Making predictions for the year ahead is always something of a gamble given the dynamic nature of the world of business travel but, hey, we’re up for a challenge. So, with our fingers well and truly crossed, here are Times Online’s forecasts for business travel in 2007.

More security queues. The huge clampdown on aviation security in August annoyed millions of travellers. Was the response of the airports proportionate? Probably not, but who can tell. What is certain is that queuing is likely to remain a common occupation among business travellers throughout 2007.

The arrival of the first A380 in service. Well, let’s not hold our breath for this one. Singapore Airlines was supposed to have started services with the Airbus superjumbo in 2006. Technical problems mean that it is touch and go whether it will be in commercial service this year.

Long haul no-frills. In 2006, Oasis took the first (initially faltering) steps on the road to starting cheap long-haul services. With a tie-up rumoured between Virgin, easyJet and no-frills Malaysian carrier AirAsia, who knows what might happen to the long-haul market. Some say it is only a matter of time before no-frills starts nibbling at this market too. The big traditional airlines had better watch out.

The year of smart-nav. Mobile phone company Vodafone and sat-nav specialists TomTom are working on a system that monitors mobile phone signals in stationary or slow-moving cars to give drivers advance information of traffic jams. How clever is that? Well, it will be if it works. Road warriors will become less fierce as a result.

Big names to disappear. Consolidation fever has taken hold of the travel industry. Several American airlines are already talking about tying up and one of the big travel reservation systems (Galileo) has already said it plans to swallow up a smaller one (Worldspan). It won’t stop there. I predict that one of the big name business travel agencies will disappear in 2007 along with several airlines. Private equity money will grease the wheels of progress.