Mergers and acquisitions within the business travel industry continued in 2020 despite the economic uncertainty inflicted by the Covid-19 pandemic ¨C uncertainty which also sealed the fate of several airlines and TMCs.

Companies were nevertheless prepared to invest even when value became harder to identify in a market that was largely brought to a halt. While many buying companies took the opportunity to acquire technology to enhance their service offering in a Covid environment, some sellers simply sought a way out amid increasingly challenging circumstances. ?

The stories selected below were published across several BTN Group websites in 2020 including BTN Europe, Business Travel News, Travel Procurement and The Beat. Stories published on The Beat require a subscription to read in full.

January 2020
Yapta acquired by Coupa Software
Corporate Travel Management buys CTP
Direct Travel lands Professional Travel
Frosch acquires Luxe Travel

February 2020
TAG acquires LA touring specialist
BCD Travel acquires Italian partner
Hamilton Hotel Partners and Pyramid Hotel agree merger
Air Italy to cease operations

March 2020
Flybe goes into administration overnight

April 2020
Anvil Group acquires FlightSafe

June 2020
Sterling Travel Management to merge with Traveleads
Level Europe ceases trading
Virgin Australia to be acquired by US private equity group

July 2020
Jet Linx expands through acquisition
TravelPerk buys covid data startup
Canada's GardaWorld acquires World Aware
Frosch confirms CorpTrav acquisition
Accelya completes Farelogix acquisition

August 2020
Booking startup WhereTo bought by Flight Centre
Business Travel by STA ceases trading
Freebird flies into sunset with Capital One

September 2020
Rocketrip acquired by Mondee
CTM to buy Travel and Transport creating $7.6bn TMC

October 2020
Thornton's Travel becomes latest victim of the pandemic
American Express GBT acquires AI firm
ArrangeMY picks up Gloucester Express clients
GBTA agrees to purchase ACTE assets
CTM acquires agency automation provider Tramada

November 2020
Horncastle Executive Travel ceases trading
Korean Air parent acquires Asiana Airlines
Accor and Hoxton owner to form €1bn lifestyle group

December 2020
BridgeStreet's EMEA and APAC agency business sold
Wex to buy eNett at lower price - lawsuit settled