Patrick Whyte

Airlines are much more comfortable talking about mitigating climate change through incremental changes such as more efficient aircraft and carbon offsets. But these don't alter the fundamental problem. Flying is bad for the environment, and it's only going to get worse as demand keeps rising.

Ryanair's decision to morph into a group airline has opened up plenty of opportunities, with the individual carriers able to operate differently. But is there a downside? For Wizz Air, it's all about keeping things simple.

What are the chances that Lufthansa ends up owning at least parts of Alitalia and Condor? It doesn't seem enthusiastic about either, but it might be better than letting a competitor get hold of them — as long as regulators agree.

Wizz Air is probably right to steer clear of trying its hand at long-haul flights, at least for the moment. CEO József Váradi's assessment seems correct — the industry is still waiting for the right aircraft to come along.

Understandably, CEO Clare Gilmartin didn't want to play up moves into other travel areas too much at such an early stage, but we'll be keeping a close eye on how the company evolves over the next few years as it looks to diversify away from rail tickets and make more money in other areas.

Airlines think they can win over consumers, investors, and other stakeholders with their environmental spin. Ryanair is clearly doing some things right, but the sector has a structural problem that isn't going to be solved by tweaking the edges.

Deutsche Hospitality isn't a massive player on the European hospitality scene, but it has some pretty ambitious plans, ones you would assume that Huazhu would now be able to help execute.

It's easier to understand IAG CEO Willie Walsh's sanguine tone on last week's earnings call given he clearly had this deal in the pipeline. If it goes through — and it's still a big if given the competition concerns — it will ease the pain of Delta's recent Latam deal.

Given Fosun's desire to help keep Thomas Cook afloat, the news shouldn't come as a surprise, especially since the Chinese company's Foliday ecosystem features the storied brand name.

Rory Budge's fascination with all things mechanical began in his teenage years. He now helps keep everything ticking over at Big Bus Tours' London engineering depot.