Travel-On Travel Industry News
May 26, 2011

Don't forget our troops this Memorial Day:

Supporting our troops is a piece of cake, literally! - Visit USO

Travel-On/Travel Place is Proud to Support Operation Homefront

Operation Homefront provides emergency assistance: food, auto and car repairs, baby supplies, emergency travel, etc. to families of deployed and wounded service members (many who have an average annual salary of $32,000).

Please help us thank and support our local military families in need by making a donation. We will match contributions made by our clients and employees. Be sure to email us your donation receipt. Donate now

Events We're Watching

Help Joplin Tornado Victims

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who have lost a family member, friend, and colleague in the devasting tornado destruction in Joplin, Missouri. Please help the victims by donating through the American Red Cross. DONATE NOW

View Joplin before and after photos. Put your cursor over the image to see the differences.

Cyclone Threatens Okinawa

Typhoon Songda was weakening Friday over the western Pacific but was still expected to be a Category 3 storm when it passes near the Japanese island of Okinawa on Saturday. Read more

 

Ash Cloud Update

At present, the volcanic activity has paused and only light ash levels remain in the air space. No further disruptions to air travel are anticipated. Travel-On will continue to monitor the situation and resume updates if volcanic ash threatens to impact air travel. Read more

Travelers, Be Prepared for Flight Disruptions Before They Occur. Help Us Help You.
  • Store your 24-Hour Emergency Service’s phone number, listed on your itinerary, in your cell phone - you’ll have it in case of an emergency while you are traveling.
  • Sign up for automated FlightStats (Travel-On offers this as a complementary service)  in the Notification section of your online traveler profile - you’ll be quickly and automatically notified of any changes to your flight
  • Download and use the Mobile Personal Assistant (requires company enrollment and a nominal fee) - keep your travel resources and your itinerary at your fingertips for quick action, includes a “Click to call” feature to reach your Travel-On team.  

Watch for updates on our Breaking News page or your company’s travel website

Why am I still getting the car rental discount from my former employer?

Many people enroll in a car vendor’s loyalty program under the auspices of their employer’s discount program. The car vendor will continue to show you under that employer’s discount program unless steps are taken to update your affiliation. Once a year Travel-On pulls the membership numbers from traveler profiles and works with the vendors to update the company affiliations. At other times of the year travelers can do this themselves by calling the vendor or going online to the vendor’s website and updating the membership profile.

Think Trips Not Tickets - Are You Too Focused On the "Big Three"”?

T&E is usually a company’s second largest controllable expense. Many T&E policies focus on the “big three,” airfare, hotel and rental cars, where the greatest opportunities for savings would seem to lie. In actuality, these can be the hardest expenses to control due to rising fuel costs, various fees and surcharges, and the dynamic pricing models made possible by e-commerce. It might also surprise you to learn that air, hotel and rental cars only make up about 50% of the total spend that appears on an expense report. Read more

 

If you think of us only when you want to book the “big three” then you are missing out on the strategic, end-to-end solutions that Travel-On can bring to your organization’s travel program. From a managed mobile platform to automated expense reporting Travel-On in here to assist in all phases of your T&E program.

OTHER NEWS

Agents Are the Real Problem-Solvers In the Travel Industry

Agents are invaluable to airlines and airline passengers providing prompt, personalized service and support that airlines are hard pressed to match.

 

“Today, travel technology is truly remarkable; however, in the hands of a professional travel agent, such technology can solve the most complex of problems. Travel agents are the true day in, day out problem solvers in our industry. The silver lining in these clouds of travel disruption is that travel agents’ value is only increasing in the eyes of consumers,” Business Travel Coalition president Kevin Mitchell said. Read more

Procurement Pros Divided on Best Ways to Control Costs

While debate around the state of the economy continues, procurement professionals at ISM last week confirmed that one of their top priorities for the next 12 months is controlling costs. Read more

Lufthansa Allows 1 Free Checked Bag After June 1st

The free baggage allowance on flights with Lufthansa will be defined according to the so-called ‘piece concept’ for tickets purchased on or after 1 June 2011.Read more

Lost Your Travel Documents? How to Avoid Being Grounded

At a time of heightened security, how do you get past airport screeners without your driver's license? What if your boarding pass was saved on your missing cellphone? How do you pay your hotel tab with no credit card? Read more

Airbus A380 Jets May Soon Carry 1,000 Passengers

It's either your worst nightmare or a dream come true: The new Airbus A380's may soon have capacity for 1,000 passengers. Read more

Singapore Air to Set Up Low-Fare, Long Haul Carrier

The premium carrier faces competition from other players in Asia and the Middle East that cater to high-end passengers as well as fast-expanding budget airlines in Asia. Read more

Poor Runways and ATC Cause a Third of Plane Crashes Globally

Almost a third of all plane accidents around the globe happen on the ground either because runways are ill-designed or because of air traffic control mistakes. Read more

Booked Early, Then Airfare Fell. A Refund? Maybe.

You booked your summer travel early, only to see the airfare drop. You have company. The threat of fare increases combined with pent-up demand drove more travelers to book months ahead, according to industry experts. Read more

 

A look at airline thresholds for fare drop refunds

What Happens When a Frequent Flyer Becomes an Airline Gate Agent For a Day?

“I jumped at the chance to learn what takes place on the other side of the counter as a Delta Air Lines gate agent at the world's busiest airport, Atlanta Hartsfield. With 300,000 annual miles and over four million lifetime miles on Delta, I know the airline well. This experience, however, was an eye opener.” Read more

The Distribution System - If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It.

An overwhelming majority of managed travel community participants keenly understand the huge value that the current distribution model generates. As the graphic immediately below depicts, thousands of suppliers with billions of prices and schedule options provide their offerings, in disparate data formats, through the “front doors” of the GDSs. Normalized, comparative display feeds flow out the “back doors” to TMCs and travel agencies around the world that service billions of consumers. This is all accomplished day in and day out with barely a hiccup. Read more

9 Tips For Insanely Busy Travelers

Nine tips to make your trips more efficient and to meet the ultimate goal of any busy traveler: to get there on time and with minimal hassle. Read more

Airlines Consider Selling Amenity Kits to Economy Passengers

The little amenity bags given to premium-class travelers hold an oversize importance to the airlines: they not only reflect the airline’s brand, but also demonstrate the carriers’ high regard for top customers. Soon, some airlines may even turn the amenity kit into a revenue source by selling them to economy-class passengers. Read more

United Launches Daily Nonstop LAX-Shanghai Flights May 20

The first-ever service between Los Angeles and Shanghai, with daily nonstop flights from the airline's hub at Los Angeles International Airport timed to provide convenient round-trip connections a throughout the Western United States, Canada and Mexico, United said. Read more

Budget Airline to Test Ash Cloud Detector

British budget airline easyJet is preparing to test a volcanic ash detection system on a research aircraft, it says. Read more

New Regs for US Travel to Cuba

"If it is simply salsa dancing and mojitos, no. That doesn't pass the purposeful-travel criteria," a State Department official involved with the policy said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Read more

US Air and Delta Slot Swap

The deal announced Monday calls for Delta to give US Airways 42 slot pairs at Reagan National Airport in Washington, $66.5 million in cash, and the right to add another daily flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2015. In exchange, Delta would get 132 slot pairs at LaGuardia airport in New York. Each slot pair is the right for one takeoff and one landing. Read more

Think Twice Before Frowning In The Security Line

There are some things business travelers just shouldn't do. Tug on Superman's cape, Spit into the wind. Pull the mask off the ol' Lone Ranger. And you don't mess around with the Transportation Security Administration. Read more

How Airlines’ In-flight Amenities Stack Up For Business Travelers

Check out the chart of what’s offered. As you read this, computers are figuring out which in-flight services generate the highest return on investment; those will likely become standard across the brands. Make sure the airlines know that you appreciate the options, or the rest will just fade away. Read more

CDC: Measles Epidemic Poses Travel Risks

Measles — a disease that was declared eliminated in the USA in 2000 — is again breaking out across the country, in the largest outbreak in 15 years, spread largely by unvaccinated travelers who bring home the disease. Read more

Chewing (And Trimming) The Fat: Buyers Leverage Multifaceted Traveler Communications Programs

You're very 1990s if you think up-and-coming generations of travelers, well equipped to ignore you, will read travel policies because they are on the intranet rather than printed on paper. Taking on social media has helped buyers with duty of care, compliance to policy, negotiations, traveler service, business efficiency and personal company visibility. Read more

Westin to Roll Out New Amenities for Loyal Customers

Westin Hotels is working with the Starwood Preferred Program in preparation for Westin-specific amenities that it will begin offering later this year, global brand chief Brian Povinelli says. "Mid-year 2011, we expect to roll out some new platinum amenities and preferred member amenities that will be more in a brand voice," he said. Read more

Choice Hotels Music Program: Download “Turn on a Smile” (free) - Support Operation Smile

Choice Hotels will give $1 for every download. Turn on a Smile is the product of a special collaboration between a seasoned songwriter and a group of inspiring children who sing their hearts out to put a smile on your face. Read more

10 Steps to Saving Your Meeting’s Online Presence

Social media can be a blessing for meeting professionals: Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social channels can spread the word about events and generate dialogue with attendees. But engagement also has its risks. What happens when someone complains about your meeting online? Read more

Mobile Expense Reporting Takes Off - Are You On Board?

Mobile expense reporting is one of those rare tools that helps travelers as much as it helps their employers. Read more

Vacation Tips on How to Truly Unplug

In the United States, we don't vacation often. And thanks to our ever-growing cadre of mobile gadgets, some experts fear that we don't vacation very well, either. Read more