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Airlines Required To Release Detailed Information On Fees Charged To Consumers

Consumers and private corporations have been complaining about the increasingly excessive fees that they have been erroneously charged for years, and now the Transportation Department is demanding answers. All airlines will be required to submit detailed reports that list a breakdown of the service fees that they charge customers. The federal government is particularly interested in the report, considering the fact that airlines have only been listing total revenues instead of the detailed reports they submitted prior to 2008.

The US Bureau of Transportation Statistics has not been able to release an updated report since 2009, mainly because the airline industry is keeping the exact amount of revenues gained in 2010 a secret. Not only does this cause a headache for the government, it also has a marked effect on travelers that are trying to get the best deal as well as corporations that want to keep a close tab on their expenses. At the very last minute airline companies can elect to impose a new service fee, or increase charges. While most of these increases are cited due to higher fuel prices, consumer advocacy groups want answers.

Fuel prices have remained level up until recently, however, airline ticket prices and service charges have not fallen in correlation. It is not known when these airline service fee breakdowns will be available, but as the summer months approach it is likely that a new round of increases will occur. But this time, airline companies will have to show travelers how they are being charged.

Terminal Cancer Patient Finally Deemed Fit To Fly

Crystal Kim is in her final days of a fight that she has waged against cancer. Both Kim and her daughter, Mimi, arrived at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ready to board a flight headed for South Korea. Crystal had purchased her plane tickets well in advance of the flight, and she had even alerted officials at Korean Air about her condition. When she was a few seconds away from boarding her flight, Kim was unceremoniously turned away.

Kim was given the opportunity to supply Korean Air with more medical information about her current medical status, but after physicians for the airline reviewed her records they turned her away once more. Kim’s original flight was scheduled to depart on Mother’s Day, but she and her daughter ended up spending the night in a hotel. Kim’s daughter Mimi cannot understand why Korean Air has twice turned them away considering that her mother has provided the airline with the requested medical information. Representatives for Korean Air won’t go into specifics, but it is apparent that they do not feel comfortable due to the fact that their flight would have taken 11 hours to get to its destination.

Luckily, Delta Airlines has agreed to fly Crystal and Mimi Kim to South Korea. This will be Crystal’s final flight, and her dying wish is to be in her home country. It is likely that Korean Air’s action was to avoid the possibility of being held liable in case Crystal fell ill during the lengthy flight.

Crazed Airline Passenger Tries To Open Door While On Flight

After Delta flight 1102 took off from Orlando it immediately became clean that one passenger was determined to cause problems. It is suspected that Robert J. Hersey was intoxicated at the time of the incident, but investigators have no yet confirmed or denied these allegations. What is clear is that Hersey unbuckled his seat belt and tried to open to an emergency exit. Due to the airplane’s air compression system, Hersey was unsuccessful. Thankfully, an off duty police officer was on board the flight. The officer apprehended the suspect with the assistance of two good Samaritans.

While nobody on the flight was injured, the passengers had quite a scare. An emergency alarm system was set off when the handle to the emergency door was pressed, triggering fear and panic. This story would not be as remarkable if other unruly passengers on board three separate flights had not done virtually the same thing across various US cities.

Another flight en route to San Francisco was diverted after a Yemeni citizen tried to barge into the cockpit. Passengers say that the man was shouting in Arabic and forcibly trying to open the cockpit door. On a different airplane flight attendants found the word ‘bomb’ written on a paper napkin. Finally, on an airplane that was making its way to Chicago was diverted when a passenger tried to pry open a door on the airplane. Travelers are now nervous about air safety. Although the TSA has certainly stepped up passenger screening measures there have been very few changes to how airplanes are secured.

New Companies Enter The Competitive Online Airline Ticket Search Market

Over the last few years it has become even more imperative for frequent fliers to seek out the lowest airline ticket prices, but a few new players have entered the industry and they could change the way that consumers compare prices. The airline industry is already trying to find new ways to squeeze every last penny out of travelers, but a recent move may have long term effects. American Airlines recently announced that it would no longer do business with companies such as Orbit in an attend to save its customers the most money. Experts argued that American Airlines was actually giving consumers fewer options, but more companies could soon follow suit.

What is making airlines nervous is the fact that Google is planning to purchase a company named ITA Software. If the deal does indeed go through then travel companies would have to directly compete with the number one search engine in the world. In seconds, Google could easily offer surfers the lowest priced airline tickets without them needing to go to any outside websites. This would make it more difficult for airline companies to essentially hide deals. Economy companies such as Jet Blue have become favored among occasional fliers while business professionals almost exclusively fly with luxury airlines. This means that there is a huge competition between travel companies during peak traveling season, and often the winners are those that charge the highest prices. In order to stay afloat, more airline companies may have to start pulling away from websites that offer price comparisons.

Several Countries Warn Citizens Not To Travel To Egypt

Egypt is a beautiful travel destination, but countries such as Australia, China, Denmark and the US have warned their citizens to look for another place to visit. As it stands, there are tanks currently patrolling Cairo, and the there is a strict curfew in place. Because of a massive Internet and media blackout, no one really knows exactly what is going on in Egypt. Many reports have come in stating that violence is minimal, but some media outlets have received news of both shootings and kidnapping.

Thousands of travelers were forced to cancel their vacations to Egypt, but relatively small portion has decided to go forth with their plans anyways. Because the majority of Egyptian protesters will be taking to the streets, few businesses are even operational. Hotels, restaurants and even museums have been indefinitely closed amid the turmoil. What’s worse is that some travelers have been stuck at the Cairo International Airport for days now because they cannot get connecting flights. As the only other means of travel would be via boat or car, travelers fearing for their safety have taken refuge inside of the large airport. Egyptians will probably not stop protesting until President Hosni Mubarak steps down, but his efforts to suppress the rebellion have lead many to believe that he has no intentions of abandoning his position. Earlier rebellions in Tunisia are believed to have inspired the people of Egypt to finally start their own efforts to change their own repressive government policies. President Mubarak has named a successor, but many feel that he is just as corrupt as Mubarak himself.

Expedia And American Airlines Embroiled In Battle

Expedia is well known as one of the first travel discount websites that allows consumers to both compare rates and book reservations at the same time. Since the concept of doing airline, hotel and car rental comparisons and selection in the same place became popular, a number of competitors have came onto the market. Even still, Expedia has managed to hold their own. Almost every major airline, hotel chain and car rental company in the world has partnered with the website, giving discounts for consumers in exchange for increased sales. That is, until American Airlines decided to pull out. The company claims that they have actually been able to sell more airline tickets directly via their website versus having their services promoted on sites similar to Expedia. In late 2010, American Airlines temporarily stopped doing business with Orbitz, one of Expedia’s competitors, and then abruptly did the same with Expedia. While American Airlines may have thought that they would be able to experiment with different sales strategies and go back to Expedia whenever they wanted to, they did not expect that Expedia would pull both their scheduling and fare pricing details.

Experts in the travel industry state that American Airlines is probably not being completely truthful. By strategically making airline tickets available only via their official website during the busy holiday season, it is more likely that American Airlines experienced a momentary surge in profit. In addition to selling their plane tickets exclusively, American Airlines also tempted travelers by giving them access to discounts on hotel rooms and car rentals. AA may not have wanted to start a battle with Expedia, but by offering virtually the same services as the travel comparison website, they inadvertently made themselves a direct competitor. Even if American Airlines decides not to partner with Expedia again in the future, they have already aligned themselves with Priceline.

Tulsa Mayor’s Travel Plans Thwarted

While tax payers understand that government officials need to take an occasional vacation, Tulsa, Arizona Mayor Dewey Bartlett took things a bit too far when he used anonymous donations to fund his trip. The Tulsa City Council agreed and demanded that the mayor return the misappropriated funds. As Tulsa struggles to keep their fiscal budget balanced, officials were horrified when they learned that Mayor Bartlett used over $7,000 to pay for several business trips instead of on city programs. Bartlett states that he assumed that he could use direct donations to help pay for job related expenses, but a city ordnance expressly forbids this.

Mayor Bartlett’s actions have lead to a city-wide government investigation that may uncover more misappropriation of funds, officials fear. While some Tulsa politicians do not think that the measure is necessary, many others believe that that the move is long overdue, and even suggest that an audit will be necessary. Bartlett offered his apologies and stated that he made an honest mistake, and returned the money, but he is not off the hook. Many Tulsa citizens and officials are calling for his resignation, and Interim City Attorney David Pauling says that he will investigate the matter further. This development has lead many to question the ethics of politicians in Tulsa in general. Although this is the first time that residents have learned of such an obvious cause of unethical behavior, the audit that is planned to take place in early 2011 will help to determine whether this is an isolated incident or a pattern of corruption.

Canadian Travel Profits Rising Despite Low Number Of US Visitors

Canada could probably stand to see a few more US residents on its soil, but only for a visit. Overall, travelers from all over have been visiting Canada in increasing number, helping to boost their profits coming from tourism. Thanks in part to the 2010 Winter Olympics being hosted in Vancouver, Canada has seen a major increase of international visitors. Visits from US residents have fallen consistently since 2002. Officials blame it on the the currency rate exchange between US and Canadian dollars. The upward shift in Canada’s travel market can be attributed mainly to more frequent overnight stays by international visitors in cities like Vancouver and Ottawa.

After suffering a loss of international travelers in 2009, the Canadian travel market largely depended on inter-province travel for awhile until things began to pick up again.  The rising costs of food and fuel are actually some of the things that are helping Canada’s travel sector to become more profitable. From the international travelers that came for the Winter Olympics, the currency exchange rate combined with increased hotel costs and restaurant patronage will give Canada a huge surge once they are able to calculate the total at the end of the year.

Although Canada has been able to scrape by without many US travelers, analysts hope that things will improve soon. The Winter Olympics was a one time event, and with 2011 drawing closer, Canada needs to find a way to get more US and international visitors that will stay overnight and travel through their airports.

Travel Agents Hotels Worldwide Making Use of Door Hangers in Unique Ways

Hotels are looking to find new ways to innovate when it comes to making a solid brand name for themselves these days. Much of what hotel owners are seeking to do these days is establish their brand strongly in the mind of guests so that they will return for multiple stays. Studies have shown that when it comes to comfort oriented services such as motels and hotels offer, it is brand recognition that plays highly in the decision making process for most consumers since they are shown to be more apt to return to accommodations they have already stayed at – if they can remember the name and location at which they had an enjoyable time. For those hotels that are not part of a chain franchise, they are seeking ways to stand out so that visitors will recall their stay. Since they generally operate on smaller budgets, these businesses often take advantage of the fact that guests have a tendency to take items within the room as souvenirs of their stay. With custom door hangers, these motels and hotels are able to create custom imagery which they can then use as a way to both offer a usable door hanger to customers while emblazoning it with their logo and brand message. Many customers actually end up collecting these items so that they are serving as ads across a period of years rather than just during the initial stay.

Travel agents, too, are finding ways to put door hangers to work for them. Captivating images of vacations they offer make for good visuals that can easily be handed out in neighborhoods the agency caters to. After a long day at work, consumers returning home have often been dreaming of an escape from the work a day world so this particular use of door hangers proves to be a solid way to captivate their interest during a key moment of their day. For this reason, afternoon placement of the hangers is generally chosen to achieve the best results, say many agents. Since the agents can use an online site to upload images of their choice they are able to create a far more instantly appealing visual and that allows them to convey what they have to offer potential tourists in a far more immediate way. This is proving key to converting consumers quicker since photos tend to capture the eye and imagination more quickly, when it comes to advertising, than artist renderings are likely to do.

In all, it seems that the low cost of these customizable door hangers are offering a cost effective marketing solution that has both short and long term benefits for businesses in the travel industry that are taking advantage of them. Business experts say that it is often physical marketing materials like this that are able to engage potential customers in a tactile way that can have a strong effect while not being discarded the way that junk mail often is because they serve as a pattern interrupt that snaps consumers from the daily daze and draws their attention to the marketing message.

Space Travel Could Be Next Big Craze for Wealthy

Things are definitely looking interesting for those who think that travel would be a great way to explore new places. It turns out that for some of the super rich today, there could be a new way to travel and a very new place to go: suborbital space. According to some impressive news from the British company Virgin Galactic, run by billionaire tycoon Sir Richard Branson, there will be a great way to to see Earth from a very high point if he has his way. Those willing to foot the price of the ticket will be able to enjoy a ride on the VSS Enterprise, also known as SpaceShipTwo. The space craft uses some of the technology found in its predecessor, SpaceShipOne, which won the Ansari X Award in 2004. That was the first manned space craft built by a private company that was able to reach space in less than 2 weeks. This new, more advanced thrill ride will offer weightlessness to those who want to travel not just across the globe, but far above it, too. The ship travels a full 10 kilometers above Earth’s atmosphere.

The ship has now launched a manned, gliding free flight which it was able to land with great success. The craft was released from a mother ship called WhiteKnightTwo and it had been more than 14 km above the Mojave Desert in the state of California at the time of this flight. This prompted Branson to tell expectant travellers, in his typical witty style, that the sky is no longer the limit for those looking for an amazing travel experience.