In the wake of the Icelandic volcanic eruption, American Express Business Travel introduced an automated "hub for traveler tracking tools and instant employee messaging necessary during a crisis." The offering is complimentary to customers who purchase Amex's business continuity suite, which provides users with an "after-hours solution" and a telepresence or teleconference capability when air, car, rail transportation are unavailable.

Companies polled by the NBTA Foundation on average had 160 travelers stranded by flight cancellations from volcanic ash in Europe, generating an average of $197,000 "in unexpected travel expenses." Based on 234 survey respondents, the research arm of the National Business Travel Association extrapolated that "NBTA-affiliated companies cancelled nearly 5,600 scheduled corporate meetings and more than 165,000 total trips that had not yet taken place."

The number of first and business class airline passengers in February increased 5.9 percent worldwide, marking a third consecutive month of growth and the largest year-over-year increase measured for any month since April 2008, according to the International Air Transport Association. "As world trade growth returned so has premium travel," IATA said. "There is still some way to go before premium travel recovers previous highs but the decline looks to have been cyclical and we are now moving into the upturn phase of the cycle."

Flight disruptions as a result of the Icelandic volcano have had a moderate or severe impact on the travel programs of more than seven in 10 out of 115 companies surveyed by ACTE. The Association of Corporate Travel Executives also said one-fifth of respondents described their programs as "slightly" impacted, while 8 percent indicated "not at all." Three-quarters said the added expense "generated by this travel disruption" would not cause their companies to cut travel during the remainder of 2010, while 22 percent said they were unsure and 8 percent said it would. According to ACTE, almost one-third of survey respondents claimed their greatest challenges resulted from stranded travelers and canceled meetings, but nearly half had a "plan in place to accommodate stranded travelers."

Southwest Airlines told WestJet that its plans to end a deal intended to offer connecting service between the United States and Canada. Southwest cited a WestJet request for "significant changes to the agreement," signed in 2008. A Reuters report last month quoted a WestJet spokesman suggesting the carrier would partner with Delta Air Lines.

China Eastern Airlines intends to join the SkyTeam alliance "by mid-2011."