Author: David Jonas

David Jonas in 2006 co-founded business media firm ProMedia.travel after ten years as a journalist with Business Travel News. David rejoined BTN in 2010 as executive editor when its parent company acquired ProMedia, and in 2014 co-created The Company Dime. David has a bachelor's degree in communications from Cornell University.

With A Bit Of Strategy, Airlines And SMEs Can Find Value In Small Business Programs

David Jonas

When organizations don’t have enough air volume to earn negotiated discounts, many find small business programs are better than nothing. But they can be a bit more than that. They can, for example, fill gaps for midsize companies averse to contracts with multiple carriers. For airlines, these programs offer access to a fertile segment at costs below those of traditional discount programs. Several carriers now are…

United Seeks ‘Four-Star’ Service With Employee Behavior Standards

David Jonas

In need of an image makeover, United Airlines opened the year by holding employees accountable for lagging customer service. New baseline standards developed last year measure frontline workers on courtesy, graciousness and consistency. United had been working with Forbes Travel Guide on standards for each of the carrier’s work groups. The idea is to get impartial input from outside the…

Uneven Chip Card Migration Will Require Awareness Programs

David Jonas

Corporate cards with chips finally are coming to the United States en masse. How travel departments should deal with them depends on the circumstances. Chip cards requiring a PIN for authentication are more secure and more widely accepted globally than chip-and-signature cards. But many corporate program managers aren’t getting chip-and-PIN from their payment firm. Payments industry analyst Frank Martien of First Annapolis Consulting said chip-and-signature…

Fares Following Fuel? Maybe Not

David Jonas

Some think an obvious consequence of dramatically lower fuel prices is lower airfares. But it’s not that simple. It may not even be likely. “Lower fuel prices translate into lower operating costs for airlines, and, sometimes, air carriers pass along these savings to travelers in the form of lower air ticket prices,” according to an…

Energy Sector Taking Its Belt-Tightening Turn

David Jonas

When crude oil prices in 2008 peaked at around $140 a barrel, then-Continental Airlines president Jeff Smisek said oil and gas clients were “living large and flying all around the world up front and spending money like drunken sailors.” The global financial recession shortly thereafter hit prices hard, but oil rebounded to more than $100 a barrel by 2011. Prices…

More Duty Of Care Laws Coming

David Jonas

Duty of care is a top priority for travel managers, and doing it right means complying with all local rules where employees travel. Legislation and labor codes with travel safety provisions exist in several countries, including China, France, the Netherlands, Singapore, the United Kingdom and parts of Australia. More are set to take effect this year in New Zealand and possibly…

Travel Coordinator Busted Using Company Points For Personal Travel

David Jonas

Small business programs can help companies without negotiating clout get something from travel suppliers in return for their business. But like anything else, they’re vulnerable to fraud if no one is minding the store. That’s the situation at shipbuilder Austal. A defense contractor with a U.S. base of operations in Mobile, Ala., the company last year sued one of its travel…

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