US
Airways, Continental to add baggage fees
US Airways says it will increase fees for first
and second checked bags by $5 for domestic flights.
And both airlines say they will levy new fees for
a second checked bag on trans-Atlantic flights.
Continental will join US Airways in exacting
a $50 second checked-bag fee on trans-Atlantic
flights, echoing recent moves by American and
Delta.
Luggage
fees expanding to international flights
American joins others recently adding similar
fees, a sign that the charges that have proliferated
for domestic travel over the past year are starting
to turn up on international flights as carriers
search for new ways to make money.
Surviving
the dreaded tarmac delay
You're tired, hungry, have a cranky baby on your
lap and all you want to do is get off the plane,
but you can't because it's been on the tarmac
for hours waiting to take off. While such delays
are rare, they can be more common during the
hot summer due to thunderstorms and, this year,
because of fewer flights to get you to your destination
if your flight is canceled.
Seatbacks
in Position and Empty, Please
The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday
that airlines whose flight attendants had been
telling passengers that no personal items of
any kind could be placed in seatback pockets
were “following our guidance, if they are
enforcing this with travelers.”
Airlines
Are Sweetening Frequent-Flier Programs
In recent weeks, American Airlines introduced
new awards for one-way flights; United dropped
its $75 to $100 fees for booking an award within
three weeks of travel; and Delta Air Lines made
it easier for elite frequent fliers to retain
their V.I.P. status.
United
to accept only credit and debit cards on trans-Atlantic
flights
United Airlines has reported that it will accept
only credit and debit cards, effective September
2, 2009, for most onboard purchases on trans-Atlantic
flights and on flights to and from Brazil and
Argentina. |
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Our Vacation Consultants are so special
that even travel industry publications seek
them out for comment! From Vacation Agent
Magazine, August 2009.
 Advise
couples with different interests to split their
trip between a beach resort and city hotel. Client
couples might have separate ideas of what constitutes
a romantic vacation, so breaking up the getaway
between a beach resort and a city hotel in the
same destination might be a solution that will
make them both happy.
“For years, I’ve been seeing couples
where she views the entire honeymoon as lying
in the sand, and he says he’ll go crazy,” says
Milliron. “Guys don’t want to go
shopping, but they’re happy to find a town
square where they can sit, have a drink and people-watch,
so I often divide the trip into a city stay for
a few nights and then a beach stay. That’s
happening more and more often.”
Mindy Milliron, of Travel Place Bethesda
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House
members to TSA: Don't destroy Registered
Traveler data
The Transportation Security Administration’s
Registered Traveler program is a step closer to
being dead — and will be more difficult
to revive -- now that the agency plans to destroy
personal data from enrollees, according to two
senior House members.
Travel
costs: Where do travel taxes make you say "ouch"?
Did you know you'll pay more than $35 a day
just in taxes in several U.S. cities when you
rent a car, sleep in a hotel and eat in restaurants?
Can you guess the city where combined travel
and sales taxes
AmEx:
Companies Paying Less For Business Travel
American Express Co. (AXP) said corporations
continued to rein in travel spending and frequency
in the second quarter, while airlines competed
heavily for the reduced market of business travelers. |
Practical
use: One client buys about $5 million
in air per year with about 40% of all tickets
exchanged, a much higher rate than the database
average of 13%. Best Practices/ROI reveals that
this variance from the average cost the company
$325,000. The system can produce a list of travelers
who exchange tickets allowing managers the opportunities
to change the buying patterns.
Special
Travel Report: Purchasing Insight Figures Big in
Winning Strategy 
