08-19-2011

What We're Watching

International SOS to Share Insights on Mobile Travel Apps, Travel Assistance, Duty of Care at 2011 Global Business Travel Association Convention

Experts from International SOS, the world's leading medical and security assistance company, will discuss mobile travel apps and usage trends among business travelers, distinctions between travel insurance and travel assistance coverage, and Duty of Care during next week's Global Business Travel Association Convention in Denver, Colo. International SOS experts will be available at booth #1417 during the Aug. 21-24 event to talk about the newly-launched Dialogues on Duty of Care blog, a resource and information-sharing space for travel managers, HR directors and others involved in safeguarding employees who travel. Read more

Is it better to use “anytime” or a specific time when searching for airfares via your online booking site?

The more specific you are about the time you want to leave the more tailored the results will be. Each company’s customized booking site has a search window selected by that company, for example 2 hours either side of the departure time selected. So, selecting a specific time will still result in a range of options. When “anytime” is used the system displays flights starting at 12:00n and working out from there to return a maximum of 250 flight options. When there are more than 250 options in the market, this can result in the earliest and latest flights not being shown.

Have you tried to compare flight schedule results between your corporate online booking tool and many of the public booking sites?

Chances are your schedule queries give you different results. Did you know that your corporate booking site is custom designed around the parameters of your travel policy including preferred vendors, lowest fare policy windows, and more? Public sites are not and therefore you may see different results.

OTHER NEWS

Sept. 11 Changed Everything — About Air Travel

We remember what it was like before. Keeping all our clothes on at security. Getting hot meals for free — even if we complained about the taste. Read more

Heathrow is Official London Olympics Airport

Full confirmation has now been given that London Heathrow will be the official London 2012 Olympic Games airport. Read more

Robot Taxis Now In Service

The ULTra PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) electric robot pods, previewed by Airport International back in August 2009, have now entered full operational service at the UK's flagship airport, London Heathrow. Read more

U.S. Airlines Trim Service

The service reductions go hand in hand with another stated goal — adding service only where travel demand justifies it. These measures reflect a defensive posture by airlines in uncertain economic times, and show remarkable restraint for the once-bloated industry. Read more

US and Europe business travel still soft - GBTA

Business travel has recovered from its recession lows but in the USA and Europe is growing more slowly than desired by corporate managers, according to a new study by The GBTA Foundation, the research arm of the Global Business Travel Association and Egencia, the corporate travel arm of Expedia. Read more

Southwest Gets to Know Atlanta

The charm offensive comes three months after Dallas-based Southwest closed its deal to buy AirTran Airways and take over its longtime role as the chief alternative to Delta Air Lines for Atlanta fliers. Read more

Airlines Risk Deeper Cuts Amid U.S. Wealth ‘Destruction’

U.S. airlines may have to cut back on flying as the slowing economy erodes their ability to boost fares while they struggle with higher costs for jet fuel. Read more

Qantas Changes: Top 5 Things You Need to Know

Qantas' restructure is mostly about two things: focusing its efforts on the rapidly expanding Asian travel market, and scaling back its other international operations a bit, replacing them with other airlines' flights. Read more

Ten best credit cards for business travel

Any business traveller, or anyone for that matter, wants to have a credit card that offers the best perks, the lowest APR and no – or low – annual fees, yet nobody has the time to comb through the pages of fine print detailing the sometimes shocking terms of agreement. Read more

10 Popular Travel Scams Around the World

You may have heard of, or fallen victim to, the old "catch my baby while we pick your pockets" scheme. The new class of tourist rip-off makes that look like chump change. Read more

First-ever Panic Button For British Business Travelers Launched

Skyguard International gives business executives abroad the power to summon help at the press of a button if they find themselves in trouble overseas. Initially the service is live across 34 European countries, the Russian Federation and South Africa. Read more

Rearden Commerce Expands Mobile Platform

Rearden Commerce, a next-generation eCommerce platform company, today announced the expansion of its Mobile Personal Assistant to the fast growing ecosystem of Android devices, providing Android users with a simple to use, feature rich travel experience. Leveraging innovative hybrid technology, Rearden’s Android application delivers the power of HTML5 while maintaining access to native phone functions users enjoy along with the app store discovery and download experience. Read more

Green Hotel Dreams: Garbage In, Energy Out

Unlike most hotel guests, Shawn Seipler spends a lot of time thinking about the wasted resources left behind after he checks out of a hotel. Read more

Hertz Introduces Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Customer Loyalty Program

Gold Plus Rewards adds a number of consumer friendly enhancements to Hertz’s loyalty program, formerly Hertz #1 Awards, to make earning rewards faster and easier. Read more

Data Thieves Target Hotels and Resorts

Insurance claims for data theft worldwide jumped 56% last year, with a bigger number of those attacks targeting the hospitality industry. Read more

Who is Today's Premium Air Traveler? New GBTA Study Finds Out

Premium air travel is on the rise according to a new study from the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). The study, "Consumer Choice in Premium Air Travel," finds that Asia will lead the way as 42% of premium travelers in that region plan to fly premium more over the next twelve months, with another 40% planning to fly the same amount as last year. In Europe, 83% of respondents plan to fly premium the same or more over the next twelve months (with 27% planning to fly more) and in the U.S., 81% plan to fly premium the same or more (with 21% planning to fly more). Data shows that travelers who make purchasing decisions based on aircraft type prefer Boeing airplanes nearly two to one over its competition in the long-haul segment. Read more


08-19-2011 What We're Watching International SOS to Share Insights on Mobile Travel Apps, Travel Assistance, Duty of Care at 2011 Global Business Travel Association Convention Experts from International SOS, the world's leading medical and security assistance company, will discuss mobile travel apps and usage trends among business travelers, distinctions between travel insurance and travel assistance coverage, and Duty of Care during next week's Global Business Travel Association Convention in Denver, Colo. International SOS experts will be available at booth #1417 during the Aug. 21-24 event to talk about the newly-launched Dialogues on Duty of Care blog, a resource and information-sharing space for travel managers, HR directors and others involved in safeguarding employees who travel. Read more Is it better to use “anytime” or a specific time when searching for airfares via your online booking site? The more specific you are about the time you want to leave the more tailored the results will be. Each company’s customized booking site has a search window selected by that company, for example 2 hours either side of the departure time selected. So, selecting a specific time will still result in a range of options. When “anytime” is used the system displays flights starting at 12:00n and working out from there to return a maximum of 250 flight options. When there are more than 250 options in the market, this can result in the earliest and latest flights not being shown. Have you tried to compare flight schedule results between your corporate online booking tool and many of the public booking sites? Chances are your schedule queries give you different results. Did you know that your corporate booking site is custom designed around the parameters of your travel policy including preferred vendors, lowest fare policy windows, and more? Public sites are not and therefore you may see different results. OTHER NEWS Sept. 11 Changed Everything — About Air Travel We remember what it was like before. Keeping all our clothes on at security. Getting hot meals for free — even if we complained about the taste. Read more Heathrow is Official London Olympics Airport Full confirmation has now been given that London Heathrow will be the official London 2012 Olympic Games airport. Read more Robot Taxis Now In Service The ULTra PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) electric robot pods, previewed by Airport International back in August 2009, have now entered full operational service at the UK's flagship airport, London Heathrow. Read more U.S. Airlines Trim Service The service reductions go hand in hand with another stated goal — adding service only where travel demand justifies it. These measures reflect a defensive posture by airlines in uncertain economic times, and show remarkable restraint for the once-bloated industry. Read more US and Europe business travel still soft - GBTA Business travel has recovered from its recession lows but in the USA and Europe is growing more slowly than desired by corporate managers, according to a new study by The GBTA Foundation, the research arm of the Global Business Travel Association and Egencia, the corporate travel arm of Expedia. Read more Southwest Gets to Know Atlanta The charm offensive comes three months after Dallas-based Southwest closed its deal to buy AirTran Airways and take over its longtime role as the chief alternative to Delta Air Lines for Atlanta fliers. Read more Airlines Risk Deeper Cuts Amid U.S. Wealth ‘Destruction’ U.S. airlines may have to cut back on flying as the slowing economy erodes their ability to boost fares while they struggle with higher costs for jet fuel. Read more Qantas Changes: Top 5 Things You Need to Know Qantas' restructure is mostly about two things: focusing its efforts on the rapidly expanding Asian travel market, and scaling back its other international operations a bit, replacing them with other airlines' flights. Read more Ten best credit cards for business travel Any business traveller, or anyone for that matter, wants to have a credit card that offers the best perks, the lowest APR and no – or low – annual fees, yet nobody has the time to comb through the pages of fine print detailing the sometimes shocking terms of agreement. Read more 10 Popular Travel Scams Around the World You may have heard of, or fallen victim to, the old "catch my baby while we pick your pockets" scheme. The new class of tourist rip-off makes that look like chump change. Read more First-ever Panic Button For British Business Travelers Launched Skyguard International gives business executives abroad the power to summon help at the press of a button if they find themselves in trouble overseas. Initially the service is live across 34 European countries, the Russian Federation and South Africa. Read more Rearden Commerce Expands Mobile Platform Rearden Commerce, a next-generation eCommerce platform company, today announced the expansion of its Mobile Personal Assistant to the fast growing ecosystem of Android devices, providing Android users with a simple to use, feature rich travel experience. Leveraging innovative hybrid technology, Rearden’s Android application delivers the power of HTML5 while maintaining access to native phone functions users enjoy along with the app store discovery and download experience. Read more Green Hotel Dreams: Garbage In, Energy Out Unlike most hotel guests, Shawn Seipler spends a lot of time thinking about the wasted resources left behind after he checks out of a hotel. Read more Hertz Introduces Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Customer Loyalty Program Gold Plus Rewards adds a number of consumer friendly enhancements to Hertz’s loyalty program, formerly Hertz #1 Awards, to make earning rewards faster and easier. Read more Data Thieves Target Hotels and Resorts Insurance claims for data theft worldwide jumped 56% last year, with a bigger number of those attacks targeting the hospitality industry. Read more Who is Today's Premium Air Traveler? New GBTA Study Finds Out Premium air travel is on the rise according to a new study from the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). The study, "Consumer Choice in Premium Air Travel," finds that Asia will lead the way as 42% of premium travelers in that region plan to fly premium more over the next twelve months, with another 40% planning to fly the same amount as last year. In Europe, 83% of respondents plan to fly premium the same or more over the next twelve months (with 27% planning to fly more) and in the U.S., 81% plan to fly premium the same or more (with 21% planning to fly more). Data shows that travelers who make purchasing decisions based on aircraft type prefer Boeing airplanes nearly two to one over its competition in the long-haul segment. Read more	Throughout Travel-On, our employees are M.A.D ( Making A Difference) to our clients. Many of you have noticed and have told us just how M.A.D they are. Recently, Tammy Sivers from Travel Place Potomac Team received this note from a client: "We just got back from our cruise and extended vacation in Western Canada. Thank you SO much for your lovely surprise gift to us on the ship of a credit to use on board to help us celebrate our anniversary. We also received a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries soon after we arrived on the cruise which I am guessing was also arranged by you. These lovely gifts helped make our 25th anniversary vacation a very special time. Thanks again for all the arrangements and these very special touches! " Submit your feedback BUSINESS TRAVEL Top 10 Free Apps for International Travelers Ancillary-Fees-Chart FEMA Goes Mobile Gadgets to Ease Travails of Travel RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) US DOS Travel Warnings TRAVEL WARNINGS / ALERTS Chad 08/16/2011 LEISURE TRAVEL VIEW FEATURED SPECIALS CALL TRAVEL PLACE NOW FOR YOUR HOLIDAY TRAVEL PLANS! Bethesda: 301-656-4060 Potomac: 240-387-4160 Beltsville: 240-387-4633 Manassas: 703-368-8757 (Travel Place is the leisure travel division of Travel-On.) 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