Winning travel start-ups
In October International Airlines Group (IAG) invited start-up companies to pitch their products and ideas for its Hangar 51 accelerator programme. The 450 companies that made a pitch were whittled down to 26, who then made a video presentation. The two successful finalists are Esplorio and Vchain. Esplorio is an app that creates a travel journal as you go, making sharable content including photos and posts, that integrate with social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Vchain builds digital SaaS (software as a service) providing a digital verification of passenger data for airlines and helps correct mistakes. The start-up is also working with the IATA on the One Identity programme to speed up airport processes by using biometrics and digital authentification. IAG will invest in both companies.
Fast train coming
California is ploughing ahead with plans for a bullet train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Despite opposition from the Trump administration, the state is selling $1.25 billion in bonds to finance the high-speed rail system. If construction goes as planned, passengers will be able to travel at speeds of more than 200 miles per hour between San Francisco and Annaheim, south of LA.
Stay a New York minute
Now you can book a hotel in New York and only pay for the time you use. A new app, Recharge, allows you to book a hotel room by the minute and has been tested in San Francisco where there are 15 hotels in the programme. In New York, customers can now book rooms at The Pierre, W New York, The Knickerbocker and 1 Hotel Central. If you just need a room to freshen up before a meeting, Recharge is the way to find one. Prices are from .66 cents to $3 per minute. The average stay is two hours.