Extreme Heat

During extreme heat, trains lower their speed. Anyone traveling the rails will want to prepare for possible delays (and keep an extra bottle of water on you for good measure). For Amtrak service alerts: Read more

Get real time updates on major Amtrak service disruptions in the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, DC. follow @AmtrakNEC on Twitter.

Explosion Rocks Central Oslo, Norway PM's Office

According to emerging reports on 22 July 2011, a large explosion has occurred at a building in central Oslo. Details regarding the development are limited and uncertain, as some reports have stated that the explosion occurred at a government building housing the prime minister's office, while others claim that the blast originated at a building housing a media outlet located near government buildings. The cause of the explosion - which resulted in material damage to buildings in the area -- has yet to be determined. Several people have been reported injured. This is a developing situation, and details are likely to change as additional information becomes available. Disruptions should be expected in central Oslo for the time being.

Air France Unions Call For Mid-Summer Strike

Trade unions at Air France called on Monday for a four-day strike by flight attendants at the end of July, raising the threat of disruption for travellers over a peak holiday period. Read more

Qantas Pilots Set to Take Industrial Action

QANTAS says its long-haul pilots will begin industrial action from Friday in a move it calls "disappointing". The Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) has denied the airline's claim that the action would include work bans. Read more

Consolidation Is Key Issue in Biz Travel Air Negotiations

If you’re not thinking about consolidation and investing the time to look at it from a very high level, you could be missing an opportunity for incremental benefit or you could be putting your program at risk. Read more

Buyers Out of the Loop on Technology Decisions

The majority of business travel buyers have little say in what technology their travellers use, new research from the Institute of Travel and Meetings (ITM) has revealed. Read more

Some Airline Passenger-Protection Rules Delayed

The government will delay some airline consumer-protection rules for several months after airline groups said they needed more time to prepare for the changes. Read more

TSA Takes Next Steps to Further Enhance Passenger Privacy

TSA will begin installing new software on TSA’s millimeter wave Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines—making upgrades designed to enhance privacy by eliminating passenger-specific images. Read more

Airline Fees Have Their Benefits

Hate those airline fees? Join the club. Yet we pay and pay. Last year, the airlines earned a nifty $5.7 billion -- yes, billion -- on checked-bag fees and those infuriating "itinerary change" fees alone. Read more

DOT Aims To Shed Light on Airline Fees

Air travelers upset over paying à la carte fees for checked bags and other once-free services may take heart from new rules proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that would require airlines to report 18 separate categories of ancillary fees. Read more

Southwest, AirTran Announce Nationwide Fare Sales

Southwest and subsidiary AirTran each announced nationwide fare sales today, dropping prices on flights beginning in late summer and extending through the fall. Read more

Delta To Eliminate Service To 24 Small U.S. Markets

Delta Air Lines plans to "adjust flying" in 24 small U.S. markets, 16 of which are subsidized by the Essential Air Service program, according to a notification to the Department of Transportation. Delta would continue service to the affected EAS communities "until the DOT selects a replacement carrier and appropriate funding is available." Read more

Airlines' Fare Hike Appears to Falter

The latest effort by airlines to broadly raise fares — hikes of $4 to $10 per round trip within the U.S. — faltered Monday as some airlines balked at the increase. Read more

Amtrak Set to Carry More Than 30 Million Passengers For First Time

Amtrak is projecting that for the first time ever its annual ridership will exceed 30 million passengers and in the process set a new all-time record when the current federal fiscal year ends Sept. 30. Read more

Amenity Kits? Just Give Us Comfortable Seats and Inflight Wi-Fi

Passengers flying for business are looking for maximum seat comfort and Wi-Fi but they couldn’t care less about in-flight comfort kits. Read more

$1 Coin Loophole Means Free Flights For Some

Credit card rewards enthusiasts use a simple strategy: Purchase coins. Wait for coins to arrive in mail. Deposit. Use deposit to pay credit card. Repeat. Read more

Business Class-Only Flights Are Taking Off

This is the latest development in a very positive trend for business travellers and frequent flyers. Which other airlines and routes play the all-premium game? Read more

Faster Security Screening Soon a Reality For Some Fliers

The Transportation Security Administration on Thursday outlined plans to roll out a pilot system in coming months that would allow select air travelers to qualify for expedited screening. Read more

Paying to Skip Long Security Lines

Most English airports allow passengers to cut ahead in the security line for a small fee. Yet most Americans don't know about this because they usually visit London by flying into Heathrow, one of England's only airports to not have adopted the fee. Read more

North American Carriers Grounded at Airline Awards

Run by U.K.-based airline consultant Skytrax, which collects data year round, the awards saw about 200 airlines ranked on everything from food to service offered and the state of the toilets. Read more

UK to Overhaul Airport Security: Fewer Laptop, Belt, Shoe Scans

The British government is planning radical changes to airport security, which will hopefully improve passengers' experience when transiting through London's Heathrow airport. Read more

Don’t Travel All that Way and Then Bomb. Presentation Snore No More!

Most conference session speakers and keynote presenters still use slide presentations, mostly via PowerPoint. But when presentations get boring and repetitive, with speakers creating a snore fest of slides and then reading them off to the audience, the delivery of information stops and the meeting suffers. Read more

Road Warriors Should Hang It Up

Business travelers are called "road warriors" for good reason. Even if they're flying to far-off destinations, chances are that many end up behind the wheel after leaving the airport. Read more

Beyond In-Flight Wi-Fi: Their Content, Your Device

Remember when in-flight Internet access was the next big thing? That’s so 2010. Read more

This Music Video Got a Texas Country Music Singer $2,500 from Tiger Airways

Close your eyes, you’ll swear this is Johnny Cash. Singer Dale Watson, composed his song "Tiger Airways, We Don't Careways" after Tiger charged him a $500 excess baggage fee for the 120 CDs he was taking to sell at a Blues Fest, and then lost them all and ignored his pleas for compensation. Read more

Social Media, Your Conference, Organization, and Lawsuits

Now that we live in a Social Media world, it's possible that you, your conference or your organization may want to take some steps to avoid becoming involved with social media litigation. Read more

Top 10 Trends for the Boutique Hotel Sector

Ten trends and buzzwords for boutique. Read more

Hotel Safety 101: What to Check Out After You Check In

Hotels. Gravity. There's no reason they have to be in opposition. So far this summer, we've seen one too many tragedies unfold on the wrong side of a hotel balcony—or window. So maybe it's time we go back to basics and lay down some travel safety rules. Read more

Recycling Trade Show Waste Helps Meetings & Communities

Meeting planners can dramatically reduce waste – and while generating goodwill and revenues – when they hold trade shows and conventions in Las Vegas. Read more