The Official Travel Thread

[DeAnna]

Originally Posted by krepitch

It could be an American company that works with local groups, too. Either way is fine.

http://www.mircorp.com/tour_ttwrs.asp

That is what I would like to do, but they don't think they'll have enough people to offer the June trip. So now I am looking for something similar.

Any help would be awesome, best buddy.

Have you tried any of these folks? What you need is a pre-packaged tour, not a custom group (which would need the minimum reqd number of travellers as in the one you linked).

http://www.russiatourdirectory.com/R...bwkf454y5vfp45

[krepitch]

I've looked through most of those, but I'll keep looking.

It's very hard to find a tour that covers Western Russia and parts of Siberia.

[DeAnna]

Have you asked the operator of the tour if they could give you a price for an F.I.T. instead of the group rate? That rate is based on a minium number of people for the group, but they can customize it for one person ) it usually is more expensive, tho.

[DeAnna]

TRAVEL ADVANCE
Volume XVI, Number 79
Monday, April 24, 2006

EAST COAST DRIVERS COULD FACE GAS SHORTAGES. Scattered gasoline shortages and higher pump prices could make it a difficult week for East Coast drivers. Refineries and service stations are scrambling to change to ethanol-based fuel before the federal deadline on May 5 and the start of the summer driving season. AAA said a few dozen gas stations between Virginia and New Jersey had closed in recent days as they converted from fuels mixed with MBTE to gasoline mixed with ethanol, which burns cleaner. Experts expect sporadic supply disruptions to continue in coming days, likely to be accompanied by a widespread surge in prices. Many regions, including New York and Connecticut, stopped using MBTE years ago and have not been affected by the disruptions. The rest of the Mid-Atlantic region and Texas, primarily Dallas and Houston, face the brunt of the problems because they are the last remaining users of MTBE gasoline. (Page A8, New York Times, 4/22)


*The nationwide average price of a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.90 Sunday, up 1.6 cents from Saturday and 39.1 cents higher than a month ago, according to AAA. Statewide averages were $3 or higher in Hawaii, California, Washington, D.C. and New York. (Page 1A, USA Today)
BUSH TO PUSH IMMIGRATION REFORM. As Congress heads back today from a two-week recess, President Bush was in California, the country's most immigration-rich state, to push a stalled bill that would allow more foreigners to work legally in the U.S. Lawmakers, with an eye on Election Day in just over six months, remain far apart on whether to crack down on illegal immigrants or embrace them as vital contributors to the U.S. economy. Bush wants a law that would give temporary guest worker permits to foreigners in low-paying jobs while strengthening border security, a position supported by many organizations in the hospitality industry. Sen. Arlen Specter, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Sunday he believes Congress will be able to work out differences and pass a bill. (AP; Honolulu Advertiser.com; Page 5A, USA Today)


TIA, TBR SUPPORT PROPOSAL TO EXTEND WHTI DEADLINE. The Travel Industry Association and the Travel Business Roundtable sent a joint letter to Sens. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., expressing strong support for their amendment to extend the deadline for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative until June 1, 2009. "While the travel industry supports WHTI and its intent--having U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers inspecting fewer and more secure travel documents presented by travelers entering the U.S. from the Western Hemisphere--we are also concerned that despite their good-faith efforts, the Departments of State and Homeland Security will be unable to implement WHTI on Jan. 1, 2008, without disrupting legitimate travel into the U.S." (Special to TA)


DELTA PILOTS TO VOTE ON DEAL THAT REDUCES PAY. Delta Air Line pilots will hold a ratification vote next month that would extend a 14% pay cut made in December but give them a $2.1 billion claim that would convert to a still-to-be determined stake in the carrier when it emerges from bankruptcy. The governing committee of the Air Line Pilots Association unit at Delta agreed by a 12-to-1 vote late Friday to endorse a tentative contract deal reached April 14 that averted for now a potentially catastrophic strike at Delta. The ratification vote by about 6,000 Delta pilots is scheduled to be completed by May 31. (Pages A2, Wall Street Journal; 1B, USA Today)


CENDANT TRAVEL UNIT MAY BE FOR SALE. Cendant is planning to put its travel business, which includes Orbitz, Cheaptickets.com and Galileo International, up for sale today, The New York Times reports, quoting people briefed on the company's plans. The unit is expected to be sold for more than $4 billion, analysts said. The sale of the travel business, recently renamed Travelport, would be a shift for Cendant, which had been planning to spin off the unit as part of a larger plan announced last October to break up the entire conglomerate into four separate publicly traded companies. The auction comes less than a week after Cendant named Jeff Clarke, the former chief operating officer of CA, formerly Computer Associates, as the unit's chief executive. In March, Cendant named Gordon Bethune, the former chairman of Continental Airlines, as chairman of the division. (Page C1, New York Times)


RCCL PROFIT DOWN 37% IN QUARTER. Royal Caribbean Cruises' first-quarter earnings fell 37% as revenue edged down and costs increased, but the results beat the company's forecast. RCCL reported net income of $119.5 million, or 55 cents a share, compared with $189.6 million, or 86 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue fell 1.7% to $1.15 billion from $1.17 billion, as passenger-ticket revenue declined. (Pages B5, Wall Street Journal, 4/22; 3C, Miami Herald, 4/22)


*Celebrity Cruises' yields are now moving above those of sister cruise line Royal Caribbean International, company officials told analysts Friday. That's a big achievement considering that for several years Celebrity, considered a premium product, was underperforming in pricing when compared to its contemporary sister brand, Royal Caribbean. (Travel Agent Central.com, 4/21)


FLYING TAXI SERVICE TO BE LAUNCHED IN SOUTHEAST. DayJet Corp., a venture that plans to build a flying-taxi service around an emerging fleet of five-seat jets, is expected to announce today that it will launch passenger service later this year between small cities in the Southeast. DayJet, of Del Ray Beach, Fla., is one of a handful of start-up companies that plans to use what are known as microjets to bring passenger service to cities that have little or no regular airline service. The company is expected to announce at a new conference today with Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at the Tallahassee Airport that it plans to begin service between cities in Florida in the fourth quarter. It would expand within a year into Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. If successful, the company plans to launch similar regional services elsewhere. (Page A10, Wall Street Journal)


CHINA LAUNCHES BID FOR TOURISTS. As China's president Hu tours the U.S., the government in Beijing is on a campaign to get tourists beyond the country's big cities--and into its vast interior. China is beset with rural poverty. So the government is pouring $10 billion into the tourism infrastructure of dozens of scenic but impoverished areas--from historic sites along the old Silk Road, to mountains considered holy by Taoists and Buddhists, to national parks. For travelers, this means an alternative to China's teeming metropolises--and a break from the crush of tour buses that plague a growing number of sites. (Page P1, Wall Street Journal, 4/22)

AN AGONIZING CHOICE FOR US AIRWAYS. When America West Airlines' parent company acquired US Airways last year, officials said the toughest part of the merger would be blending the companies' cultures. Little did we know that including the agonizing choice of whether to serve Coke or Pepsi on flights on the combined entity, which kept the US Airways name. US Airways made its decision last week. The winner? Coco-Cola Co. is now the airline's exclusive provider of soft drinks. US Airways has served Coco-Cola brands for as long as anyone can remember, while America West had been a Pepsi airline since the early 1990s. (Philadelphia Inquirer.com/Business)


YES SIR, YES SIR, THREE ADS FULL. Early this month, Hotels.nl, a Dutch online reservations company, began displaying its corporate logos on royal blue waterproof blankets worn by sheep. But the commercially branded animals roaming the bucolic meadows of the northern Netherlands have prompted a backlash. On Saturday, the town of Skarsterlan began fining Hotels.nl 1,000 euros a day for putting branded blankets on sheep. Advertising on livestock violates the town's ban on advertising along the highways. The company has been spending 1 euro, or about $1.23 a day, per sheep and sponsored about 144 sheep in flocks throughout the Netherlands. (Page A1, New York Times)

<<<<<<< News and Trends from the Sunday Papers >>>>>>>
WITH GAS PRICES in some areas already hitting the $3 mark for regular, Central Florida's tourism industry was advised to prepare for many more penny-pinching tourists this summer. The effect could mean problems for local businesses as visitors become reluctant to splurge on restaurant meals, abandon plans to make side trips and cut back on extra hotel nights and souvenir shopping. "The good news is that they're still going to vacation," said Peter Yesawich, CEO of Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, an Orlando-based firm. "The challenge is they're going to vacation differently. We're going to find that more and more they will spend less." (Orlando Sentinel.com)


EUROPE is looking forward to an influx of Americans this summer, more than last year and perhaps more than 2000, when a record 13.1 million traveled to Britain, Ireland and the Continent, according to the European Travel Commission. With both the euro and the pound a bit weaker against the dollar, Americans might be able to save a few bucks as they tour this summer. What could break the piggy bank, however, are air fares, which definitely are higher."Seats for travel in May, when fares are still relatively low, are becoming scarce as we move toward June," said Tom Parsons of Bestfares.com. Separately. The New York Times offers tips on how to keep travel costs down while living it up in Venice, Paris, Berlin and 12 other European cities. (Chicago Tribune.com/Travel; Sect. 5, Page 4, New York Times)


CONCERNS that a huge sewage spill polluted Waikiki's world-famous beaches are fading after a health group said the sand seemed to be clean. Almost a month after the city discharged millions of gallons of raw sewage into an open-ocean canal, leading to warnings being posted on some beaches, the group, the Healthy Hawaiian Coalition, said tests on sand concluded that "it seemed some of the areas are cleaner that what a lot of us worried they would be." Healthy Hawaii said it had the sand tested because of reports that some beachgoers had fallen ill. (AP; Sect. 1, Page 20, New York Times)

*In an editorial, The New York Times said that after years of infrastructure neglect, Hawaii is now frantically doing cleanup on Honolulu's sewer system. "It is also learning the hard way that preventative maintenance is better than an emergency ad campaign to keep tourists coming, and that a clean healthy environment is the bedrock on which the state's biggest industry rests." (Sect. 4, Page 11, New York Times)


--BECAUSE most travel guidebooks are out of date before they hit the bookstore shelves, TripAdvisor.com has started a guidebook-like service that will be written and edited anonymously by the Website's own users. TripAdvisor Inside is an attempt to do for travel writing what Wikipedia has done for encyclopedias--harness the power of the Internet and its users to generate useful information. One key difference is that TripAdvisor is trying to commercialize the Wikipedia approach, blending the content generated by its users with ads and revenue -generating text links. Frommer's has been investigating a similar approach to travel as a complement to its popular guidebooks. TripAdvisor, a subsidiary of online travel agency Expedia, said its new travel guide service will focus more on logistics and practical information, such as weather, history, architecture, cultural attractions, nightlife, when to go, what to see and where to eat. (San Francisco Chronicle.com/Travel)


IT USED TO BE that people rented a car only after landing at an airport or when their own car was in the shop. But today, more people are renting for a variety of other reasons. In response, car-rental agencies are opening more locations and offering a wider variety of vehicles. This is the first year that the number of neighborhood car-rental locations exceeds those at airports, said Sherb Brown, publisher of Auto Rental News. (Sect. 3, Page 6, New York Times)

IN A special Mexico issue, The Miami Herald's "Travel" section reports that the Yucatecan hacienda hotels are enjoying a tourism boom. It's the anti-Cancun, and it's catching on, says the paper. Meanwhile, Mexico's new hot spots include Loreto Bay, off Baja, California, and Chiapas, which boasts a new cruise port. (Page 1J, 4J, Miami Herald)

[DeAnna]

TRAVEL ADVANCE
Volume XVI, Number 80
Tuesday, April 25, 2006

3 AMERICANS AMONG WOUNDED IN RESORT BOMBING IN EGYPT. An investigation is under way today into three nearly simultaneous bombings that hit Dahab, Egypt, a beach resort popular with foreigners Monday, killing at least 23 people. The blasts came as vacationers and Egyptians were enjoying a long weekend marking a national holiday. The bombings-- the third terror strike on a Sinai resort in less than two years--hit Dahab at 7:15 p.m. when the streets were jammed with tourists strolling, shopping or looking for a restaurant or bar for evening festivities by the tranquil waters of the Gulf of Aqaba. The Interior Ministry said the wounded included 42 Egyptians and 17 foreigners--including three Americans-while police put the number of wounded at more than 150. In Washington, the State Department said four Americans were among the wounded. (AP; CNN.com; Pages A1, New York Times; 4A, USA Today; A1, Washington Post; Los Angeles Times.com)

PLAN TO DETAIN SICK FLYERS IS OPPOSED. Health experts, airlines and civil libertarians are demanding that the government reconsider proposed quarantine rules that would battle an avian flu pandemic by detaining sick airline and ship passengers. The rules would require airlines and cruise lines to collect personal information from all passengers and report sick ones to the government. Critics say the plan is difficult, costly and in violation of passengers' rights. A key--and controversial--provision would require that airlines ask passengers to give detailed contact information, the names of traveling companions and information about their travel plans. Airlines would have to store the information for at least 60 days and provide it to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Page 1A, USA Today)

*A travel insurance trade group is laying the groundwork for a project to help the travel industry deal with the threat of --and, if it comes to it--the reality of--an avian flu pandemic. The U.S. Travel Insurance Association is lining up volunteers for a newly created Catastrophe, Preparedness and Response Committee, or CPR. The Bush administration said that "in coming weeks" it will release details of its national response plan to be implemented in case of a flu pandemic. (Travel Weekly.com)
U.S. ISSUES TRAVEL WARNING FOR NEPAL. The State Department is urging Americans to defer travel to Nepal in light of mass protests in recent weeks. Family members and non-emergency American employees at the U.S. Embassy in Nepal have been ordered to leave the country. The State Department said it was concerned by the threat to the personal safety of Americans in Nepal posed by the recent demonstrations. Four individuals have been killed during the demonstrations that began April 6. (Special to TA)

AIRPORT PROJECTS STIR UP FIGHTS OVER FEES. Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris has become the latest front in a global battle in which air carriers have attacked airports from Toronto to Tokyo for lavish spending and fat fees that airlines and their passengers end up paying. The conflict underlines a struggle over who should pay for airport-infrastructure improvements and raises questions about whether airports are best run with public or private funding. Charles de Gaulle's owner, Aeroports de Paris SA, which yesterday said it filed for an initial public offering, is raising the fees it charges airlines in order to fund more than $1.23 billion in infrastructure improvements. Airlines, led by Air France-KLM, are furious that the airport's fees have climbed 26.5% in the past five years and are slated to rise another 5% over each of the next five years. (Page A6, Wall Street Journal)

WTTC STUDY FOCUSES ON CHINA'S GROWING TOURISM ECONOMY. The World Travel & Tourism Council has updated its report on China in an attempt to measure the runaway growth of China's tourism economy. WTTC President Jean-Claude Baumgarten said the WTTC would "normally wait five or even 10 years before returning to a country to update the report," but "it is clear that China's travel and tourism industry is moving at the speed of light." The WTTC report forecasts travel and tourism consumption, investment, government spending and exports to grow at 14%, or $353.7 billion in 2006. The 10-year annualized growth, from 2007 to 2016, is projected to be 8.7% per annum. Foreign visitors are projected to spend $75.1 billion in 2006 and will comprise 7.4% of exports. (Travel Weekly.com)

OPERATING EARNINGS UP AT AMEX. American Express Co. said operating earnings rose 18% in the first quarter after the company lured new customers by issuing cards through lenders such as Bank of America and Citigroup. Profit from continuing operations climbed to $876 million, or 70 cents a share, from $745 million, or 59 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 12% to $6.33 billion. (Pages A12, Wall Street Journal; C6, New York Times; Los Angeles Times.com; Bloomberg News)

RCCL TAKES DELIVERY OF FREEDOM OF THE SEAS. The Finnish shipyard Aker Yards delivered the largest ship afloat, the 158,000-ton, 3,600-passenger Freedom of the Seas, to Royal Caribbean Cruises on Monday. Along with "wow" features such as the surfing simulator and cantilevered whirlpools jutting out over the sea, Freedom of the Seas is also outfitted with what is described as the world's largest fitness center at sea and a full-size boxing ring. The ship also features other RCCL trademarks--a rock-climbing wall, ice-skating rink, and the Royal Promenade featuring shops, restaurants and lounges. The top-deck "aqua environment" features three pool areas including an interactive water park and sports pool. (ModernAgent.com)

TUESDAY BUSINESS TRAVEL REPORTS.
--Airlines have come up with a new answer to an old question: How many passengers can be squeezed into economy class? A lot more, it turns out, especially if an idea still in the early stage should catch on: standing-room only "seats." Airbus has been quietly pitching the standing-room-only option to Asian carriers, though none has agreed to it yet. Passengers in the standing section would be propped against a padded backboard, held in place with a harness, according to experts who have seen the proposal. (Page A1, New York Times)

--Facing new financial pressures, low-cost airlines are raising their prices--in some cases making their fares higher than those offered by traditional carriers. Discount carriers including JetBue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Air Tran Airways, citing rising fuel costs and the introduction of more high-end perks, have been steadily boosting prices in recent months. Traditional airlines, meanwhile, have been increasingly moving into the low-cost carriers' routes and copying their simplified fare structure. The result on a growing number of routes is that the low-cost carriers' fares are not longer always the cheapest. (Page D1, Wall Street Journal)

--Frequent flyers may need a scorecard to keep track of what's served and sold in-flight. Some airlines have tried to cut costs by eliminating meals, while others have attempted to boost revenue by selling them. Most carriers sell headsets for watching movies, and some rent digital entertainment units, pay-per-view movies or televisions. But others give headsets for free or don't charge for TV or satellite radio. (Page 5B, USA Today)

REGIONAL ROUNDUP.
--Hotels charged record room rates in South Florida this tourism season. Only New York City had a higher average room rate than Miami-Dade County for the first three months of the year. According to a Smith Travel Research study of major hotel markets, Miami-Dade had an average rate of $173 for those three months--peaking at $179 in March. In New York, the average rate was $204.31 in the first quarter. The top five U.S. markets in occupancy rates were Phoenix (88.5%), Miami-Dade (86.5) Ohahu, Hawaii (84.6), Tampa-St. Petersburg (83.1) and New York (81.8). (Page 1A, Miami Herald)

--Hotel owners are preparing for one of the best years in decades as surging demand is driving up room rates across the country. PricewaterhouseCoopers is forecasting a 5.8% jump in room rates this year to $96.11, a hike the financial-services company attributes to an increase in all forms of travel. But Central Florida could pose an exception to the trend. Though rates have increased in the tourist-heavy market, occupancy rates have fallen in some categories, a trend that gives pause to tourism-industry experts. "We are adding 5,000 to 10,000 rooms here in the next three to four years," said Abe Pizam, dean of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida. "Somebody has to fill these rooms." (Orlando Sentinel.com/Business, 4/21)

--When California's American Indian tribes were given the go-ahead to open casinos in the late 1990s, naysayers sounded impending doom for Las Vegas, predicting that as nearly one-third of Las Vegas' annual visitors would stay home. But five years after gaining legalization, San Diego casinos are populated with local residents and tourists from neighboring Southern California counties, cities and communities. During that same five-year period, visitation to Las Vegas has grown almost 8% to 38.6 million annual tourists and Strip casinos topped a record $6 billion in gaming revenues in 2005. "Casinos in new markets create new customers who want to see Las Vegas," said Frank Streshley, senior research analyst for the Nevada Gaming Control Board. (Las Vegas Review-Journal.com/Business, 4/23)

--The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. is readying two new TV commercials that are designed to build on Philadelphia's success in the last decade with promoting the region to leisure travelers. The CVB plans to have the new spots in time to preview for about 500 of its friends at a 10th birthday party it's throwing for itself next month. Agency officials say one commercial will be a follow-up to the "Philly's More Fun When You Sleep Over" campaign, which a big bald guy and others--including the mayor--traipsing through hotels in pajamas. The second spot will take off in a new direction, promoting outdoor activities in the region, including hiking, biking and swimming. The agency has a budget of $12 million this year, which comes from hotel-occupancy taxes, and grants from the state and foundations. (Philadelphia Inquirer.com/Business, 4/24)

--The Southeast Tourism Society, which has been encouraging individuals and organizations to support Gulf Coast hurricane relief in various fashions, has changed its meeting schedule in order to have a meeting in Biloxi, Miss., in 2007. "We have taken our own counsel and pushed Mississippi to the top of the list as a meeting destination," said Bill Hardman, president and CEO of the 11-state tourism promotion association. STS has booked its spring 2007 meeting at the Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino in Biloxi. The meeting, scheduled for March 19-21, is expected to attract some 250 delegates. (Special to TA)

[krepitch]

I heard about the new seats and was wondering how they would do that. LOL. Strap 'em in!

[NEZCardsfan]

Standing room only??

What happens if you get into some turbulence?? Just deal with the concussion??

LMAO....I'd rather deal with the concussion........than be strapped against a wall, like Hannibal Lecter.

[Linderbee]

I saw on the little t.v. screen in the elevator at my work that Airbus is denying this.

[krepitch]

Originally Posted by Linderbee

I saw on the little t.v. screen in the elevator at my work that Airbus is denying this.

Your elevators have tv? Cool! I'd be in them all day.

[krepitch]

Originally Posted by NEZCardsfan

Standing room only??

What happens if you get into some turbulence?? Just deal with the concussion??

LMAO....I'd rather deal with the concussion........than be strapped against a wall, like Hannibal Lecter.

Well, it did say the walls would be padded, so it should feel like home for some of us.

[Linderbee]

Originally Posted by krepitch

Your elevators have tv? Cool! I'd be in them all day.

Yeah, the first time I went in it I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen!

[DeAnna]

TRAVEL ADVANCE (R)
Volume XVI, Number 81
Wednesday, April 26, 2006

WHY GAS PRICES WON'T GO DOWN. The steps proposed by President Bush on Tuesday to rein in soaring gasoline prices would do little to cut fuel costs for outraged motorists before the summer driving season, industry experts said. That's because the factors driving today's record prices are varied and complex--and beyond the reach of presidential dictate. They include a shortage of refining capacity, rampant speculation in oil markets, oil company choices about fuel additives, unrelenting gasoline demand and high industry profits. Even so, commodities traders seemed to give the president credit for the effort. Prices on oil and gasoline fell after Bush halted government oil purchases for the strategic petroleum reserve and urged the Environmental Protection Agency to consider relaxing clean-fuel rules if gasoline supply problems emerge. (Los Angeles Times.com; Pages A1, Washington Post; A1, New York Times; A4, Wall Street Journal; 1A, USA Today; 3A, Miami Herald)

BUSH, SENATORS MAKE HEADWAY ON IMMIGRATION BILL. President Bush delivered a breakthrough Tuesday in on-again, off-again efforts to push comprehensive immigration legislation through Congress this year, Senate leaders said after a White House meeting with the president. Bush met with a bipartisan group of more than a dozen senators for an hour and went further than ever before in embracing the core ingredients of a sweeping bill that would grant citizenship to millions of undocumented workers, participants said. With Bush's stance, the senators expressed confidence the compromise will pass the Senate by the end of next month. Hard work lies ahead after that, however, in reconciling the Senate version with a tough border-enforcement-only bill passed in December in the house. The hospitality industry generally supports the Senate version. (Page 1A, Miami Herald)

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE HIGHEST IN 4 YEARS. The U.S. economy continues to show signs of resilience despite rising prices at the gas pumps, according an economic report released Tuesday. The Conference Board said its barometer of consumer confidence rose in April to its highest level in almost four years. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index rose to 109.6 from 107.5 in March. April's reading was the highest since the index touched 110.3 in May 2002. Analysts had been expecting a reading of 106.4. "Improving present-day conditions continue to boost consumers' spirits," said Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board's Consumer Research Center. "Looking ahead, consumers are not as pessimistic as they were last month." (AP; Philadelphia Inquirer.com/Business; Pages A6, Wall Street Journal; 6B, USA Today; Los Angeles Times.com/Business)

EGYPT ARRESTS 30 IN RESORT ATTACK; TOURISTS FLEE. Egyptian authorities, already struggling with elusive terror cells in the rugged Sinai Peninsula, moved quickly Tuesday--arresting 30 men in the triple bombings that ripped apart a crowded resort town, killing 24 on a tranquil holiday evening. Radical Muslim groups moved just as rapidly to distance themselves from the Dahab attacks. The militant Palestinian Hamas organization called them a "criminal attack which is against all human values." Many frightened tourists fled Sinai coastal resorts where two previous bomb attacks--like the Dahab blasts--bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida-linked groups that appear to have a free hand to continue operations in the region. All three Sinai bombings were timed to Egyptian national holidays when resorts were especially crowded with local tourists as well as foreigners who flock to the seaside towns, the world-renowned beaches and extraordinary reefs. The Egyptian government revised its casualty count to 18 dead, including 12 Egyptians and six foreigners, and 85 injured. Other counts placed the death toll as high as 24. Initial reports from the U.S. State Department said four Americans were among the injured. (AP; Los Angeles Times.com; Seattle Post-Intelligencer.com; Pages A6, New York Times; A18, Washington Post; 10A, USA Today)

FOXWOODS, MGM GRAND TO JOIN IN CASINO VENTURES. Two of the biggest names in the casino business--Foxwoods and MGM Grand--joined forces Tuesday to develop gambling ventures around the globe and market a $700 million hotel-casino complex under construction in Connecticut. The deal gives Las Vegas' MGM Grand access to the Northeast market and Indian gaming, and provides an experienced partner for the Mashantucket Pequot tribe as it tries to diversify its operations in the face of rising competition in New England. Under terms released yesterday, the Pequots will license the MGM Grand name to the new resort the tribe is building adjacent to its existing facility in Connecticut. The complex, expected to feature a hotel, casino, 5,000-seat theater, spa and nightclubs, is expected to open in 2008 and be operated by the tribe. (Boston Globe.com/Business; Las Vegas Review-Journal.com)

AMERISTAR MATCHES BID FOR AZTAR. Las Vegas-based Ameristar Casinos on Tuesday matched the highest offer to date in the bidding war for takeover target Aztar Corp., saying the Tropicana's parent is worth more than $2.41 billion. Ameristar, which operates casinos in Nevada, Mississippi, Colorado and Missouri, said it would pay $47 a share for Phoenix-based Aztar's outstanding stock. On Monday, Las Vegas-based Pinnacle upped its offer for Aztar to $45 a share. Aztar's board has not made a recommendation to accept or reject Ameristar's offer. (Las Vegas Review-Journal.com/Business; Page D5, Wall Street Journal)

JETBLUE CHARTS NEW COURSE. JetBlue Airways on Tuesday posted its second-consecutive quarterly loss and outlined a plan that includes deferring delivery of some aircraft, selling others and trimming costs. Although investors applauded the plan, some analysts questioned whether the proposed changes would be enough. JetBlue said high fuel costs drove it to a first-quarter loss of $32 million, or 18 cents per share, versus a year-ago profit of $6 million, or 4 cents a share. Revenue rose 31% to $490 million from $373 million a year ago. The new plan includes focusing on medium- and short-haul flights, revamping fare structures and slowing capacity growth. (AP; Pages 3C, Miami Herald; D2, Wall Street Journal; C4, New York Times; 1B, USA Today; Los Angeles Times.com/Business)

AT THE THEME PARKS.
--Walt Disney World and Disneyland are targeting families with toddlers and pre-school children to fill up hotels in August and September, enticing them with special deals, activities and entertainment. Disney announced its new "Magical Beginnings" program Tuesday for the period of Aug. 13-Sept. 30. Special hotel and meal packages are being offered for families with small children, and during that period Disney is scheduling more entertainment and activities aimed at young children. Disney cited research that found families with toddlers and pre-school children are more willing and likely than other families to take late-summer or early-autumn vacations. (Orlando Sentinel.com/Business)

--Universal Orlando has upped the ante in the Orlando-area battle for theme park employees, increasing the minimum hourly wage to $7.25, just as the summer hiring season begins. That follows SeaWorld Orlando, which increased its minimum wage to $7 an hour in March in preparation for the spring break hiring season. Walt Disney World raised its minimum wage to $6.90 last fall. Universal also is offering a bonus--another 25 cents an hour for anyone who comes in with two years of experience in the tourism or hospitality industry. (Orlando Sentinel.com/Business)

ASIA TOURISM GAIN HAS WEAK SPOTS. Asia's tourism has recovered considerably more than a year after the deadly tsunami, but wary travelers--misinformed about issues from bird flu to terrorism--are avoiding parts of the region, according to a study released Tuesday. About 43% of survey respondents said they were considering Asian vacations this year, up from about 34% last year, according to results of a poll of 5,600 people from Europe, Asia and North America. "The good news is that more people are willing to visit Asia, compared with a year ago," said Paul Wilke, a spokesman for Visa International Asia Pacific, which sponsored the report with the Pacific Asia Travel Association. "What's alarming is that a good amount of people are misinformed about where there are troubles, and what are safe and not-safe destinations," Wilke said. (Page D5A, Wall Street Journal)

SPECIAL BONUS SECTION ON ASIA TRAVEL. USA Today offers a special eight-page bonus section on "Smart Travel" on Asia this morning. More Americans are winging their way to India, Thailand, China, Vietnam and Asia, says the paper. (Sect. E, USA Today)

HOTEL CHECK-IN.
--Carlson Hotels Worldwide has added seven new locations to its global portfolio of brand. These include a Radisson Hotels & Resorts property in China, two Country Inns & Suites by Carlson in the U.S., two new Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts in Canada and Germany, and two Park Inn properties in Ireland and the Russian Federation. The new additions bring Carlson's global portfolio to 927 hotels with 146,302 rooms in 70 countries. (HSMAI econnect.org)


--Hilton Latin America launched a $10 million makeover at its hotels in Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador. The improvement campaign is transforming guestrooms, health clubs, meeting space and public areas at the Hilton Buenos Aires, Argentina; Hilton Cartagena, Columbia; Hilton Colon Guayaquil and Hilton Colon Quito, Ecuador. (Special to TA)

--Marriott International announced that the Pan Pacific Hotel in San Francisco has become the JW Marriott Hotel San Francisco. Located in the city's Union Square, the 21-story. 338-room hotel was designed by world renowned architect John Portman and features 14,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including a 4,325-square-foot Olympic ballroom. (PR Newswire)

--Construction is underway at the new Sheraton Downtown Phoenix hotel, which is located just one block from the expanding Phoenix Convention Center. The city-owned 31-story hotel will boast a 29,000-square-foot ballroom, including 42 meeting rooms for a total of 80,000-square-feet of meeting space. Opening is scheduled for fall of 2008. (Special to TA)

--Best Western International and Access America, a leading provider of travel insurance, announced a partnership to market trip protection on Best Western's Web site, www.bestwestern.com. BW guests booking domestic or international hotel stays will have a choice of five Access America travel insurance and assistance plans, which can provide insurance coverage for trip cancellation and interruption, medical emergencies and 24-hour global assistance. (HSMAIeConnect.org)

--Motel 6 has launched the Family Fun Zone and Trip Planner, a special Web site feature designed to help families plan budget vacations to fun destinations across the country. The Motel 6 Family Fun Zone offers listings of more than 200 zoos, national parks, amusement parks and outlet malls that are located near Motel 6 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. (Hotelbusiness.com)


<<<<<<< From Business Magazines >>>>>>>
THE NEXT NAPA. Argentina's winemaking region is ripe for an explosion in tourism, says Business Week. If you ever wished you'd visited Napa in the '70s, before Mondavi was a household name, traffic clogged the country lanes, and collectors paid hundreds of dollars a bottle for wines from cult vineyards like Shafer and Marcassin, you just have to travel to Mendoza, Argentina's wine region in the foothills of the Andes. A two-hour flight from Buenos Aires, you'll find the most beautiful bodegas and enjoyable tours at foreign-owned or established local estates. (Page 92, Business Week, 5/1)

[Divide Et Impera]

I'm going to Orlando, FL July 7th to July 14th. Anyone have any internet codes for rental car, flight and Disney theme park discounts?

[DeAnna]

TRAVEL ADVANCE (R)
Volume XVI, Number 82
Thursday, April 27, 2006

NEW STUDY CITES FIRE RISK ON CRUISE-SHIP BALCONIES. The British agency investigating last month's deadly cruise ship fire aboard Princess Cruises' Star Princess released its first findings Wednesday and urged major safety measures on balconies. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch, the lead agency probing the March 23 fire, called for "immediate action" to address the threat of catastrophic fires on cruise ship balconies. Current regulations fail to take into account that cruise lines have been building ships with greater numbers of balconies for the past decade. Cabins must be equipped with automatic sprinklers, but no such requirement applies to balconies. The fire aboard the Star Princess erupted on a balcony of a private room and within 10 minutes spread to three decks and ultimately damaged more than 289 cabins--twice as many as previously thought, according to the Southampton, England-based investigative agency. One passenger died after suffering a heart attack, and 13 passengers were treated for smoke inhalation. The International Council of Cruise Lines, an Arlington, Va., trade group, recently urged its 16 member lines to implement a 24-hour "fire watch," to remind passengers not to leave towels or T-shirts on balconies, and to incorporate balcony-specific training into crew members' regular fire drills. Princess Cruises said it is doing all those things. (Page 1A, Miami Herald)
U.S. ISSUES CAUTION ON TRAVEL TO SOLOMON ISLANDS. The State Department is advising Americans to reconsider any travel plans to Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands because of ongoing security concerns. The advisory, which stopped short of an actual travel warning, said that although the presence of foreign forces and police has resulted in relative calm following two days of ethnic violence on April 18 and 19, the potential for violence remains. Americans in Honiara were urged to be alert to the potential for violence when traveling downtown. (Special to TA)

LAS VEGAS TOPS RANKING AMONG CONVENTION CITIES. Las Vegas has strengthened its claim as king of convention cities, hosting a record number of trade shows in 2005, according to new industry rankings released late Wednesday. Chicago, the U.S. convention capital for decades until it was dethroned in the 1990s, has tumbled into third place behind Orlando for the first time. Looming as the next threat to overtake it, convention industry experts say, is fourth-place New York. The latest annual rankings by Tradeshow Week magazine come amid intense competition among cities for a bigger share of the lucrative convention business. Both Las Vegas and Orlando, which landed 44 and 26 of the 200 largest trade shows last year, respectively, have doubled their exhibit space in recent years. (AP; Orlando Sentinel.com/Business; Chicago Tribune.com/Business)

TIA TRIES TO BLUNT IMPACT OF GAS COST ON VACATIONS. The Travel Industry Association says it compared the current price of gasoline to that of a year ago and found that on the typical U.S. driving vacation of 800 miles, higher prices would add just $30 to overall trip costs. TIA also estimated that for larger vehicles and those towing a trailer or those that are heavily loaded, the per-trip cost will go up $40 to $50. "That equates to the price of a dinner for two and is not likely to significantly alter travel plans," TIA said in a statement Wednesday. "High gasoline prices historically cause Americans to make slight modifications to their travel plans but don't cause them to cancel," TIA said. Gasoline shortages, however, have led travelers to cancel trips in the past. (Special to TA)
*USA Today, in its lead editorial this morning, says for those with six-figure incomes, $3 gasoline is little more than an annoyance. Evian spring water goes for about $6.80 a gallon when purchased in one-liter bottles. But for those in the tap-water brackets, the situation is different. "For many of the 39 million households making less than $30,000 a year, the difference between $2 gas and $3 gas is the difference between spending 10% of income on gas and 15%." (Page 12A, USA Today)
SUMMER FLYERS FACE PARKING CRUNCH. More air travelers will make parking harder to find at many U.S. airports this summer. From Chattanooga, Tenn., to Burbank, Calif., parking lot operators are trying to avoid a summertime crunch by adding spaces and raising rates. Starting May 10, Los Angeles will offer valet parking in its central terminal area. Some airports are advising people to leave cars at home. In June, Boston's Logan Airport will become one of few big airports to let travelers pay to reserve a space. Joining the program costs $200 for the first year, plus parking fees. About 500 spaces will be set aside. (Page 1B, USA Today)
TSA IMPOSED FEWER FINES LAST YEAR. The number of passengers hit with fines for security violations at airports fell dramatically last year as the federal government focused on more serious threats, according to records and government officials. The Transportation Security Administration issued 4,459 fines against passengers in 2005, a 54% decrease from 2004. The vast majority of fines are doled out to people trying to bring weapons and other dangerous items on board. "The public has been getting better about what not to bring to the checkpoints," said Salomon Gomez, the TSA's assistant chief counsel for civil enforcement. "The TSA has also gotten better. We've focused more on what will really take down a plane." (Page 3A, USA Today)

TOURISM GAINS CITED IN FED REPORT. The U.S. economy "continued to expand" in March and early April, led by a strengthening job market and improvement in manufacturing, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday. Tourism gains were cited in six of the 12 Fed districts, although several districts said higher energy prices are leading to reduced demand for travel, cars and retail items. In the 1st District, tourism in the Boston area was "booming," the report said. In the 2nd District, which includes the New York City area, hotel room rates were up 10% in February from a year ago and up 13% in March from March 2005. Tourism gains were also cited in the 5th, 6th, 9th and 12th Districts. (Page 6B, USA Today)
EARNINGS SCORECARD.

--Cendant Corp. reported first-quarter revenue totaled $4.2 billion, an increase of 7% over first quarter 2005, reflecting growth across the each of the company's core operating segments. Earnings from continuing operations was 13 cents per share, versus six cents in the same period in 2005. Separately, Cendant said it intends to merge its AmeriHost Inn franchise system into the recently acquired Baymont Inn & Suites brand. Cendant is one of several companies cited in a major New York Times article this morning on investor discontent at annual meetings. (ModernAgent.com, Special to TA; Page C1, New York Times)

--Host Hotels & Resorts, formerly known as Host Marriott Corp., reported that its earnings soared in the first quarter, largely as a result of gains from property sales. The real-estate investment trust reported net income of $172 million, or 44 cents a share. Host Hotels, which owns hotels under the Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt, Four Seasons, Sheraton, Westin, Hilton and other brands, earned $6 million a year earlier, but posted a loss of one cent a share after preferred dividend payments. (Pages A9, Wall Street Journal; D4, Washington Post)

CARLSON WAGONLIT TRAVEL TO ACQUIRE TQ3 NAVIGANT. Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Navigant International, which does business as TQ3Navigant, have signed a definitive agreement under which CWT will acquire all outstanding shares of Navigant for about $510 million, including the assumption of debt. The deal has been approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to close in the second half of this year. In a related transaction, Carlson Cos. and One Equity Partners will acquire Accor's 50% interest in CWT for $465 million, increasing Carlson's stake in CWT to 85%. Hubert Joly will continue to serve as president and CEO of CWT. Ed Adams, Navigant's chairman and CEO, will leave to pursue other opportunities. (PR Newswire)

CRUISE NEWS.
--Celebrity Cruises will deploy more ships and operate more itineraries in Europe from 2007 to 2008--many of the itineraries offered including maiden calls--than it has since it first crossed the Atlantic in 1999. In April 2007, the Galaxy will make Celebrity's first calls in Casablanca and Agadir, Morocco. The Constellation will make the line's first call in Cornwall, England, on a trans-Atlantic sailing in April 2007 from Fort Lauderdale to Dover, England. In April 2008, the ship will make Celebrity's first call in Brest, in the Bretagne region of France, and Cherbourg, in the Normandy region of France. The Millennium will visit Europe in 2007, with new calls in ports such as La Rochelle, France; Bilbao, Spain; and Tangier, Morocco. The Celebrity, coming off a $55 million refurbishment this May, will operate Celebrity's first Scotland and Ireland cruise, sailing from Amsterdam in May 2007. The ship also will make Celebrity's first trip to the Arctic Circle. (Travel Weekly.com, 4/20)

*Celebrity also announced that it will operate three ships in Alaska in 2007--the Summit, Infinity and Mercury. Booking opened Tuesday for Celebrity's 2007 Alaska season, running from May through September. (ModernAgent.com, 4/26; Special to TA)

--Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Legend will offer a new eight-day schedule from Fort Lauderdale, featuring three new tropical destinations--St. Kitts, St. Lucia and St. Maarten--beginning in January 2007. It marks the first time that St. Kitts and St. Lucia have been featured on a Carnival itinerary in more than 10 years. The Legend's new southern Caribbean cruises, which begin Jan. 27, are part of the ship's seasonal eight-day schedule alternating southern and western Caribbean cruises. (Special to TA)

*Carnival Cruise Lines is planning a concierge level on its ships. Maurice Zarmati, vice president, worldwide sales at Carnival, told travel agents at a recent trade event that the line plans a series of additions, including flexible dining, award-winning children's program, health clubs, sushi bars and other enhancements. (ModernAgent.com, 4/20)
--Holland America Line's ms Maasdam emerged from drydock in Freeport, Bahamas, on Thursday, becoming the last ship in the fleet to receive major enhancements in the company's $225 million "Signature of Excellence" initiative. Upgrades include the addition of the Exploration Cafe--powered by The New York Times, a Culinary Arts Center, presented by Food & Wine magazine, a refurbished Crow's Nest observation lounge, and an expanded Greenhouse Spa and Salon. (Special to TA)

--Regent Seven Seas Cruises' has extended its Le Cordon Bleu partnership to offer exclusive dinners at "Signatures," the only permanent Le Cordon Bleu restaurants-at-sea, and in intimate, hands-on Le Cordon Bleu "Classe Culinaire de Croisieres" workshops aboard the Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Mariner. Now, on select 2006 sailings, guests can choose to participate in pre- and post-cruise "Master Class" shore trips celebrating the regional gastronomy of Paris, Monte Carlo, Tokyo and Sydney. (Special to TA)

*Regent Seven Seas Cruises also announced that it will launch a new level of concierge service in partnership with Travel + Leisure magazine. The service will offer "Insider Lists," featuring the magazine's "must-see" attractions in select locations, an onboard concierge, choice tours and a Circles of Interest program, which caters to guests' special interests in personalized on-board and shore activities. (Special to TA)

--Crystal Cruises announced that political commentators and husband and wife James Carville and Mary Matalin will share their opposing views aboard the line's 12-day Aug. 19 cruise from Rome to London, aboard the Crystal Symphony. (Special to TA)

<<<<<<< From Travel Magazines >>>>>>>
10TH ANNUAL HOT LIST. Conde Nast Traveler's 10th annual "Hot List," which hit newsstands this week, includes 130 hot new hotels, 25 hot new nightclubs, and for the first time, 55 hot new spas. To compile the list, CNT's editors inspected hundreds of the world's new and most promising hotels, restaurants and nightclubs from Argentina to Uruguay, and even donned robes in the world's newest spas. (Page 126, Conde Nast Traveler, May)

[DeAnna]

TRAVEL ADVANCE (R)
Volume XVI, Number 84
Monday, May 1, 2006
MILLIONS OF IMMIGRANTS TO JOIN WALKOUT TODAY. Organizers predict unprecedented participation in today's rallies against a proposed crackdown on illegal immigration, with millions expected to boycott jobs, schools and businesses as a way to show the economic power of immigrants. "It'll be tens of millions from coast to coast, from Los Angeles to New York," Javier Rodriquez, a spokesman for the March 25 Coalition, told CNN. "You can expect L.A. to be at a standstill almost totally. You will not have truckers. You will not have taxi drivers, garment workers, hotel workers, restaurant workers--half of the teacher force will not be going to school." A rally in Chicago representing the city's Arab, Asian, black, eastern European and Hispanic communities, along with labor groups and religious leaders, could bring out as many as a half million people, organizers say. (CNN.com, AP)
Elsewhere around the country:
--In Los Angeles, authorities are preparing for hundreds of thousands to march down Wilshire Boulevard, one of the city's most-storied streets. Many businesses along Wilshire plans to close for most of the day--some so that workers can join the protest, others in hopes of avoiding potential problems. Demonstrations are also planned around Southern California. Across the country, immigrants and supporters plan to form human chains in New York City, and marches are planned in Orlando, Allentown, Pa., Louisville, Ky., and Seattle. (Los Angeles Times.com)
.--In Orlando, hotels, restaurants and construction businesses--heavily dependent on immigrant labor overall and especially for certain low-skill jobs--likely will see some of their workers take time off today to participate in demonstrations, industry representatives said. Cragin Mosteller, spokeswoman for the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association in Tallahassee, said the association "does not endorse a walkout" today, to demonstrate economic clout of immigrants and their supporters. However the group favors a guest-worker program that would allow workers to earn legal status. (Orlando Sentinel.com)
--In Las Vegas, the city's largest union is encouraging immigrant workers not to skip work today, but organizers of two demonstrations say they expect thousands of local workers to participate in today's nationwide job boycott. Culinary Local 226 and Nevada's largest unionized casino operators have encourage workers to protest in other ways today other than staying home from work. The Culinary has organized a rally for immigrant workers downtown tonight as an alternative that would allow them to attend work and still express their desire for immigration reform. (Las Vegas Review-Journal.com)
--In smaller cities such as Allentown, Pa.; Omaha, Neb.; and Knoxville, Tenn., immigrants and their allies have been going door to door with fliers, making posters and sharpening speeches. In New Mexico, restaurants cooked meals this weekend to donate to picnics today in Sante Fe and Albuquerque. In New Jersey, Rhode Island, Oregon and Pennsylvania, people boycotting work will march to offices of elected officials to urge them to support pro-immigration legislation. (AP; Honolulu Advertiser.com)
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IMMINENT IN PUERTO RICO. Puerto Rico's governor and lawmakers worked through Sunday night and into early this morning, hoping to avoid the island's first government shutdown today as the U.S. territory runs out of cash. The financial crisis, brewing for weeks and deadlocked in a political standoff between the commonwealth's feuding political parties, means schools might be shuttered and key public services could come to a halt this morning. Puerto Rico House members came up with a plan on Sunday they said would prevent the government from shutting down today, but critics called it illegal. With serious questions by the governor and Senate leadership putting the measure in doubt, Puerto Rico appears just hours from a partial shutdown of its central government. If no deal is struck, union leaders said they are considering calling for a general strike to paralyze Puerto Rico until lawmakers resolve the crisis. (Page 1A, Miami Herald)
*Meanwhile, Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines said it has been assured by officials in San Juan that the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, which runs the island's airports and seaports, will continue operating. Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas was to sail into San Juan on Sunday to embark passengers on a seven-night cruise. The Carnival Destiny is based in San Juan and was still scheduled to pull into port there Sunday. (Page 1A, Miami Herald, 4/29)
FEW U.S. COMPANIES PREPARED FOR BIRD FLU OUTBREAK. In a cover story in its "Money" section this morning, USA Today says just 15% of large U.S. companies have any plans to deal with a bird flu pandemic, according to a survey in March by human resources consultant Watson Wyatt Worldworld. The real issue is absenteeism, which the World Health Organization predicts could climb above 40% and last for weeks. Boeing, for example, is trying to determine if it can operate with 30% of its 160,000 employees out. Most companies could survive absenteeism if it doesn't last long, But it could drag on. The pandemic could even last in waves up to 18 months as it comes to a city, leaves for a while, then returns. Hit first and hard would be airlines, despite assurances by the Air Transport Association that flyers could be safer on a plane than in an enclosed room because of better air circulation and filtration.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon have quarantine rooms set up at 25 airports staffed by 100 employees. Next will be shopping malls, movie theaters, sports arenas, casinos, restaurants and labor-intensive industries. (Page 1B, USA Today)
HIGH GAS PRICES LIKELY HERE TO STAY. Gasoline prices will remain high for years to come and will be largely unaffected by the new White House plan to bring them down, Bush administration officials said Sunday. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said the U.S. faces an oil price "crisis" because surging demand from such countries as China and India has outstripped supply. "The suppliers have lost control of the market," Bodman told NBC's "Meet the Press." Josh Bolton, the White House chief of staff, acknowledged that President Bush's new program to deal with the price increases would have only a "relatively modest" effect on prices in the short term. (Los Angeles Times.com; Page 3A, Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
*With gasoline prices in the U.S. approaching an average $3 a gallon, Americans are moaning about the rising cost, but so far they are resisting big changes in their gas-guzzling ways. For years, economists have argued that the most effective way to moderate U.S. demand would be to hit Americans with higher gas taxes. Today's high prices amount to a market test of that theory. (Page A1, Wall Street Journal)
*Many owners of recreational vehicles aren't ready yet to keep their campers parked, even with gas prices spiraling upward, according to a recent survey by travel marketing firm Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell. The recently released survey, conducted last fall for the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, found that 40% of RV owners and campers would not change their travel plans until gas tops $4 a gallon. And those who might change still would tour in their RVs, but might take shorter trips. However, now that gas is pushing $3 a gallon, the association plans to follow up with new poling. (Orlando Sentinel.com/Business)
UAL TO ADD PERKS TO AWARDS PROGRAM. United Airlines, hoping to rejuvenate its Mileage Plus frequent-flyer program by adding perks, today plans to unveil redemption opportunities for those who rack up additional miles using the United-branded Visa card offered by J .P. Morgan Chase & Co, Instead of just collecting miles for dollars spent on credit-card purchases, Mileage Plus members will earn "Choices," a form of currency that will allow them to redeem any available seat on a United flight at the true purchase price, which is often lower than the 25,000 or 40,000 miles needed under the current redemption rules for a free domestic ticket. (Page A13, Wall Street Journal)
<<<<<<< News and Trends from the Sunday Papers >>>>>>>
RECORD NUMBERS of air travelers are predicted for July and demand is high throughout the summer, says The Washington Post. That, coupled with exorbitant fuel costs, means premium prices at least through Labor Day--and possibly more price hikes. Those who are flexible may find cheaper fares by flying on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. And there may be a sale here or there, but there's no way to predict where. Prices to Europe are high all summer, but travelers might save a couple of hundred dollars by going after July 18, advises Tom Parsons of Bestfares.com. (Page P1, Washington Post)
THIS IS not the year to get lazy about making summer vacation plans, advises the Los Angeles Times. Airfares, gasoline, hotel rooms--and nearly every trip expense is going up, says the paper. Except for occasional last minute sales, travel experts agree, the rule of thumb is, the sooner a traveler books, the better the deal. Even those who start planning now are behind the curve, surveys show. Many summer vacationers have been snapping up plane tickets and hotel rooms for months. Nearly two-thirds of Americans this year are booking their summer trips at least two to three months in advance, according to an online survey of 2,327 adults; 8% started more than six months ago, according to the survey by Harris Interactive for Expedia.com. (Los Angeles Times.com/Travel)
UNITED AIRLINES is raising mileage requirements for some tickets, adding fees and making other changes to its Mileage Plus frequent-flyer program. For example, starting Oct. 16, members will need 50,000 miles, instead of 40,000, for an economy standard award, which is not subject to capacity controls. Also starting then, a $75 fee will be assessed for award travel booked six days or fewer before departure, and $50 for ticketing seven to 13 days in advance. United is also offering, through the end of the year, short-haul saver tickets for 15,000 miles versus the usual 25,000 miles for domestic award tickets. American Airlines also plans to renew its short-hop awards program in September and may make the program permanent. (Los Angeles Times.com/Travel)
PODCAST GUIDES now go where other travel guides don't, says The New York Times. Podcasts are audio recordings posted online than can be downloaded to iPods and other MP3 players for free. Since Apple made podcasts available through iTunes last summer, approximately 35,000 have become available for download. Among the travel-themed are offerings by Fodors.com, RickSteves.com and BudgetTravelOnline.com. Frommers.com was set to launch its first podcast on Sunday, Editors Choice: The Best Travel Advice," in which editors offer tips on how to plan a trip. Other Frommer's podcasts will cover Croatia and family trips to national parks. At this point, podcasts seem to be more of a supplement and not a threat to the guidebook industry, says The Times. (Sect. 5, Page 6, New York Times)
RIVAL gay-travel companies Atlantis and RSVP have each chartered all-gay cruises for next year on the two largest vessels on the planet.--the most visible demonstration yet of the strength of gay and lesbian travel dollars, as well as the simple truth that many have known for years: Cruise ships are popular with gay and lesbian travelers. Royal Caribbean International's 160,000-ton Freedom of the Seas, which displaced Cunard's 2,600-passenger Queen Mary 2 as the biggest ship, when RCCL took possession last week in Germany, will sail Jan. 28 on a seven-night round-trip out of Miami that includes stops at San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private resort on the north coast of Haiti. Attracting a more traditional segment of the gay-cruise market, the massive QM2 will said May 29, 2007, on a six-night trans-Atlantic crossing from New York to Southampton.
It will be the first all-gay sailing for the ship, which launched in January 2004. (San Francisco Chronicle.com/Travel)