| The
2008 Travel Agenda
Jan. 8, 2008 - We're just a week into the travel year and life on the
road has already taken a weird turn. With no advance warning or logical
explanation, on New Year's Day the U.S. Department of Transportation
imposed new rules for traveling with batteries. Judging from the postings
at the D.O.T. and the Transportation Security Administration websites,
we're now required to know how many grams of lithium our batteries contain
before we carry them aboard or check them with our luggage. Fortunately,
the new rules don't seem to have caused any chaos at airport checkpoints-because
even the security screeners aren't paying attention to them.
TSA:
Fliers get more savvy on what to carry
Jan. 10, 2008 - Airline passengers may get more frustrated by increasing
delays, but they're also getting smarter, according to the Transportation
Security Administration.
Rules
clarified on flying with lithium batteries
Jan. 10, 2008 - The Department of Transportation has reissued its message
— which apparently got lost in translation the first time around
— regarding new restrictions on how batteries can be carried on
airliners.
Travelers
to Canada, Mexico can apply for passport alternative
Jan. 10, 2008 - The State Department says it will begin accepting applications
Feb. 1 for passport cards as alternatives to passports for Americans
who travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
The wallet-sized cards will be available to U.S. citizens by this spring.
New IATA
portal contains info on travel requirements
Jan. 10, 2008 - IATA has launched an online portal, at www.iatatravelcentre.com,
enabling consumers, travel agents and others access to carefully monitored
airline data on changing international travel requirements and restrictions.
OMB
sets guidelines for first-, business-class travel
Jan. 10, 2008 - Following a stinging Government Accountability Office
report that detailed agencies’ wasteful spending of at least $146
million for first- or business-class airline tickets, the Office of
Management and Budget laid out six internal controls Jan. 8 to improve
oversight of these decisions
The
buzz with in-flight Internet As planes get connected, etiquette is on
the radar
Jan. 10, 2008 - Passengers on JetBlue's “BetaBlue” and on
an Air France Airbus A318 jets have been doing it since mid-December.
October
Airline Passenger Traffic In U.S. Up 4% From Year Ago
Jan. 10, 2008 - Airline traffic for October in the U.S. climbed 4% to
64.1 million passengers, as U.S. airlines pushed their way into record-setting
territory for the year, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
BA
to launch 'open skies' airline linking US with Europe
Jan. 10, 2008 - British Airways on Wednesday unveiled plans for a new
airline with daily flights from New York to Europe, taking advantage
of last year's EU-US "open skies" deal to free up the key
transatlantic market.
Delta
seeks approval for talks with United, Northwest
Jan. 10, 2008 - Executives at Delta Air Lines (DAL) Friday will seek
board approval to launch detailed merger talks with United Airlines
and Northwest Airlines.
JetBlue
Adds 17th Destination From Orlando: Nonstop Service to Cancun Begins
in March
Jan. 10, 2008 - JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq:JBLU) will add its 17th nonstop
destination from Orlando International Airport with the launch of daily
nonstop service to Cancun, Mexico on March 13, 2008*. The award-winning
low-fare airline will offer the only daily nonstop service between Central
Florida and Mexico's famed Yucatan region with fares starting at just
US$49(a) each way.
For
hotels, pampering is a fine art
Jan. 10, 2008 - A new breed of hotels is dressing up walls, lobbies
and guest rooms with original artworks from a mix of famous, midcareer
and promising artists. Instead of hanging bland or factory-produced
art that blends in with the background, they're choosing memorable —
and in many cases, very expensive — works. A growing number of
hoteliers think that art can help them create an experience that will
draw more travelers.
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