Travel-On Travel Industry News
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Friday, July 13, 2012
Events We're Watching

Phony Emails Try to Book Flights on Your Dime
A rash of emails purporting to be from American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and US Airways have all landed in countless inboxes across the country.

Mexico and United States - Authorities Plan to Increase Border Security
Officials from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on July 10 that they may increase inspections of traffic crossing the US-Mexico border from San Diego, Calif., US, to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, in the southbound direction. Authorities hope to stem the flow of illegal arms and money into Mexico. Local businesses and frequent travelers are worried the additional inspections may cause significant delays to southbound traffic, though authorities say they are working to maintain relatively fast border crossing times.

Ramadan Begins
Muslims worldwide will begin their observance of the holy month of Ramadan on or around July 20, depending on the first sighting of the lunar crescent in the region. During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, and smoking from dawn until sundown. The end of Ramadan, marked by the Eid al-Fitr festival, is expected to take place Aug. 19. Practices vary by country. In predominantly Muslim countries expect many businesses and government offices, including diplomatic missions, to operate on a reduced schedule. Restaurants typically close during daylight hours, though food shops are commonly open. Do not eat, drink, or smoke in public spaces during the day. Some countries may enforce fines or penalties against Muslims and non-Muslims who do not comply. Avoid sensitive topics of discussion, including religious or political issues.
Q and A

How do I know if I have a machine-readable passport?

A machine readable passport (MRP) is one where the data on the identity page is encoded in optical character recognition format. This machine readable zone (MRZ) is located at the bottom of the identity page below the picture. On most passports it spans 2 lines of 44 characters each and contains your name, passport number, nationality, date of birth, gender, and expiration date, as well as additional country-specific information. Many countries began to issue machine readable travel documents in the 1980s and today most passports worldwide are machine-readable. To be sure yours is just look for the two long lines of text at the bottom of the picture page.

  • Liechtenstein and Haiti used to have the same flag, but following the 1936 Olympics Liechtenstein added a gold coronet
  • The flags of Monaco and Indonesia are identical
  • Cyprus, Kosovo, and Christmas Island are the only three nations with maps of themselves on their flags
  • Only Switzerland and Vatican City have square flags
  • The flag of Nepal is the only national flag that is taller than it is wide
  • The flag of Paraguay is not identical on the two sides
  • Countries that have special designs for vertically hung flags include Austria, Germany, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Slovakia, Cambodia, Dominica, and Liechtenstein
  • The flag of Denmark, dating to the 13th century, is the oldest national flag still in use

Travel-On named Funder of the Month by One World Education

Travel-On has been named Funder of the Month by One World Education, a DC-based, non-profit organization promoting youth literacy and developing curriculum that empowers teachers and engages students. During 2012, Travel-On is donating a portion of our quarterly revenue to One World Education programs. More information on One World Education

Important Reminder: GBTA’s Convention in Boston July 22-25

Will you be attending GBTA’s Convention in Boston July 22-25? Travel-On will be! This is THE place for business travel professionals to network face-to-face with thousands of travel managers, TMCs, and industry suppliers to discover solutions to industry-wide challenges, explore the latest technologies, tools and travel trends, and get the scoop on everything from contract negotiation and financial modeling to safety and policy trends, and much more.  If you’re going, we’d love to know so that we can meet up with you.  If you aren’t able to attend, we’ll share some highlights in our Topics, Trends, and Technology in future newsletters. Also, Like us on Facebook for more.