News Highlights
Report
Outlines the "New Normal" for U.S. Business Travel
The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) -- the leading
global business travel organization -- today provided its members
with the 2010 U.S. Business Travel Buyers' Cost Forecast. This
latest installment of the widely-respected annual tool for the
U.S. corporate travel industry forecasts the following ranges for
changes in travel rates/fares.
I
See You Have a Ticket, but Is That Your Name?
A new federal initiative called Secure Flight requires that the
name on the ID you use at the airport security checkpoint precisely
match the name on your airline ticket. Secure Flight takes effect
for domestic passengers early next year and for international passengers
by the end of 2010.
U.S.
air fare hike shows new pricing power
Major U.S. airlines have launched a $10 round-trip domestic fare
increase, marking the fifth industrywide fare hike in 2009 and
possibly signaling new pricing power for airlines as they claw
their way out of an economic downturn.
It’s
time to check the rules for kids flying alone
This is the time of year when parents begin making plans for children
to fly alone during the holidays. Airline fees for an unaccompanied
minor can add to the cost of a round-trip ticket, and there’s
no bypassing the long lines at airport ticket counters, even if
you’re not checking bags.
United:
Pay $249 and your bags fly free for 1 year
United Airlines has a deal, for a limited time, called the "Premier
Baggage" program. You pay a fee of $249 and then every time
you - and up to 8 companions traveling under the same confirmation
number - take a trip, your first two "standard" bags
fly free.
Got
flu and a flight? Doing the right thing may cost you
Travelers who get sick while the nation is on edge about swine
flu, face a tough choice. They're advised not to travel, but canceling
without a doctor's note incurs extra fees. At the same time, state
health officials say that only those with severe symptoms should
seek medical care.
Travelers
Face Rising Holiday Airfare
All year long, travelers have been enjoying bargain basement fares,
12 to 14 percent cheaper than last year, reports CBS News correspondent
Nancy Cordes. But that's about to end.
A
Recovery to ‘Less Bad’
As the economy begins to shift gears from dismal to slightly improved,
the travel industry sees some reason for hope — but not much.
The U.S. Travel Association expects travel spending in the United
States to decline by nearly 9 percent this year, to $705 billion,
which includes domestic business and leisure travel as well as
spending by international visitors. Spending is expected to increase
by 6 percent in 2010, but that does not make up for the large dip
in 2009.
Internet
Service to Be Offered on Lufthansa
Three years after unplugging its in-flight Internet service because
of weak demand, Lufthansa of Germany said on Monday that it would
reintroduce a new and improved version of the service on most of
its long-distance flights by the first half of 2010.
