In Brief

Turkish set to join Star

Turkish Airline is set to become the 21st member of the Star Alliance.
The application was accepted by board members of the Star Alliance at their meeting in Istanbul last weekend.
The Alliance currently has 19 members, led by Lufthansa and United Airlines.
But Air China and Shanghai Airlines are due to join in the next year, before Turkish.

Marriott takes nearly $4bn in online bookings

Worldwide hotel chain Marriott International said it would take nearly $4bn in gross revenue from bookings on its Marriott.com websites in 2006.
The figure is a rise of 38% on the bookings for 2005.
The increase includes a rise of 92% in the value of bookings on its UK website.
Amy McPherson, executive vp sales and marketing for Marriott, said: "Marriott.com and its international sites, which form already the largest hotel company web site, now firmly ranks as one of the biggest Internet consumer retail sites, as well."

OAG bought by media group

OAG, the airline information provider, has been bought by United Business Media (UBM) for £2.5m.
It will become part of UBM's Commonwealth Business Media division.
Duncan Alexander, managing director EMEAEurope, Middle East and Africa for OAG, said the partnership would give OAG "the resources needed to continue to develop new and enhanced products and services that will better support our customers in this ever changing business environment."
The UK travel publication Travel Trade Gazette is also part of the UBM empire.

Dragonair to join oneworld
 
Dragonair, a Hong Kong-based airline with substantial services into mainline China, is to join the oneworld alliance.
It will be the 11th member of the alliance led by BA and American Airlines, with five other airlines waiting to sign up.
These are JAL, Malev, Royal Jordanian, LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador.
Aer Lingus is due to leave the alliance next year.

IHI gains new strategic partner

International Hotel Investments (IHI) which is part of the Corinthia Group, has signed up a new strategic partner, Istithmar Hotels of Dubai.
Istithmar has bought shares worth €178m in IHI with the money being used for further growth of the group.
Corinthia runs hotels in Malta, St. Petersburg, Budapest, Prague, Tripoli and Lisbon and looking either to build or take over five star hotels in Europe and elsewhere.

Battle for Tempelhof "lost"

The battle to save Tempelhof Airport in the centre of Berlin appears to have been lost after a businessman's plans to save it from closure collapsed.
Klaus Wowereit, Berlin's mayor, said it would now close next October as planned.
The businessman Mr Fred Langhammer had drawn up a €350m scheme to covnert the  building and airport into a hospital/private airport for wealthy patients.
Tempelhof, made famous as the airport used in the Berlin Airlift of 1949, and another Berlin airport Tegel, have been earmarked for closure when a modern and enlarged airport at Schönefeld is opened. 

* see new jobs on BTE's recruitment site www.businesstraveljobs.com