherwise go empty and they would just lose those dollars.

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines is looking more and more like the big airlines it loves to needle. The once-quirky upstart flies to the big, busy airports it used to shun. It lets travelers cut in front of the boarding line — for a fee. Its revamped frequent-flier program is more complicated. Now comes Southwest’s boldest move, its $1 billion purchase of AirTran Airways, completed yesterday. All the changes are designed to help Southwest compete for high-fare business travelers. With AirTran, Southwest increases passenger traffic 25 percent.

DALLAS - The three largest US airlines say they are seeing an uptick in demand for business and premium tickets, which could signal the beginning of a recovery in all-important corporate travel. At Delta Air Lines Inc., chief financial officer Hank Halter said yesterday that the company sold more corporate tickets in November than it did in the same month last year - the first such increase all year. But Delta, the world’s largest airline company, had to cut prices to get those sales.

Clem Bason, chief executive of the Hotwire Group, which includes travel discount site Hotwire.com, talked to reporter Katie Johnston Chase about the joys of going on vacation, the wonders of Sedona, Ariz., and his favorite Hotwire deal. What’s going on in the discount travel world? In January, more than half of the hotel rooms in the country on any given night were completely empty. . . . It’s like 1.8 million hotel rooms a night. So that’s our entire goal in life, really, to help those companies sell those things that would otherwise go empty and they would...