Travelers in Favor of Open Skies
The Business Travel Coalition has issued a report showing that 89% of Americans who have traveled internationally support the Open Skies agreement. The Open Skies agreement would free air carriers of government interference in airline . . .
 

The Debate on Air Traffic Control
Currently, the House of Transportation Committee is looking at privatizing air traffic control (ATC). The proposal will face some challenges, such as how does it comply with the Constitution. It will also bring up other questions about general air . . .

Low-cost Airlines Gaining Popularity Internationally
Low cost airlines are gaining popularity with travelers. With the rise of wealth in developing countries, more travelers are buying plane tickets. Worldwide, airlines such as AirAsia, Spirit and Ryanair are taking over the industry. The travel market . . .

Sheraton 2020 Press Release
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts unveiled a new 10-point plan to put Sheraton Hotels back on the map as global competitors in the hotel industry. The plan is called Sheraton 2020. It calls for a 5 year scheme which includes a $100 million. . .

Air Travel Expected to be
the Busiest Ever this Summer
It is expected to be the busiest summer ever for travel this year. Airlines for America, an industry group, expects 222 million travelers to fly between June 1 and August 31. This is a 4.5% increase from last year. To meet this surge in numbers, airlines are . . .
 

Work and Wellness go Hand-in-Hand
for the Modern Day Business Traveler
Hotels are revamping themselves to accommodate the health concerned traveler. Mia Kyricos, Chief Brand Officer of Spafinder Wellness, Inc. said; “The business traveler, when they are on the road is ultimately trying to take as good care of themselves . . .
 

Bill to Crack Down on Safety Threats of
Accelerated Airport Screenings
Securing Expedited Screening Act (H.R. 2127) is a new legislative action that will counteract the free trials of PreCheck, previously offered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). In the past, passengers could pay an $85 fee for . . .
 

Windstar Appoints Omega World Travel CEO
as Godmother of New Cruise Ship
Gloria Bohan, the CEO and founder of Omega World Travel, has been appointed as the Godmother of Windstar’s newest cruise ship, Star Legend. Omega World Travel is the largest travel agency founded and operated by a woman. With . . .
 

Customer-Obsessed Delta
Delta has recently received recognition as a “customer-obsessed” company by Forrester Research’s “Winning in the Age of the Customer” report released last week.

In order to be recognized on Forrester’s short list, enterprises must be successful and customer-focused, embracing the mobile mind  . . .
 

Improving Small Plane Safety
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced Tuesday that it launched the IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA), a voluntary safety audit program created for smaller airlines not eligible for the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), specifically for operating airplanes  . . .

Visa Travel Payments Now Include Ancillaries
Good news for business travel as Visa has announced they will now be distinguishing ancillary fees from ticket fees on their reports. Ancillary fees include, any non-ticket related purchases, such as in-flight meals, WiFi, baggage fees and entertainment. Before Visa made this change, any travel purchases were simply recorded as ticket-related, and it was the job of the traveler or the company to label those . . .
 

Hurricane-like Winds Slam Europe
Heavy winds swept across Britain, Germany and the Netherlands on Tuesday, forcing numerous flight and train delays and cancellations as hurricane-force winds lashed parts of northern Europe. Gusts up to 120 km/h caused the Dutch meteorological office to issue a code red warning for the low-lying country's northern and coastal provinces. About 140 flights . . .

More Routes to US on AeroMexico
AeroMexico continues to increase its connectivity between North America and Mexico by adding more business and touristic destinations to its network. Recently, Mexico's global airline announced that they would be strengthening Monterrey as one of the airline’s main hubs by adding new routes to Houston, Miami and New York starting in late March of 2015. In May 2015, AeroMexico will inaugurate daily service from Toronto, Canada to . . .
 

Visa Changes
In the past week, several countries have announced modifications to their visa policies for tourists trying to enter their countries. Egypt stated that beginning May 15, travelers will be required to obtain a visa from their local Egyptian consulate prior to traveling to the country. On the other hand, Indonesia announced that they will have an open . . .
 

Hilton Gives WiFi to Guests . . . if
Beginning in August, Hilton will extend free WiFi to all of its HHonors members if they book directly or book through a travel agent who books through Hilton’s proprietary distribution channels. Free WiFi is already available to HHonors Gold and Diamond members, just as long as they book directly or through direct-booking agents. Hilton also promises that they will soon add Blue and Silver members to this eligible list in August.

Lufthansa Long-Haul Flights Makeover
Lufthansa is taking another major step towards its goal of becoming the first 5-star airline in the western hemisphere with its new First Class and the other corresponding range of services passengers will be provided. This summer the rest of their First and Business Class cabin makeovers will be complete, and by the end of 2015, all Lufthansa long-range aircrafts will feature a new Premium Economy cabin.
 

Airport Tax Hike 2016
On Monday, President Obama released his 2016 budget, which proposed raising the Passenger Facility Charge cap from $4.50 to $8 per enplanement. The charge is paid by travelers and collected when they purchase airfares. The President hopes the tax increase will allow airports to fund FAA-approved projects, in order to enhance safety, security and growing capacity. The tax proceeds may also be used for noise reduction projects and increased air carrier competition. Obama’s released budget for 2016 also called to eliminate current funding for the Airport Improvement Program. The President stated this will give large hub airports greater flexibility in generating their own revenue.

United Airlines Expands its Reach around the
Globe with Four New International Routes
Last week, United Airlines launched four new Pacific routes, beginning with nonstop service between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia, and between San Francisco and Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The airline will also launch two new routes from its Guam hub –Seoul, South Korea and Shanghai. The airline will fly the Los Angeles–Melbourne route six times . . .

Expedition cruise line Lindblad is out with a new, 11-night itinerary that features stops in some of the countries' most off-the-beaten-path areas. Countries like Greenland and Iceland are on the agenda for destinations . . .