Events We're Watching
Winter-weather cancellations near 10,000
Airline winter-weather cancellations are soaring again today, with at least 3,000 cancellations confirmed at airports in just three cities alone: New York City, Boston and Atlanta. That figure -- almost certain to grow once other cities are lumped in -- pushes the three-day tally of weather-related cancellations to roughly 9,000. Read more
Check airline web sites for travel advisories.
What Travel-On is Doing:
Travel-On / Travel Place continues to identify travelers who may be in these areas or whose travel plans may be impacted, and our agents are contacting them or the travel administrator to provide assistance. If you have any questions about this emergency situation, please contact one of our agents, your travel team leader, or your account manager. We will continue to monitor these conditions and bring you any updates or changes as the news breaks.
What Travelers Can Do:
- Download and use the Mobile Personal Assistant (requires company enrollment)
- Sign up for automated FlightStats alerts in the Notification section of your online traveler profile
- Contact our 24-Hour Emergency Service at the number listed on your itinerary or call 1-877-858-3254. (please bear in mind that during extreme or multiple travel disruptions hold times will be longer than normal)
Travel-On acquired Junction Travel of Manassas, Va.
The new agency will do business under the Travel Place brand, joining three other locations in Potomac, Bethesda, and Beltsville, MD. Travel Place is Travel-On’s leisure division, specializing in ”Smart Luxury”: fascinating destinations, tailored itineraries, and memorable experiences at an affordable price.
Travel Place Manassas, the only American Express Representative in Prince William County and Manassas City, will market proprietary American Express Vacations as well as all major tour companies, cruise lines, airlines, hotels and more. The American Express brand has packages available throughout the world. American Express Membership Rewards participants will receive double rewards points when they purchase American Express Vacation packages and select cruises using their American Express card. American Express cardholders can also pay for vacations using Membership Rewards points, an exclusive benefit of American Express Representative offices.
The Great Escape – Amtrak Acela EXPRESS & Northeast Regional
Make your GREAT ESCAPE this year with free Acela® or Northeast Regional® travel. Because when you register and start traveling this winter, each qualifying Acela or Northeast Regional trip you take counts toward free travel this summer. And when you take three (3) trips on Acela, you get one free.* Take two (2) trips on Northeast Regional and get one free
- EARN a free roundtrip on Acela by taking three qualifying roundtrips (or six one-way trips) on Acela between January 10 - March 19, 2011.
- EARN a free roundtrip on the Northeast Regional by taking two qualifying roundtrips (or four one-way trips) on the Northeast Regional between January 10 - March 19, 2011.
- BOOK your free trip on Acela or Northeast Regional between June 1 - August 31, 2011.
- TRAVEL free anywhere Acela or Northeast Regional will take you between July 3 - August 31, 2011.*
* Terms and conditions apply. For more information, please contact your Travel-On agent.
ARC Says U.S. Domestic Air Travel Rebounded in 2010, Projects Continued Growth in 2011
ARC, which serves as the U.S. financial settlement engine and data repository for the airlines’ travel agency sales channel, today announced that domestic airline travel in 2010 returned to levels approaching those achieved prior to the financial crisis in 2008. At the same time, ARC noted that 76 of the top 100 airports posted gains for the year, with select Midwest and New York State airports achieving the largest increases. Read more
BTN's 2010 Airline Satisfaction Survey
Continental Airlines for the third consecutive year secured top honors in Business Travel News' Annual Airline Survey, while its merger partner and new namesake, United Airlines, once again landed at the bottom of the heap. Roughly two months into their integration, the carriers face the challenge of preserving the goodwill Continental has developed among corporate travel buyers, as demonstrated by a consistently strong performance in the 13 years BTN has measured buyer satisfaction with airline negotiating and service delivery. Read more
Airfare increase seen likely to stick
The airlines are at it again, imposing the first fare increase of the new year and the third within a month. The increase on many domestic routes ranges from $4 to $10 per roundtrip ticket, depending on the length of the flight. Southwest Airlines, which boasts about low fares, appears to be the prime mover behind the latest price hike. Read more
United drops DIA-to-London route
United Airlines has suspended its nonstop seasonal service from Denver to London for 2011, saying that the route has not been profitable enough. Read more: United drops DIA-to-London route | Denver Business Journal Read more
Five Technologies That Will Shape Your Business in 2011
Strategic technologies will continue to shape and reshape the way travel sellers and managers do their jobs in 2011 and beyond. Five strategic technologies in particular will shape the tools travel agents use and their interactions with customers in the near future: video, mobile and social networking/collaboration technology, cloud computing, and social analytics. Read more
Avis and Dollar still awaiting FTC ruling
Avis Budget (CAR.O) and its takeover target Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group (DTG.N) said they had not got any indication from U.S. regulators about the approval for a proposed buyout initiated in September 2010. The two firms agreed to pursue regulatory clearance into the first quarter of 2011. They had earlier decided to work together until December 30. Read more
Dollar Thrifty Declares Fleet Smoke-free; Sets $250 Clean-up Fee
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group has declared its Dollar and Thrifty rental cars 100 percent smoke-free, and says customers not complying with its new policy will face fines of up to $250 to cover the cost of cleaning. Rental cars that have been smoked in will be immediately grounded upon inspection and removed for a thorough detailing before being returned for customer use.
All rental cars in Dollar and Thrifty fleets display a "No Smoking" sticker notifying renters of the potential charge for noncompliance.
Sneeze-Free Zone
Even die-hard road warriors need a comfortable place to recharge after a long day. But for business travelers with allergies, asthma and other sensitivities, hotel rooms can be rife with dust mites, mold, animal dander and other allergens that set off sneezing, itchy eyes, headaches and sleepless nights. Read more
Hotels revamp rooms to satisfy business travelers
More business travelers work on the road and work longer hours. As a result, many hotels are improving the workspace in rooms, adding bigger desks, better lighting, more outlets and ergonomically correct chairs, experts say. Read more
Corporates get tough on policy
Eighty-seven per cent of European organi-sations have recently reviewed their travel policy, with 70 per cent of those implementing new restrictions on business class air travel. The figures are among a series of telling changes revealed in a major travel policy benchmarking study from Egencia and the NBTA, which surveyed 383 companies across 20 European countries. Read more
New York City launches winter tourism campaign
On the heels of last week's announcement of New York City's record year in tourism with 48.7 million visitors, New York City today announced the latest marketing and promotional campaigns to drive tourism and boost the local economy during the historically slow travel months of January and February. Read more
Pole shift forces airport makeover
Tampa International Airport in Florida has closed its primary runway until Jan. 13 to change the numeric designations at each end, as well as the signage on taxiways leading to the runway. The runway had been designated 18R/36L, indicating its alignment along the 180-degree approach from the north and the 360-degree approach from the south. Read more
EasyJet passengers told 'get off the plane or you will be arrested' after fuelling blunder makes flight too heavy
Dozens of Easyjet passengers were ordered off a plane and threatened with arrest if they refused - because the overloaded jet was too heavy to take off. The flight from Birmingham to Geneva was over-filled with 10 tonnes too much fuel so the captain asked the last 37 customers to get off the plane. Read more
