News Highlights

CWT Forecasts 2010 Airfare Increases; Hotel, Car Rate Declines
Corporate travel buyers should anticipate airfare increases in all classes of service as carriers implement plans to further scale down capacity in the fourth quarter of this year, oil prices remain relatively steady and demand starts to creep up, according to a 2010 forecast Carlson Wagonlit Travel North America released today. CWT, however, projects average daily hotel rates to fall considerably, car rental prices to drop moderately and meetings costs to continue to decrease through 2010.

U.S. Airlines Begin Implementing Secure Flight
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration's passenger prescreening program, Secure Flight, hit a major milestone on Aug. 15 when the agency directed domestic airlines—and the travel agencies that support them—to begin collecting from passengers full names, dates of birth and gender.

JetBlue ends sales of $599 ‘All You Can Jet’ pass two days early
Citing heavy demand, JetBlue Airways on Wednesday night stopped selling its “All You Can Jet Pass,” which allows unlimited travel on the budget carrier from Sept. 8 to Oct. 8.

Online-Travel Hell: Product Placement
"People want to make sure they're getting exactly what they want," says Henry Harteveldt, Forrester's vice president and principal analyst for airline and travel research and author of the report. "Travel Web sites just don't do a good job of this."

Decline in business air travel slowing - IATA
The fall in the number of passengers travelling business and first class -- the most lucrative sectors for airlines -- is showing signs of stabilising, an industry body said on Tuesday.

Finding value in business travel
Despite efforts to curtail the expense of a plane ticket, hotel room or rental car, small business owners still find themselves on the road. But how can you be certain that you'll find true value for your dollar?

Will video technology put a permanent dent in business travel?
Improvements in videoconferencing technologies will make it harder for airlines to lure back business travelers when the recession ends, according to some experts. Analyst Michael Boyd says video "is the wave of the future. ... It will slow business travel growth as the economy comes back." But Kevin Maguire of the National Business Traveler Association says earlier experts also predicted the demise of face-to-face meetings, something that hasn't happened yet.

Virgin America raises bag fees
Virgin America said Friday it would raise fees on checking luggage to $20 per bag from $15.

Fees become a 'lifeline' for struggling U.S. carriers
More than ever, U.S. airlines are relying on a la carte fees to boost their bottom lines. Collectively, they raked in $566 million in baggage fees during the first quarter of this year, up from $122 million during the same period in 2008, according to the latest data available from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Southwest Airlines says it will expand Wi-Fi
Southwest Airlines Co. says it's finished testing Wi-Fi Internet access on four aircraft and plans to expand the service to all its planes beginning early next year.