Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Mishaps Of the Seas...

No, not a new ship's name, but it seems appropriate given the sudden spike of problems facing big box ships that cater to the masses.

It was inevitable that the intense competition among the cruise lines would lead to these incidents.  Cruise lines asking for bigger ships built with elaborate amenities, electronics, facilities and capacity all while squeezing costs and pushing the envelop on safety.  These behemoths roaming the seas may continue to experience episodes such as the one that afflicted Carnival Cruise Lines and the "Grandeur of the Seas" over this past weekend. 

While airlines and manfacturers face very rigorous design safety standards, cruise lines and their builders really don't. www.premieretravel.com

Friday, May 17, 2013

TSA Pre Printed on Boarding Passes Goes International

TSA Pre✓™ Expands Expedited Screening Benefits for International Travel

 
WASHINGTON – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that beginning May 7, 2013, in addition to domestic travel, TSA Pre✓™ participants will be eligible for expedited screening on select international travel itineraries. Eligible passengers traveling on Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and US Airways will be allowed to leave on their shoes, light outerwear and belt, keep their laptop in its case, and their 3-1-1 compliant liquids/gels bag in a carry-on.

Passengers flying internationally from the 40 participating TSA Pre✓™ airports may be eligible to receive expedited screening. In addition, passengers with connecting domestic flights who arrive in the United States on an international flight may use the TSA Pre✓™ lanes when going through the screening process at participating airports after being cleared by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“By expanding TSA Pre✓™ beyond domestic air travel, we are further demonstrating our commitment to identifying innovative ways to securely move travelers more quickly through our airports,” said TSA Administrator John S. Pistole. “Through TSA Pre✓™, TSA can quickly process passengers who we know more about. This allows us to focus more of our time on those passengers about whom we know less.”
www.premieretravel.com

Limited-Time United Business Class Discounts


 
 
 
United Airlines
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
At these prices, BusinessFirst isn’t just for business anymore
 
Low fares to Europe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Get special low fares to Europe in United BusinessFirst

This summer, we're lowering fares on our premium-cabin service to United destinations in Europe from the U.S. Take advantage of this limited-time fare sale and experience the extra space, comfort and personalized service of United BusinessFirst® at significant savings. Choose from London, Paris, Rome, Dublin, Geneva or anywhere we fly in Europe.
 
 
 
 

Hurry – book your roundtrip ticket by 11:59 p.m. (CT) on July 2, 2013, and travel between June 28 and September 5, 2013. www.premieretravel.com
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

United "Adjusts" Change and Cancelation Fee Policy

It has been almost 3 weeks since United silently increased the Change and Cancelation fee which was eventually matched by all the legacy carriers.  Travel management companies and travelers have never been notified of this critical change until today.  So finally, the announcement:


 
United News
 
May 15, 2013
 
United Adjusts Change and Cancelation Fee Policy
 
United has increased the change and cancelation fees for most non-refundable tickets issued on or after May 15, 2013 for the markets indicated below. 
 
Markets
 
 
 
From
To
New*
Previous
Caribbean / Central America / Mexico
U.S. / Canada
200
150
South America
U.S. / Canada
300
250
U.S. / Canada / Caribbean / Latin / U.S. Virgin Islands
Pacific
300
250
U.S.
Atlantic
300
250
Caribbean / Central America / Mexico / U.S.
Virgin Islands
Atlantic
250 - 300
175 - 250
South America
Atlantic
300
175 - 250
 
*The examples above are for most economy class bookings and some fee exceptions may apply. For complete information and additional detail on premium cabins, please see the fare rules of the ticket. Tickets issued prior to May 15, 2013 will follow the fare rules that applied at the time of ticket purchase.
 
United offers a range of fare types, including select booking classes that allow for changes at no additional charge. MileagePlus Premier® Gold, Premier Platinum and Premier 1K® members may request fee-waived same-day flight changes.
 
 
 
 

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Thursday, May 9, 2013

Southwest Airlines Becoming a Legacy Carrier


For the longest time, Southwest Airlines operated an airline like none of the legacy carriers.  The plan was simple: provide good efficient point-to-point service at a discount with a smile and the rest is one of the biggest success stories in sound airline management and model of profitability.  Copycats tried and failed to emulate the Southwest model.  While the method seemed simple, having a savvy team and the execution is not.

Lately however, Southwest kept the smile in their service but happily followed the legacy carriers in drastically increasing fares across the board and upped their hostility towards travel agents.  Agencies get penalized to the tune of $150 per booking if they fail to ticket a reservation.  Even legacy carriers are not that harsh.  It is getting hard to find meaningful savings when fares are compared to legacy carriers especially when you have to trek to distant airports.

Southwest is a great carrier, but they are deviating from their success recipe that they have doggedly followed for over 40 years and allowing new upstarts to finally copy their original recipe.  Just like we did not care too much for the "New Coke" back in the 80's, Southwest is quietly remaking itself with the bungled Coke strategy.
The No change/no baggage fees is being tested as their new subsidiary Air Tran maintained these fees.  Southwest wants to be all things to all travelers, and in the process, they may lose their identity.
www.premieretravel.com