Travel-On Travel Industry News
07-29-2011
Events We're Watching

Alaska Volcano Has Airlines Preparing For Travel Chaos

Airlines that operate in the area are paying close attention because the Cleveland Volcano is located directly below the commercial airline flight path between Asia and North America. Read more

Greek PM Defiant on Taxi Reforms as Strike Continues

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on Wednesday invited taxi owners for talks to end a 10-day strike that has caused disruption to tourism but insisted he would push ahead with planned reforms. Read more

FAA Tax Refunds on Airline Tickets

The IRS has confirmed “passengers, who paid tax prior to July 23rd for travel that takes place after July 22nd, while the tax is no longer applicable, are entitled to claim a refund for such taxes.” The IRS will likely require passengers to complete an excise tax refund form and provide a copy of the e-ticket receipt, but details have not been published.

 

Until they are reinstated by Congress, the following federal air transportation excise taxes do not apply to transportation beginning on or after July 23, 2011:

  • The 7.5 percent tax on the base ticket price
  • The domestic segment tax of $3.70 per person per segment (a single takeoff and single landing)
  • The international travel facilities tax of $16.30 per person for flights that begin or end in the U.S.
  • $8.20 per person for a flight that begins or ends in Alaska or Hawaii
  • The 6.25 percent tax on the amount paid for transporting property by air

Caution: Other taxes and fees, such as state taxes, security fees, Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs) and excess baggage fees, are not affected by the expiration of the taxes listed above.

The IRS and the airlines are each wanting the other to provide the tax refund to travelers. No actions for refunds are needed at this time until a definitive procedure is in place. The IRS has posted a FAQ on their website with the latest information.

Travel-On continues to monitor this situation and will advise you of any new information including the procedure for filing for a tax refund. The tax exempt period remainsin place pending a government decision on the budget. If you have any questions, please contact your Travel-On account manager.

IRS asks airlines to refund tax on tickets

Can I call you for personal travel too?

Yes! Your company contracts with Travel-On to provide exceptional services for your business travelers. We want your vacation to receive the same great service from someone who can make your personal travel a top priority – our leisure specialists. Travel-On provides a full array of leisure travel services to our corporate customers via Travel Place, our wholly-owned leisure travel division. Travel Place offices are located throughout suburban Maryland and Virginia and are staffed with vacation specialists averaging more than 19 years experience in such specialties as cruises, affinity groups, honeymoons, eco-travel, luxury resorts, and much more.

 

Through our American Express affiliation, we offer travelers who are American Express card-holders significant leisure perks and amenities including Double Rewards Points, Pay with Points, assistance in booking American Express Vacations, and access and discounts to clubs and restaurants throughout the world.

 

Call Travel Place Now For Your Vacation: Bethesda: 301-656-4060 | Potomac: 240-387-4160 | Beltsville: 240-387-4633 | Manassas: 703-368-8757

Not so much into mobile apps? You can still take advantage of some awesome technology to help you when you travel

Travel-On’s complementary FlightStats notification service. Sign up in your online profile and take control. Set it once and forget it. You’ll automatically receive notifications (voicemail, email, or mobile text - it’s your choice) any time you travel. You set your preferences, and FlightStats will do the rest. Save time and frustration and be in the know about flight cancellations, delays, and gate changes. We’ve had people report that their FlightStats notification came in up to an hour before the airline’s and gate agent’s advisories. The ad-free FlightStats is the premier flight tracking service in the industry, and is available at no cost to you through your online traveler profile. Be sure to sign up. You’ll love it!

Rearden Mobile AppOur Mobile App is Now Free!

Travel-On is pleased to announce that starting this month our mobile application is available for free to all corporate clients who have online profiles! What does our Mobile Personal Assistant do, you ask?

 

The Mobile Personal Assistant is a mobile application that can be downloaded and displayed on Blackberry, iPhone, Android, and other smart phones. Imagine TripIt, WorldMate, Travelocity, BostonCoach, Zagat, OpenTable, and more all rolled into one application for on-the-go flexibility with policy controls. With the Mobile Personal Assistant, travelers can:

  • View your complete itinerary and any updated info (flight times, terminal, gates, etc.) in mobile-friendly format
  • Find earlier/later flights for your existing reservations with policy indicators
  • Check-in for your flight and get your mobile boarding pass
  • Browse location-based hotels with policy indicators or see full details of existing reservations
  • View and change airport parking reservations
  • Reserve discounted car service (if permitted by company policy)
  • Access weather forecasts for all your travel destinations
  • Get one-click access to your travel agent, airport parking and car service providers
  • Find the perfect restaurant based on current location, favorite cuisine, and company policy; read reviews, and book a table online
  • Invite others to join you for dinner and view RSVPs
  • View maps and get directions to all your booked services

Today’s travelers rely on their mobile devices for everything. Instead of allowing them to use random applications with no policy controls, make our Mobile Personal Assistant a sanctioned part of your managed travel program.

 

Each traveler can download the application as desired with these simple steps:

  • Log on to your booking site from your computer using your existing username and password
  • Look for the “Mobile” button along the top edge of the page and click it
  • Select the application for your type of mobile device
  • Follow the steps to download

If your company isn’t using online profiles, contact your account manager for more information.

OTHER NEWS

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Biz Travel Managers Focus on Impact of Travel vs. Cost of Travel

Travel management has traditionally focused on, ‘How much does my travel cost?’ That’s irrelevant. If you have a strong quarter with a lot of new business and trips, you expect your costs to go up. What you really want to know was if those travel costs were a good investment. Read more

State Department Updates Warning to Americans Overseas

The State Department is warning Americans that al Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests around the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Read more

The Business Traveler of Today: New Study Profiles Corporate Travelers and Their Needs While in Transit

Business travelers increasingly use technology to make travel more productive but also to stay in touch with those back home, says a new research study released today that outlines different types of road warriors. Read more

Airlines Raise Fares To Offset Expired FAA Tax

Spirit, Virgin America, Frontier, Hawaiian and Alaska airlines are among the U.S. carriers that have not raised fares to offset a decrease in federal taxes that has resulted from Friday's partial shutdown of the FAA. Read more

No End In Sight For FAA Shutdown

The FAA has also told airports to stop work on the installation of runway status lights, a new safety system aimed at preventing planes from colliding on the ground or taking off or landing on closed runways. Read more

Travelers Vulnerable to Hacking of Information

In light of the voicemail hacking scandal stewing in the United Kingdom this summer, have you ever wondered how easy it might be for someone to hack in to your mobile phone voice mail? Read more

Studies Find Cheaper Travel Destinations

To save a few bucks on your next business trip, stay clear of cities like Paris, London and New York and instead consider trips to such places as Las Vegas, Dallas and New Orleans. Read more

The Best and Worst U.S. Cities for Travel Taxes

When it comes to collecting taxes from travelers, not all places are created equal. At least that’s what a new study of the top 50 U.S. travel destinations reveals. Read more

Southwest to Drop Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Service

Scrappy and unconventional Southwest Airlines Co., Philadelphia's second-busiest carrier, will stop flying to Pittsburgh and three other cities from Philadelphia after Jan. 8. Read more

Five Good Business Habits That Suffer When You Travel

What often gets overlooked is the impact that business travel can have on your business habits. We all lament the personal effects, but we tend to miss those that matter most to why we're on the road to begin with! Hectic schedules and long lists of business needs can ultimately cause your performance to suffer. Read more

Qantas Expected to Axe LAX-NYC Flights - Cuts Losses

QANTAS is expected to axe flights between Los Angeles and New York as part of cuts to its route network aimed at stemming losses from its international operations. Read more

Eurostar: the Train That's Faster and More Flexible Than Flying

Passengers travelling in Eurostar's "Business Premier" class can snare a seat on any train, as long as they check in at the station 10 minutes before a train departs. Even if the train is full, another passenger will be bumped off to make room. Read more

First Commercial Flight for Boeing 787 Set for October

All Nippon Airways said Monday it expects its first Boeing 787 to arrive in September, and will debut the plane a month later with a flight between Tokyo and Hong Kong. Read more

Secrets of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport

As a longtime resident of Atlanta, I've passed through the world's busiest airport hundreds of times and have a few handy tricks that make life a bit easier, faster and more comfortable. Read more

Upgraded Biometric Passenger Scans at Heathrow

Heathrow Airport is pressing upgraded biometric passenger security technology into service, following 18 months of trials. Read more

What Does Your TeraHertz Say About You?

The new technology senses TeraHertz waves "emitted by all people and all things" and is capable of detecting metals, plastics, ceramics, liquids, gels and powders. Read more

Starwood to Expand Hotel Spa Portfolio Across Asia and the Middle East

Starwood announced today plans to expand Sheraton and Westin's portfolio of hotel spas across Asia and the Middle East in the coming year as both brands continue to expand its footprint in the world's fastest growing markets. Read more

14 Trendy New Dining Spots For Bored Business Travelers

For business travelers, mealtimes can turn into the most mundane part of a trip. There is a solution: Head for an exciting new restaurant or follow a new dining trend. Read more

Hotels Use RFID Chips to Keep Linens From Checking Out

The plush robe in your hotel room now comes with an electronic leash.To keep robes and towels from checking out, a small but growing number of hotels are starting to use new radio frequency chips to keep track of their inventory. 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

Biz Travel Managers Focus on Reining in Meetings

Do you give meetings the same level of strategic attention you give to transient travel? If not, it’s time to take charge. Lenora Valvo, CEO of meeting and event software producer etouches, noted that while corporate travel management has largely matured, meetings management has yet to move to a strategic level. Read more

MPI Conference Report: Upbeat Outlook, Practical Sessions

More than 1,000 planners from near and far gathered in Orlando this week to attend the 2011 World Education Congress (WEC), the annual conference of Meeting Professionals International. Read more