Business travel Weekly · 2026 · Week 40 · 28 Sept — 4 Oct

On September 29, 2026, Global Business Travel Group (Amex GBT) announced that its acquisition by Long Lake Management in an all-cash transaction has been completed, valuing the company at approximately $6.3 billion. The transaction was announced on May 4, 2026, and was approved by a special shareholders meeting on August 3, 2026. Under the merger agreement, Amex GBT shareholders receive $9.50 in cash per share, a 65.1% premium over the 30-day volume-weighted average price on the date the merger agreement was signed. Following completion of the transaction, Amex GBT common stock ceased trading and was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange, becoming a private company. On September 30, it was reported that Long Lake stated it would focus on shifting the Amex GBT technology platform toward the era of agentic travel management and deploy its self-learning AI platform Nexus; Amex GBT stated that client account teams, contracts, and services would not be interrupted. On October 6, Amex GBT announced a leadership transition, with current President Drew Crawley immediately succeeding Paul Abbott as Chief Executive Officer, and Abbott transitioning to Long Lake operating partner, which the company described as a planned transition.

On October 2, 2026, Amadeus Newsroom announced that Air Arabia signed a group-level distribution agreement with Amadeus to expand distribution coverage through Amadeus's global travel sales network. The agreement is based on a light ticketing model, allowing travel sellers to connect to the airline's systems in real time within standard GDS workflows, booking and managing Air Arabia content in the same interface. The report stated that Air Arabia is the largest low-cost airline operator in the Middle East and North Africa, carrying more than 20 million passengers annually, operating more than 200 routes, and having six hubs in the United Arab Emirates (Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah), Morocco, Egypt, and Pakistan.

On October 2, 2026, at the LATAM Conference 2026 held in Mexico City, GBTA released research forecasting that Latin America business travel spending will reach US$67.7 billion in 2026, a year-on-year increase of approximately 11%, one of the highest regional growth rates globally; and it is expected that growth will slow to 3.3% in 2027.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) released data showing that the US average domestic airfare for the second quarter of 2026 was $445, up 2.0% from the inflation-adjusted $436 in the first quarter of 2026. By trip type, one-way tickets accounted for 45%, with an average price of $312; round-trip tickets accounted for 55%, with an average price of $549. BTS also stated that starting from the third quarter of 2025, airfare sampling changed from 10% to 40% (the OD40 program); previously, fares were still based on 10% sampling, and because multiple airlines resubmitted data, this release's data has been updated.

On September 29, 2026, Skift Feed reported that Lola, an AI startup wholly owned by Booking Holdings, launched on Tuesday. The AI assistant was created by Kayak co-founders Steve Hafner and Paul English, and is positioned as an AI assistant more like an OTA itself, able to advance an open-ended idea to a completed booking in a single conversation. On the same day, PhocusWire All News reported that Lola announced a membership model, offering a free tier as well as Plus at $5 per month and VIP membership at $25 per month, with benefits including discounted hotel rates, dining access, and travel discounts.

Reported on September 29, 2026, the EU's Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EmpCo) took effect on Sunday, aiming to crack down on unsubstantiated sustainability claims. The directive applies to businesses facing consumers within the EU, regardless of where the company is registered. The directive prohibits vague, generic terms and carbon-neutral claims based on offsets, requires companies that put forward future climate goals to provide plans for achieving them, and stipulates that sustainability labels must be based on third-party-verified relevant certifications or established by public authorities, covering hotel environmental labels and comparison tools. The report said some environmental labels may struggle to survive.

Bangkok experienced sustained heavy rainfall from Thursday through the weekend, with nearly 300 millimeters (12 inches) of rain. Flooding disrupted operations at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, causing flight delays and baggage backlogs, though both airports remained open. Flooded roads prevented some Thai Airways ground-handling employees from reaching the airport, worsening departure delays. Bangkok hotels reported limited impact on bookings. The Thai Meteorological Department forecasts heavy rain across up to 80% of the area in the coming week. A Rangsit University study estimated Bangkok economic losses at 10.6 billion baht ($315 million), over 40% of the estimated 25.3 billion ba…

On October 1, 2026, American Express (Amex) launched the Corporate Cashback Cards corporate card product, which has built-in expense management software and the Amex Expense mobile app. Companies can use the software to set spending and approval policies for employees and departments, and finance teams can view balances and statements, issue physical and virtual cards, and integrate with major ERPs to speed up reconciliation. Currently, reports only cover the product launch and do not disclose details such as rates, applicable regions, or effective dates.

A TravelDaily Research survey shows 36.5% of business travelers reported increased travel frequency in 2026, mainly up 5-20%, driven by professional services, finance, technology, internet services and healthcare, as well as central SOEs, local SOEs and foreign-invested enterprises in China. 61% of companies have taken cost optimization measures, and 80.7% have asked TMCs to improve quality while reducing fees. About 55% of respondents had international travel experience, with 43% reporting growth. 38.7% of companies have started AI pilots, but ROI and data security are key barriers.