Secure Flight Program Creates Safer Skies
On March 31, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the implementation of Secure Flight—a program to screen flight passenger data and flag possible terrorists before they board a commercial airplane. DHS should be commended for implementing such a smart security measure. Secure Flight expands America's capacity to find possible terrorists while minimizing the impact on the airline industry and protecting the rights and privacy of individuals. DHS and Congress should use this program as a model for future airline security efforts and take steps to ensure its full implementation.

Cheaper fares, lower hotels rates for summer
Summer travel is shaping up to be a bargain, with airfares to U.S. destinations down an average of more than 9 percent from last year and overall summer fares to Europe down more than 19 percent, according to a new report by Live Search Farecast, a Seattle company owned by Microsoft, that predicts trends in fares and hotel rates.

Hotels Adjust Corporate Rates
Buyers who negotiated 2009 rates in rosier times for hoteliers now have new opportunities for savings with targeted renegotiations, as some hotel companies have implemented mechanisms to adjust corporate rates to reflect market declines. Meanwhile, analysts are elongating their forecast for a hotel buyer's market, with hotels this year now expected to see their deepest rate drops in decades.

How to succeed at business travel
Life and productivity coach Jonathan Zuchter was recently hired by Holiday Inn to offer prudent tips to its business travellers. We found out how a self-described empowerment specialist stays sane (and hydrated) when he's on the road.

Using frequent flier miles on a tax-deductible trip
There are two ways to deduct expenses for your miles

Procurement Practices 2009: Gauging Corporate Travel's Downturn
The economic downturn spurred a dramatic shift in 2009 corporate travel budgets and forecasts. Business Travel News' Procurement Practices survey shows the gulf in attitudes toward corporate travel in 2009 compared with previous years.

Has Open Skies pact opened up travel for you?
Beginning this week, British Airways travelers flying from Atlanta to London will land at Heathrow Airport instead of Gatwick. The move to Heathrow, where passengers can more easily make connecting flights to other European destinations, was made possible by the Open Skies agreement. The year-old pact has also encouraged domestic carriers, like Atlanta’s Delta Airlines, to partner with European carriers to offer lower passenger fares and better flight schedules, even in these troubled economic times.  

EU agrees to deregulate air travel with Canada
The European Union agreed to deregulate air travel with Canada, expanding trans-Atlantic competition in the face of an industry slump after a similar EU- U.S. “open-skies” deal.

Hard Times? Time to Take Off
WHEN Suzanne Schaefer was laid off from her position as a recruiting manager in the New York office of Lehman Brothers in November, she did the things most people do in her situation. She revised her résumé. She contacted headhunters. She commiserated with friends and consulted mentors.

How to Join the Secret World of Elite Fliers
You can earn regular miles numerous ways – aforementioned credit card spending, hotel and rental car usage, and the elite programs. The higher your elite tier, the more bonus miles you get.