Report: Officials mishandled security breach at Fla. airport

A security breach at Orlando International Airport last year that led to increased scrutiny of airport workers nationwide was mishandled by officials, possibly in violation of security rules, a federal report says.

The incident on March 5, 2007, in which an airline worker for Delta subsidiary Comair sneaked 14 guns on board an Orlando-to-Puerto Rico flight, prompted calls for the Transportation Security Administration to screen everyone working at an airport.

SECURITY ISSUES: Air marshals' crimes raise hiring questions

The plane, Delta Flight 933, landed safely at the San Juan airport where the worker, Thomas Anthony Munoz, was arrested. A Homeland Security Department inspector general report says the mishandling raises broader concerns.

"Delta might have failed" to follow a security procedure requiring airlines to immediately notify the TSA of a possible security threat, the report says.

TSA chief Kip Hawley blamed the Orlando Police Department, which protects the airport.

The report is the first accounting of apparent errors that day after Orlando police got a tip that a worker was on Flight 933 "with a weapon." Police took Zabdiel Santiago Balaguer, who worked for Delta subsidiary Comair, off the plane while it was at the airport gate.

A Delta manager at Orlando cleared Flight 933 to leave after the captain said he was comfortable flying, according to the report.

Police did not tell the TSA until shortly after Flight 933 took off, the report says, though Orlando police dispute that account.

Munoz remained on the plane with the guns and 8 pounds of marijuana.

Airport and TSA officials realized Munoz was a passenger when the flight was halfway to Puerto Rico. Munoz evaded airport security by carrying the duffel bag through an employee entrance that leads to airplanes, the report said. He and Balaguer were trying to smuggle the guns and drugs to Puerto Rico.

Aviation-security consultant Douglas Laird said Delta should have told the TSA as soon as it heard from Orlando police. "They never should have left the gate," he said. The TSA probably would have emptied the plane, screened passengers for a second time and searched the cabin, Laird said.

Hawley, in a statement attached to the report, blamed Orlando police for "late notification to TSA" and said new procedures require the airport to tell his agency whenever police are called to a plane. He said police told Delta that "contraband" was on the plane, which Delta thought indicated drugs, and that no one suspected terrorism.

Orlando Police Capt. Jeff O'Dell disputed Hawley's statement, saying police notified the TSA before Flight 933 took off and that TSA personnel were at the gate when Balaguer emerged from the plane. O'Dell said police used the term "contraband" because "that's how the tip came in."

Munoz and Balaguer are serving prison terms for weapons and drug charges. Delta declined to comment.

Flight cuts: Dozens of cities at risk of losing airline service

Airline schedule cutbacks are proving to be an especially difficult challenge to small-city airports, some of which now face the prospect of losing commercial passenger service altogether. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes "the Air Transport Association, an airline industry group, said 97 U.S. airports have lost or will lose all commercial airline service by the end of this year. … For some airports, the end of scheduled commercial flights left them with general aviation such as corporate jets and charter flights — and an airline counter that stands empty."

Among the cities that have lost all scheduled passenger service in the past year: Salem, Ore.; Trenton, N.J.; Wilmington, Del.; Belleville, Ill.; and Jackson, Tenn. Other cities that have lost service have been able to lure new -– but less conventional -– service on other airlines. Athens, Ga., for example, lost all of its service on traditional airlines, but now is served by a GeorgiaSkies. While that carrier offers frequent service between Athens and Atlanta, its flights are on Cessna 208-B Grand Caravan propeller planes and are not affiliated with any larger airline partners. Another city -– Owensboro, Ky. –- lost its DeltaConnection service but was able to lure Allegiant Air. Allegiant, however, flies only to Orlando out of Owensboro.

The reasons some of these airports struggle to hold service varies. Some markets are simply too small. Others are too close to nearby hubs, which siphon off customers with lower fares and more nonstop options. And while many of these smaller airports have made it a top priority to secure passenger service, it may not always be realistic, airline consultant Mike Boyd tells the Journal-Constitution. "They think if you keep studying it, it's like medical science — We'll find a cure," Boyd says. "But in many cases, you have to tell them it’s not going to happen." And even for some the cities that lost service, Boyd suggests it may not be that big of a deal. "You get congressmen who go nuts" over dropped service, Boyd tells the Journal-Constitution. "Well guess what? No one got on it anyway."

New machines scan IDs at border crossings

Agents along the Canada and Mexico borders are using a controversial new machine that can "read" the personal information contained in some government-issued ID cards — such as passports and driver's licenses — as travelers approach a checkpoint.

The Homeland Security Department says the new practice will tighten security and speed the flow of traffic. Privacy advocates say the technology could make Americans less secure because terrorists or other criminals may be able to steal the personal information off the ID cards remotely.

"There's this strange rush to a fancy or shiny new technology," says Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The cards "are quite vulnerable" to being cloned or having their codes broken.

Machines are in place at five crossings — Blaine, Wash.; Buffalo; Detroit; Nogales, Ariz.; and San Ysidro, Calif. — as part of the government's requirement that anyone who crosses the border must show a passport or other government documents proving citizenship and identity. The machines are being activated in Buffalo today; machines in Blaine and Nogales are in use; the rest will be on line over the next couple of months.

The new technology is being used in conjunction with new government passports, passcards and driver's licenses embedded with computer chips that contain the holder's name, date of birth, nationality, passport or ID number and a digitized photo. The personal data can be "read" by a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) machine as the person approaches a border-crossing checkpoint.

By the time a car stops at the Customs booth, the agent will have the photos and information of everyone in the car. If a name is on a watch list or database, the person will be taken in for questioning. The system will be "more efficient," says Thomas Winkowski of Customs and Border Protection.

Privacy-rights advocates warn that terrorists or other criminals can use their own machines in a process called "skimming" to read the information from as far as 50 feet. Consumer privacy expert Katherine Albrecht says the chips create the "potential for a whole surveillance network to be set up." She says police could use them to find criminals, abusive husbands to find their wives, and stores to track customers.

Homeland Security says the chips are made not to reveal personal information to machine readers — just a code, that then shows the information on the border agents' screen. The cards also come with protective sleeves for when they're not in use.

The border crossing ID requirement takes effect in June. So far, 600,000 State Department passcards and 40,000 embedded licenses from Washington state and New York have been issued.

U.S. adds 7 countries to Visa Waiver Program

Amid a downturn in global tourism, a new U.S. travel rule is triggering optimism in the industry for more inbound visitors from several countries.

The federal government will expand its Visa Waiver Program Monday to include South Korea and six Eastern European countries — Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Slovak Republic. It paves the way for the citizens of these countries to enter the USA for up to three months without obtaining a visa.

They join 27 developed countries, including the U.K., France and Japan, that have been granted the privilege. U.S. tourism officials have been vigorously lobbying for expansion in recent years to include other countries as a means to generate more visitors and ease concerns that the USA hasn't been as welcoming following 9/11.

In 2007, about 29 million travelers from overseas — excluding Mexico and Canada — visited the USA, up 10% from 2006, according to the Travel Industry Association. But given the global economic crisis, the number of overseas visitors to the USA is expected to drop 3% in 2009 to 25.5 million from an estimated 26.3 million this year, the TIA says.

Without the program, the rate of decline would have been steeper, says Geoff Freeman, a public affairs executive for TIA. "The Visa Waiver Program is the most critical program for international tourism to the U.S.," he says. "It's valuable on all sides of travel — from business travel to tourism and student travel."

Its proponents say the process of obtaining U.S. tourist visas for foreigners in their home countries can be burdensome and discourages many would-be visitors.

Since 9/11, all foreigners are required to undergo personal interviews. Relieving the burden would spur greater tourism spending in the USA at a time when hotels and airlines are seeing a sudden and dramatic slowdown, Freeman says.

Interest is particularly high in South Korea, where the program has been garnering front-page headlines. In 2007, 806,000 South Koreans visited the USA, ranking seventh-highest among foreign countries.

Korean Air estimates the number of its Korean customers visiting the USA will increase by more than 10% in 2009 despite the weak won.

In anticipation of greater demand, Korean Air will add 5% to 7% more seats for its trans-Pacific flights and increase the frequency of some flights, including Seoul-Washington and Seoul-San Francisco flights.

The Czech Republic, from which more than 45,000 visitors came last year, expects the figure will more than double in 2009, says Daniel Novy of the Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C.

András Juhász from the Hungarian Embassy says the number of Hungarian visitors to the USA also will likely increase once the visa requirement is waived. "We had to stand in line and, for some, they had to travel from the countryside to Budapest for the visa interview. Many weren't willing to go through this humiliating process."

TSA's 'behavior detection' leads to few arrests

Fewer than 1% of airline passengers singled out at airports for suspicious behavior are arrested, Transportation Security Administration figures show, raising complaints that too many innocent people are stopped.

A TSA program launched in early 2006 that looks for terrorists using a controversial surveillance method has led to more than 160,000 people in airports receiving scrutiny, such as a pat-down search or a brief interview. That has resulted in 1,266 arrests, often on charges of carrying drugs or fake IDs, the TSA said.

The TSA program trains screeners to become "behavior detection officers" who patrol terminals and checkpoints looking for travelers who act oddly or appear to answer questions suspiciously.

Critics say the number of arrests is small and indicates the program is flawed.

"That's an awful lot of people being pulled aside and inconvenienced," said Carnegie Mellon scientist Stephen Fienberg, who studied the TSA program and other counterterrorism efforts. "I think it's a sham. We have no evidence it works."

TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said the program has been "incredibly effective" at catching criminals at airports. "It definitely gets at things that other layers of security might miss," Howe said.

In many cases, the extra scrutiny is a casual conversation with a TSA behavior officer that shows someone is innocent, Howe said. Studies are underway that analyze the program's effectiveness, she added.

The program has grown from 43 major airports last year to more than 150 airports, including some with just 20 flights a day. The number of behavior officers will jump from 2,470 to 3,400 by October.

The TSA has not publicly said if it has caught a terrorist through the program. The agency says that some who are arrested, particularly on fake ID charges, may be scouting an airport for a possible attack.

Some scientists say the TSA effort is just as likely to flag a nervous traveler as a terrorist.

"The use of these technologies for the purpose that the TSA is interested in moves into an area where we don't have proven science," said Robert Levenson, a psychologist at the University of California-Berkeley.

Although observers can perceive whether someone appears anxious or is acting deceptively, they can't tell whether that person is planning an attack or something such as an extramarital affair, Levenson said.

Levenson and Fienberg were part of a National Academy of Sciences team whose report last month said "behavioral surveillance" has "enormous potential for violating" privacy.

The report calls for more research and says surveillance should be used only as "preliminary screening" to find people who merit "follow-up investigation." That is how the TSA uses the program, Howe said.

Paul Ekman, a San Francisco psychologist who helped design the TSA program, said it can be effective. But it needs more study, he said.

"The shortcoming is, we don't know how many people are showing suspicious behaviors and aren't being noticed," Ekman said.

Airlines could cut more flights

More cuts in airline schedules may await travelers after the holidays — there are early signs that the usual after-Christmas falloff in travel could be deeper than airline managers had expected.

With conventional fare sales and an overall 10% reduction in domestic flying capacity already in place for the December holidays, U.S. airlines aren't worried that the sliding economy will produce the kind of bah-humbug Christmas season retailers fear.

But come Jan. 5, when all the family vacationers, New Year's revelers and college football fans have gone home, and corporations' austere 2009 travel budgets take effect, all bets are off.

Signs of weakening demand:

•Continental Airlines last week sharply reduced its forecast for a key benchmark of revenue growth for November. It now expects a 4% to 6% increase from a year ago in revenue per seat per mile flown instead of growth in the "low to mid-teens." Continental is the only U.S. airline that publishes such a forecast, but history has shown it to be a reliable gauge of industry trends.

•A Southwest Airlines official says Continental's outlook conforms with her airline's. Tammy Romo, Southwest's vice president of financial planning, says trends have worsened in the month since the airline announced a 5% cutback in January flying capacity — a big reversal for an airline that's grown steadily for 34 years.

"We have seen signs of weakness in our recent booking and revenue trends," Romo says.

•American Express, one of the largest corporate travel agencies, forecast three weeks ago that 2009 coach fares typically paid by business travelers could range from down 3% to up 5%, depending on the length and severity of the U.S. economic downturn. Now it looks like the lower end of that forecast will prove most accurate because business travelers increasingly are seeking cheaper fares aimed mainly at leisure travelers, says AmEx spokeswoman Tracy Paurowski.

So how will airlines react?

In the past they turned to widespread price cutting. But this year's fare and fee hikes, along with recent drops in fuel prices, put profits in sight in 2009.

During earnings conference calls with analysts and reporters last month, executives at several airlines hinted their bias is toward further capacity cuts if demand weakens more. Officials at Delta, now the world's biggest carrier, have dropped the strongest such hints.

"Managing your capacity is critical to controlling your revenues," spokeswoman Betsy Talton says.

What is the USA's most-delayed flight?

The nations most delayed flight? According to the latest numbers from the Department of Transportation, it's American Airlines Flight 1267 (Miami-to-San Juan), which arrived late 86.7% of the time by an average of 70 minutes in October, the latest month for which data is available (page 14). The other flight making the list for October: Delta subsidiary Comair Flight 6273 from Cleveland to Atlanta, which arrived late 82.8% of the time by an average of 47 minutes.

But the real highlight of the latest federal report may be the fact that only two flights showed up on October's list of chronically delayed flights (flights that arrive late at least 80% of the time they fly). The two-flight list from the latest report stands out, standing out in stark contrast to previous data. Dozens of flights have made the DOT's "chronically late" category every month for at least the past year. In September alone, for example, the DOT report listed 74 flights (pages 14-16) as arriving late at least 80% of the time.

Overall, USA TODAY says "U.S. airlines' on-time performance improved in September as the industry handled fewer flights amid lower demand, according to government data released Friday. The 19 carriers filing information reported an on-time rate of 84.9% in September, higher than both September 2007's 81.7% and August 2008's 78.4%, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. A flight is counted as 'on time' if it arrives within 15 minutes of the scheduled time."

USA TODAY adds "airline performance generally improves in early fall, as the busy summer season winds down and the relatively slow pre-holiday period kicks in. Moreover, the industry has aggressively cut back flights in many domestic markets in the face of rising jet fuel prices earlier this year and a slowing economy. The cutbacks have resulted in faster flight turnarounds and less congestion in busy hubs, where delays can trigger stacked runways throughout the system."

Airlines' fuel surcharges fade, but airfares don't

Airlines last week eliminated or significantly lowered fuel surcharges for tens of thousands of domestic fares, but consumers are not paying less for most tickets.

An analysis by FareCompare.com at USA TODAY's request reveals that many airlines folded the amount of the surcharge into the airfare, so for most tickets, travelers are paying the same as before the change.

"We have seen a tectonic shift in domestic airfares, but it's not great news for consumers, because the major airlines have, for the most part, simply shifted the surcharge amount into the base airfare," says Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com.

Until last week, many airlines' domestic airfares had fuel surcharges — except where they compete with Southwest or another discount carrier that doesn't have them. Last week, American eliminated most domestic surcharges and reduced many others. Competitors followed.

Most international tickets still have fuel surcharges ranging from $200 to more than $500. On Nov. 5, 75% of American's 65,000 domestic fares had no surcharge, compared with 32% on Sept. 18, according to FareCompare.com. Nearly 6,000 of American's domestic fares on Sept. 18 had a $200 surcharge; four did on Nov. 5.

Most surviving high surcharges are on Hawaii routes. On Nov. 5, American had 4,000 domestic coach or first-class fares with a $280 surcharge; Delta had 6,000 with a $289 surcharge.

Many fares have absorbed the surcharges.

For example, on Nov. 1, American's base fare was $680, plus a $170 fuel surcharge, for a round-trip, 14-day advance-purchase ticket between Dallas/Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. The ticket's cost before government and airport fees was $850.

On Nov. 6, the same ticket cost $850 with no fuel surcharge.

The airlines' moves provide "a bit more transparency" in prices, Seaney says, but the wide range of surcharges also shows that the run-up in domestic fuel surcharges the past year "had everything to do with competition and the need to raise ticket prices."

Airlines say they began the fuel surcharges because they were hit by record fuel costs. The industry projects it will lose billions of dollars this year.

US Airways spokeswoman Valerie Wunder says the full price of a ticket — not the surcharge — matters.

"We still need to be able to charge enough for our product to be profitable, and we aren't there yet."

Aviation consultant Michael Boyd says the changes are not deceptive. This year is "a financial disaster" for airlines, so "shifting the name from 'fuel surcharge' to 'fare' is not ripping the public off," he says.

Severe norovirus-like outbreak hits Holland America cruise ship

Holland America's Zuiderdam has been hit by an unusually large outbreak of what appears to be norovirus -- the flu-like stomach bug that causes diarrhea and vomiting.

More than 12% of passengers on board the vessel -- 224 out of 1,820 -- came down with the illness during a 17-night voyage that ended Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

It's the first time this year an outbreak has surpassed 10% of passengers on a ship -- a rare occurrence.

The CDC says Holland America has sent additional staff to the Zuiderdam to help clean and disinfect it. The line also delayed the ship's departure on Monday to allow for extra cleaning.

CDC officials boarded the ship Monday, and the CDC is now testing stool samples to determine whether the outbreak is, indeed, norovirus.

Holland America has struggled with gastro-intestinal illness this year on its ships, with six outbreaks documented by the CDC. Only two other lines have had more than one outbreak: Norwegian Cruise Line (4) and Princess Cruises (2). Three other lines -- Carnival, Regent Seven Seas and American Canadian Caribbean Line -- have each had a single outbreak.

Holland America also led the industry in gastro-intestinal illnesses in 2007 with five outbreaks (tying with NCL) and in 2006 with seven outbreaks, according to CDC statistics.

Sometimes called the "24-hour flu," norovirus is the most common cause of stomach illness in the United States, accounting for around half of all cases, according to the CDC. It breaks out regularly in schools, nursing homes, hospitals, offices and other places people congregate.

Air freight gets tighter screening

For the first time, business cargo carried on most passenger planes is being checked for explosives, according to airlines and the Transportation Security Administration.

Airlines began checking air freight on single-aisle airplanes such as 737s and 757s as of Oct. 1, the TSA said. Air freight often includes products sent from manufacturing plants to stores and is carried on planes along with passenger luggage.

Cargo carried on wide-body planes such as 747s is still not checked for bombs but will be by early 2010, the TSA said.

"This is a very significant step for security," TSA spokesman Christopher White said. Single-aisle planes account for more than 90% of domestic flights, he said, though they hold only 25% of the cargo carried by passenger planes.

The TSA has been under pressure for several years to do a better job ensuring that there are no bombs hidden in the 250 million freight packages that passenger planes carry each year. Freight includes anything from flowers and fish to computers and auto parts that require quick delivery.

Most air freight is carried on cargo-only planes, but passenger planes also carry it. On some passenger flights, such cargo fills half the luggage hold.

Cargo groups hailed the progress made in screening.

"The American flying public should be happy and secure in the knowledge that every package that goes on narrow-body flights is screened," said Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association, a trade group of companies that help transport cargo.

Airlines are doing most of the screening at the 80 large and midsized airports using machines that detect residue from explosives, said David Castelveter of the Air Transport Association, an airline trade group.

At more than 370 small airports, the checks are done by TSA screeners who run cargo packages through the same bomb-detection machines that scan luggage, White said.

Cargo transported on single-aisle planes is easy to screen because it comes in small packages that fit through bomb-detection machines, said Steve Alterman, president of the Cargo Airline Association.

Cargo on wide-body jets is harder to screen because it is packed in 5-foot-by-5-foot metal containers. The TSA has until February 2010 to fully screen that cargo and meet a congressional deadline. The TSA plans to have some screening done by manufacturers as they pack shipments such as computers or air conditioners into boxes for air shipment.

Delta Air Lines adding first bag fee

Delta Air Lines, the world's biggest carrier, said Wednesday it will impose a $15 fee to check a first bag, becoming the last of the six legacy airlines to impose such a fee.

The carrier also said it is cutting certain other fees as it aligns its policies with those of Northwest Airlines, which it acquired last week.

Atlanta-based Delta said that effective immediately, for traffic on or after Dec. 5, customers flying within the U.S. will be charged $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second checked bag when traveling domestically, consistent with Northwest's existing policies.

Customers who purchased Delta tickets on or before Wednesday, and who are traveling on or after Dec. 5, will be charged $50 for a second bag, but will be permitted to check their first bag without charge based on Delta's previous policy. Customers flying in first or business class, including SkyMiles Medallion members and WorldPerks Elite members, will be able to check up to three bags, up to 70 pounds each, for free, Delta said.

Delta also said it is eliminating SkyMiles and WorldPerks award ticket surcharges, reducing reservation sales direct ticketing charges and eliminating curbside check-in administrative fees.

Effective immediately, Delta will eliminate the $25 to $100 fuel surcharges assessed for SkyMiles and WorldPerks award ticket travel originating from the U.S. and Canada. The surcharges were instituted earlier this year by both airlines due to high fuel prices, which have declined significantly since their record level in July.

As of Thursday, Delta will reduce the fee assessed for tickets purchased over the phone from a reservations sales representative from $25 to $20, consistent with Northwest's policy. Delta will also reduce the fee collected when customers redeem either SkyMiles or WorldPerks award travel over the phone with a reservations sales representative from $25 to $20. There is no charge for customers who book tickets and redeem award travel online at Delta's website or Northwest's website.

As for curbside check-in, Delta said that, effective Dec. 5, it will drop the $3 fee it has been charging.

Delta also said that last week it began offering coach customers on certain flights the ability to purchase a better seat assignment in their cabin for $5 to $25, depending on distance traveled and seat location. The so-called "coach choice seats" represent less than 10% of all seat assignments available on Delta-operated flights, the airline said.

Most other Northwest baggage policies and fees will be aligned to Delta's structure, effective Dec. 5, Delta said. Travel on Delta and Northwest tickets purchased prior to the announcement of the changes will continue to be governed by prior Delta and Northwest policies.

Delta completed its $2.8 billion stock-swap acquisition of Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest on Oct. 29, creating the world's biggest carrier in terms of traffic. The operations of Northwest, which is now a Delta subsidiary, will be integrated with Delta's over the next one to two years.

The company keeps Delta's name, its Atlanta headquarters, and chief executive Richard Anderson, who used to run Northwest.

Airline crew restrains unruly flier with duct tape

Authorities say a flight crew used duct tape to restrain an unruly passenger on a flight from Puerto Rico to Chicago.

The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday that the FBI said the woman slapped a crewmember on the buttocks and pulled a blind passenger's hair. The flight was diverted Saturday to Charlotte, where the passenger fought with police officers who came aboard the plane.

FBI Agent Peter Carricato said the passenger also used profanity and was touching and jabbing other passengers.

Authorities said 45-year-old Maria Esther Castillo of Oswego, N.Y., has been charged with resisting arrest and interfering with the operations of a flight crew. She faces a detention hearing on Thursday

JetBlue adds two routes between Florida and the Bahamas

Beginning Feb. 1, JetBlue will add nonstop service from both Orlando and Fort Lauderdale to Nassau in the Bahamas. The carrier will fly one daily round-trip flight from Orlando and two from Fort Lauderdale using its 100-seat Embraer E190 jets. Both routes are subject to government approval.

In a press release, the JetBlue says the routes are part of its "plans to expand its footprint in the Caribbean." The company adds "Nassau is JetBlue's first international destination from its focus city at Fort Lauderdale, where the airline will now offer as many as 49 flights per day to 16 top destinations. … Orlando, which became JetBlue’s seventh focus city earlier this year, welcomes Nassau as its fourth international destination, along with existing service to Cancún, Mexico and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. New service to Bogotá, Colombia, begins January 29, 2009, pending receipt of operating authority from the Colombian Government."

$19 million water park opening in Pennsylvania

A new indoor water park is scheduled to open in Pennsylvania on Oct. 31 at the Split Rock Resort & Golf Club.

The new $19 million park, called H20ooohh Indoor Family Waterpark, includes hot tubs, three large slides, a wave pool, a three-story tree house with squirting water toys and dumping buckets, and the Komodo Dragon, Pennsylvania's first indoor FlowRider, which simulates waves suitable for surfing. The park also includes a play area for toddlers, a food court and tiki bar.

The park offers day passes, $40 for general admission and $35 for children 42 inches and under (children 2 and under are free). If you arrive after 4 p.m., prices are $8 cheaper. Guests must bring their own towels. Lockers may be rented for $5.

The resort also offers a variety of packages that include accommodations and waterpark admission. Midweek stays start at $100.50 per person, per night with a two-night minimum; weekends start at $133 per person, per night, with a two-night minimum.

A grand opening special, for Oct. 31-Nov. 2, begins at $191 a night, double occupancy, plus $53 per child ages 5-15, including admission to the waterpark, a free game of bowling and a tour of Split Rock's Nightmare Inn.

www.supremeclienteletravel.biz

TSA likely to ease restrictions on liquids in 2009

Airline passengers will likely be able to carry large bottles of liquids on airplanes some time next year, the Transportation Security Administration says.

The TSA expects by next fall to lift restrictions that limit passengers to carrying 3-ounce bottles of liquids, gels and aerosols in airplane cabins, agency chief Kip Hawley said on the agency's website. Passengers would still have to remove liquids from carry-on bags at airport checkpoints and put them through X-ray machines separately.

"That's a major milestone for security," TSA spokesman Christopher White said Monday. "We're confident it's going to happen in 2009."

By the end of 2010, passengers should be able to keep liquids as they go through checkpoints, Hawley wrote in his blog, posted on Friday.

The restrictions are also likely to be eased in airports of other countries that adopted similar liquid restrictions two years ago after authorities disrupted an alleged plot to bomb trans-Atlantic flights with liquid-based explosives, Hawley wrote.

The changes are expected because better technology will enable checkpoint X-ray machines to spot dangerous liquids. X-ray machines currently can't tell the difference between harmless fluids and explosives. That forces the TSA to limit passengers to 3 ounces of liquid or less — an amount that, even if explosive, would not be enough to bring down an airplane.

Business fliers will be relieved to carry toothpaste tubes larger than 3 ounces, said Bill Connors, executive director of the National Business Travel Association. "It's just a little baby step toward slightly more convenience," he said.

Easing the restrictions could also speed up security lines, said Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition.

10 airports install body scanners

BALTIMORE — Body-scanning machines that show images of people underneath their clothing are being installed in 10 of the nation's busiest airports in one of the biggest public uses of security devices that reveal intimate body parts.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently started using body scans on randomly chosen passengers in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Denver, Albuquerque and at New York's Kennedy airport.

Airports in Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas and Miami will be added this month. Reagan National Airport in Washington starts using a body scanner today. A total of 38 machines will be in use within weeks.

"It's the wave of the future," said James Schear, the TSA security director at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where two body scanners are in use at one checkpoint.

Schear said the scanners could eventually replace metal detectors at the nation's 2,000 airport checkpoints and the pat-downs done on passengers who need extra screening. "We're just scratching the surface of what we can do with whole-body imaging," Schear said.

The TSA effort could encourage scanners' use in rail stations, arenas and office buildings, the American Civil Liberties Union said. "This may well set a precedent that others will follow," said Barry Steinhardt, head of the ACLU technology project.

Scanners are used in a few courthouses, jails and U.S. embassies, as well as overseas border crossings, military checkpoints and some foreign airports such as Amsterdam's Schiphol.

The scanners bounce harmless "millimeter waves" off passengers who are selected to stand inside a portal with arms raised after clearing the metal detector. A TSA screener in a nearby room views the black-and-white image and looks for objects on a screen that are shaded differently from the body. Finding a suspicious object, a screener radios a colleague at the checkpoint to search the passenger.

The TSA says it protects privacy by blurring passengers' faces and deleting images right after viewing. Yet the images are detailed, clearly showing a person's gender. "You can actually see the sweat on someone's back," Schear said.

The scanners aim to strengthen airport security by spotting plastic and ceramic weapons and explosives that evade metal detectors and are the biggest threat to aviation. Government audits have found that screeners miss a large number of weapons, bombs and bomb parts such as wires and timers that agents sneak through checkpoints.

"I'm delighted by this development," said Clark Kent Ervin, the former Homeland Security inspector general whose reports urged the use of body scanners. "This really is the ultimate answer to increasing screeners' ability to spot concealed weapons."

The scanners do a good job seeing under clothing but cannot see through plastic or rubber materials that resemble skin, said Peter Siegel, a senior scientist at the California Institute of Technology.

"You probably could find very common materials that you could wrap around you that would effectively obscure things," Siegel said.

Passengers who went through a scanner at the Baltimore airport last week were intrigued, reassured and occasionally wary. The process took about 30 seconds on average.

Stepping into the 9-foot-tall glass booth, Eileen Reardon of Baltimore looked startled when an electronic glass door slid around the outside of the machine to create the image of her body. "Some of this stuff seems a little crazy," Reardon said, "but in this day and age, you have to go along with it."

Scott Shafer of Phoenix didn't mind a screener looking at him underneath his shorts and polo shirt from a nearby room. The door is kept shut and blocked with floor screens. "I don't know that person back there. I'll never seem them," Shafer said. "Everything personal is taken out of the equation."

Steinhardt of the ACLU said passengers would be alarmed if they saw the image of their body. "It all seems very clinical and non-threatening — you go through this portal and don't have any idea what's at the other end," he said.

Passengers scanned in Baltimore said they did not know what the scanner did and were not told why they were directed into the booth.

Magazine-size signs are posted around the checkpoint explaining the scanners, but passengers said they did not notice them.

Darin Scott of Miami was annoyed by the process.

"If you don't ask questions, they don't tell you anything," Scott said. When he asked a screener technical questions about the scanner, "he could not answer," Scott said.

TSA spokeswoman Sterling Payne said the agency is studying passenger reaction and could "get more creative" about informing passengers. "If passengers have questions," she said, "they need to ask the questions."

Passengers can decline to go through a scanner, but they will face a pat-down.

Schear, the Baltimore security director, said only 4% of passengers decline.

In Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where scanners have been tested since last year as an alternative to pat-downs, 90% of passengers choose to be scanned, the TSA says.

"Most passengers don't think it's any big deal," Schear said. "They think it's a piece of security they're willing to do."

Microsoft and Travelport teaming together..

Microsoft and Travelport are teaming together to develop an integrated set of services targeted for the travel industry to address challenges faced by travellers, suppliers, and travel agents.

Through the collaboration, Microsoft and Travelport will explore the development of services designed to improve the traveller experience and to provide airlines, travel suppliers, and travel agencies, including travel management companies (TMCs) and online travel agents (OTAs), with new revenue and cost reduction opportunities, broader distribution reach, and improved customer satisfaction and loyalty. The services are slated for Q1 2009.

“In bringing together Microsoft’s rich, interactive technologies with Travelport’s deep marketplace of travel content and informed choice, we are creating a completely innovative solution for the travel industry. This will improve the traveler experience with a new level of personalization and change how suppliers, TMCs, and OTAs reach travellers,” said Geoff Cairns, worldwide managing director, Hospitality, Microsoft.

In the travel industry, Microsoft is focused on helping airlines and service providers deliver a highly personalized travel experience across all channels and from all devices. This includes helping service providers to better identify travellers, understand their individual preferences and needs, and build a strong emotional connection through all stages of travel.

Travelport is the leader in Web-based travel e-commerce and provides the most relevant, cost-efficient technologies and services available to participants throughout the global travel distribution chain. The company processes 1.1 billion travel transactions per day. More than 63,000 travel agencies, the world’s leading travel suppliers and corporations globally rely on Travelport to drive productivity, lower operating costs and serve millions of travellers throughout the world.

This engagement builds on a history of Microsoft and Travelport working together on innovative technology solutions in the travel space. Previously, the two companies have collaborated to create ground-breaking solutions, such as Travelport’s e-Pricing shopping technology, which was originally developed for Expedia and now benefits all Travelport customers, and Travelport Cache Control, which was developed with Microsoft. Travelport also provides the Microsoft corporate travel booking solution.

“We are delighted to partner with technology leader Microsoft to develop innovative travel solutions across multiple channels,” said Keith Woodcock, senior vice president, Travelport GDS. “Like other ground-breaking solutions we have developed with Microsoft, the technology investment and development is a result of listening to our customers’ needs and will ultimately benefit the traveler, travel agencies, airlines, and other travel suppliers.”

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Announces End to Fuel Supplement

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. today announced that the company's fuel supplement will no longer apply to new Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises bookings made on or after November 10, 2008, anywhere in the world, for sailings that depart on or after January 1, 2010.

This decision takes into consideration the recent reductions in global fuel prices. The company has also established specific guidelines that will determine whether fuel supplement refunds will be provided for sailings that begin in 2009 and later, which were booked prior to November 10, 2008, if fuel prices remain below a specific price threshold. For 2009 sailings and 2010 sailings booked before November 10, 2008, the company will determine on a quarterly basis whether fuel supplements will be refunded. Refunds, in the form of an onboard credit, will be provided if the closing price of West Texas Intermediate fuel is $65 or less, at the closing time of the New York Mercantile Exchange, two weeks prior to the beginning of the upcoming calendar quarter. When those conditions are met, an onboard credit will be provided to all guests on sailings that begin during the upcoming calendar quarter. The dates on which the price of West Texas Intermediate fuel will be measured, and the quarters during which refunds could apply are: Fuel Price Determination Date Quarter of Possible Fuel Supplement Refunds December 18, 2008 First quarter 2009 March 18, 2009 Second quarter 2009 June 17, 2009 Third quarter 2009 September 17, 2009 Fourth quarter 2009 December 18, 2009 First quarter 2010 March 18, 2010 Second quarter 2010 June 17, 2010 Third quarter 2010 September 17, 2010 Fourth quarter 2010 The company will continue to closely monitor the movement of global fuel prices and recognize that an upturn in those prices could necessitate the reinstatement of a fuel supplement.

Delta Flights from New York to Bahamas

Delta Air Lines and The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism announced daily nonstop flights from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Nassau’s Lynden Pindling International Airport beginning November 1. Delta Air Lines is promoting the launch by offering a special one-way fare of $109 on tickets booked by November 3. Travel must be completed by January 31 and a roundtrip ticket purchase is required. Additional taxes/fees/restrictions/baggage charges may apply.

Flights from New York depart at 12 p.m and arrive in the Bahamas at 3:16 p.m. Flights depart Nassau at 4:07 p.m. and arrive in New York at 7:13 p.m. The flights will operate daily with the exception of Tuesdays from November 1-21 and December 1-20. A second flight will be added on December 20 and December 27.

For more information and great savings and packages call Toll Free (866)782-9838.

www.supremeclienteletravel.biz

Virgin Islands Survive Hurricane Omar with Little to No Damage

St. Maarten, St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. Johns report that Hurricane Omar passed them early this morning as a Category Three storm and did not cause any deaths or significant damages to their infrastructure or hotel sectors. All hotels are fully operational and functioning normally, as are the established tourist sites, attractions and restaurants.

While most of the damage appears to be limited to beach erosion and scattered debris that are associated with a storm of this caliber, it is anticipated that within the next 12 hours all public utilities, including electricity, which experienced scattered outages during the storm, will be fully functional.

On St. Croix, crews are now working to ensure that power is restored to all areas of the island and remove debris from roads. The island’s two major highways are now open and smaller roadways are being cleared.

No major power outages or damages have been reported on St. John or St. Thomas and minor debris will be cleared from the roads by early afternoon.

The Princess Juliana International Airport on St. Maarten is expected to open tomorrow morning and will resume operating on a normal schedule, as will banks, financial institutions, supermarkets, hospitals, pharmacies, and other businesses.

“We are very thankful that our beautiful island only sustained minor damages and that our residents and guests weathered the storm safely,” commented Roy Marlin, commissioner of tourism for St. Maarten. “Currently, we are working to conduct a thorough inspection of all the resorts, hotels and other infrastructure facilities to ensure public safety. We are confident that following this comprehensive inspection that St. Maarten’s tourism product will sustain its high quality and character into the upcoming high season."

Hurricane Omar has since been downgraded to a Category One storm and, according to the National Hurricane Center, is expected to veer out to the open Atlantic Ocean instead of the Gulf of Mexico.

Machines to scan faces of travellers at UK airports

Thousands of passengers are already being scanned in a trial being carried out at two airports. However if the trials prove successful, ministers want the machines to replace most front line airport immigration officer over the next five years.

federal government is expanding its collection of data on innocent travelers

Once again the federal government is expanding its collection of data on innocent travelers, the American Civil Liberties Union said today, with the Department of Homeland Security creating dossiers of travelers who pass through U.S. border checkpoints, maintain these files for 15 years, and share this data broadly - including providing access to courts and attorneys in civil litigation like divorce proceedings.

'Our government is not supposed to collect information on the innocent activities and movements of its citizens just in case they later commit a crime,' said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU's Technology and Liberty Program. 'This program illustrates why America needs more robust and across-the-board privacy laws.'
The DHS policy, which was reported by the Washington Post today, requires travelers at the border to present either a passport or both a drivers license and a birth certificate. The Customers and Border Protection agents scan information from travelers and store it on a database.

'The Customs and Border Protection Agency function is taking the approach that the border is a constitution-free zone,' said Tim Sparapani, Senior Legislative Counsel. 'Congress needs to step in and reassert the American values of limited intrusion on Americans' private lives.'

Sparapani continued, 'This is just the latest in a long list of Department of misguided DHS security policies, from trying to waive all laws at the border to build a US immigration wall, to redirecting the Automated Tracking System from assessing the risk of cargo to assessing the risk of travelers, to the most recent controversy over detaining laptops at airports. It is clear the next administration will need to drastically rethink all of these wrongheaded policies.'

32 picketers arrested outside Disneyland

ANAHEIM, Calif. -Cinderella, Snow White, Tinkerbell and other fictional fixtures of modern-day childhood were handcuffed, frisked and loaded into police vans Thursday at the culmination of a labor protest that brought a touch of reality to the Happiest Place on Earth.

The arrest of the 32 protesters, many of whom wore costumes representing famous Disney characters, came at the end of an hour-long march to Disneyland's gates from one of three Disney-owned hotels at the center of a labor dispute.

Those who were arrested sat in a circle on a busy intersection outside the park holding hands until they were placed in plastic handcuffs and led to two police vans while hundreds of hotel workers cheered and chanted.

The protesters were arrested on a misdemeanor count of failure to obey a police officer and two traffic infractions, and were expected to be booked and released later Thursday, said Sgt. Rick Martinez of the Anaheim police.

Bewildered tourists in Disney T-shirts and caps, some pushing strollers, filed past the commotion and gawked at the costumed picketers getting hauled away. The protest shut down a major thoroughfare outside Disneyland and California Adventure for nearly an hour.

"It's changing my opinion of Disneyland," said tourist Amanda Kosato, who was visiting from north of Melbourne, Australia. "Taking away entitlements stinks."

The dispute involves about 2,300 maids, bell hops, cooks and dishwashers at three Disney-owned hotels: the Paradise Pier, the Grand Californian and the Disneyland Hotel.

The workers' contract expired in February and their union says Disney's latest proposal makes health care unaffordable for hundreds of employees and creates an unfair two-tier wage system. The union also says Disney wants to create a new category of part-time employees who would receive greatly reduced benefits.

"The other hotels around the area all have health care that is provided by the boss and have been able to get wage increases," said Ava Briceno, president of Unite Here Local 681, which represents the workers.

"At the other hotels in the same classification, for the same work, the workers get paid $2 to $3 an hour more."

Disney spokeswoman Lisa Haines said that Disney and the union are in negotiations and nothing has been finalized. She said workers have protested 14 times but sat down to negotiate only 11 times in the past six months.

"Clearly we're disappointed that Unite Here Local 681 has spent more time protesting," she said. "Publicity stunts are not productive and are extremely disruptive to the resort district."

Before the arrests, the picketers marched and chanted outside Paradise Pier, holding signs that read, "Disney is unfaithful," and "Mickey, shame on you." They were joined by community activists and religious leaders from local churches.

Luz Vasquez, who works in the bakery at Disneyland Hotel, said she can't afford to lose many of her benefits. She said it's already hard to care for her three grandchildren and aging mother while earning $14.32 an hour.

"Disneyland is being unfair with us because we're fighting for our health care and they're trying to take it away," said Vasquez, 45. "They're trying to cut our hours and take away our seniority."

Co-worker Diane Dominguez, 50, said she was worried about losing health care because of the heavy labor involved in lifting mattresses, moving furniture and making dozens of beds a day. She also said rising prices and the cost of gas were eating into her salary of $11.11 an hour.

"The most important is health care. We need that and they want to take it away," she said.

At the heart of the issue is a free health care plan that has been provided to Disney hotel workers through a trust fund that Disney and other unionized hotels in the area pay into.

Briceno said that in exchange for the free medical plan, union members agreed in previous contracts to a lower wage for hotel workers in the first three years of their employment.

But Disney now wants to eliminate the free health plan for new hires and wants to create a new class of workers who put in less than 30 hours a week, said Briceno. Those part-time workers would receive no sick or vacation pay and not be given holidays, she said.

The company also wants to increase the number of hours full-time employees must work before qualifying for the health plan, she said.

"At the end of the day what it means is that workers are going to be priced out of health care," she said.

Haines said the majority of other employees at Disneyland pay for a share of their health plan, even though the resort shoulders about 75 percent of the overall cost. She said it's important to negotiate a contract that's fair to those other unions, too.

"We do remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement that's both fair and equitable, providing that union leadership is reasonable and realistic in its approach," Haines said.

Allegations of fraud have been levied against Booking.com

Allegations of fraud have been levied against Priceline.com's European hotel reservation system - Booking.com - but the company has refused to comment according to this article.

This story begins five days ago, when Yiorgos (George) Yiannios, an employee of Booking.com, claimed that a number of reservations made through the Booking.com system were “fraudulent” and that he believed that the hotelier had made the reservations to advance its guest reviews. Without waiting for a reply from the hotelier, George deleted the hotel from Booking.com.

According to an email written by Yiannios, the basis of his claim was that several groups of reservations were made from the same IP address.

Despite believing that the reservations were “fraudulent” (to use Yiannios’ word), Booking.com charged the hotel the full commission and demanded payment of these ‘fraudulent commissions’ before they would restore the hotel’s access to Booking.com.

California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today sued YourTravelBiz.com for operating a gigantic pyramid scheme

Embargoed Until 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time on August 4, 2008
Contact: California Attorney General's Press Office 916-324-5500

Ca. Atty. Gen. Brown Sues To Topple Online Pyramid Scheme

LOS ANGELES--California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today sued YourTravelBiz.com for operating a gigantic pyramid scheme that recruited tens of thousands of members with deceptive claims that members could earn huge sums of money through its online travel agencies.

“YourTravelBiz.com operates a gigantic pyramid scheme that is immensely profitable to a few individuals on top and a complete rip-off for most everyone else,” Attorney General Brown said. “Today’s lawsuit seeks to shut down the company’s unlawful operation before more people are exploited by the scam.”

YourTravelBiz.com and its affiliates operate an illegal pyramid scheme that only benefits members if and when they find enough new members to join the scam. Once enrolled, members who join the pyramid scheme earn compensation for each new person they enlist, regardless of whether they sell any travel. The company lures new members by offering huge income opportunities through online travel agencies yet the typical person actually makes nothing selling travel.

According to company records there were over 200,000 members in 2007 who typically pay more than $1,000 per year--$449.95 to set up an “online travel agency” with a monthly fee of $49.95. In 2007, only 38 percent of the company’s members made any travel commissions. For the minority of members who made any travel commission in 2007, the median income was $39.00--less than one month’s cost to keep the Website. There are at least 139,000 of the company’s travel Websites, all virtually identical, on the Internet.

YourTravelBiz’s extensive marketing materials include videos of people driving Porsches and other luxury cars, holding ten-thousand dollar checks, and claiming to be raking in millions of dollars in profits. The company advertises through its Website www.ytb.com, and at conventions, workshops and nationwide sales meetings which have been held in California locations such as Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco and San Diego.

Brown charges the company, its affiliates, and the company’s founders J. Lloyd Tomer, J. Scott Tomer, J. Kim Sorensen and Andrew Cauthen with operating an “endless chain scheme,” an unlawful pyramid in which a person pays money for the chance to receive money by recruiting new members to join the pyramid. Brown also charges the company with unfair business practices and false advertising practices including:

* Deceptive claims that members can earn millions of dollars with the company
* Operating without filing legally mandated documents with the attorney general and the Department of Corporations
* Selling an illegal travel discount program Under California’s unfair business practices statute, the company is liable for $2,500 per violation of law. Attorney General Brown is suing YourTravelBiz.com to get a court order that:

* Bars the company from making false or misleading statements
* Assesses a civil penalty of at least $15,000,000 and at least $10,000,000 in restitution for Californians who were ripped off by the company. From August 6 through 10, thousands of members are preparing to travel to St. Louis for a national convention to learn new techniques to recruit more victims into the illegal pyramid scheme. Last year at least 10,000 people attended a similar national conference. For more details on the company’s plan to perpetuate its scheme visit:
http://www.yourtravelbiz.com/bizRep/BizReports/BIZREPORT_07-18-08.htm

For more information on pyramid schemes visit:
http://ag.ca.gov/consumers/general/pyramid_schemes.php

Any consumers who believe they have been bilked by YTB should send a written complaint with copies of any supporting documentation to:

Office of the Attorney General
Public Inquiry Unit, P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550

American Airlines is about to pull its airline listings out of Kayak

American Airlines is about to pull its airline listings out of Kayak and is considering doing the same with Orbitz. If it does so, other airlines such as Continental and Northwest may follow suit.

Airlines don’t like the booking sites because they have to pay them a referral fee for every ticket they sell, as opposed to capturing the full fare when travelers book on their individual sites. Even though that only amounts to a few dollars per ticket, every dollar counts to the troubled airlines?especially now with fuel prices going sky-high and the consumer spending going down.

American Airlines has a particular beef with Kayak because it tends to show AA flights through its partnership with Orbitz instead of directly from American. That means American has to pay a double tax, once to Kayak and once to Orbitz. (The deal between Kayak and Orbitz, charges the competing CEO, was meant to drive up traffic numbers on Kayak as it was potentially seeking an IPO prior to raising $200 million instead last December).

The decision to sever ties with Kayak supposedly has already been made. The only question is whether Orbitz can salvage its relationship with the airline. This should strengthen competing travel sites, especially newer ones that link directly to the airlines like Mobissimo and Yapta.

Delta doubles charge for second checked bag, boosts other fees

Delta Air Lines Inc., the third-largest U.S. carrier, will double its charge for checking a second bag on a domestic flight as part of a set of fee increases to help offset the high cost of fuel.

The Atlanta-based carrier said Tuesday that the changes will apply to customers who purchase a ticket on or after Thursday for travel on or after Aug. 5.

Fee changes include an increase from $25 to $50 to check a second bag for domestic travel. Fees for specialty items that require special handling, such as surfboards or ski equipment, will increase on domestic and international flights, Delta said.

First Class, BusinessElite and Medallion customers will still be able to check up to three bags at no charge, the airline said.

Delta said that as fuel costs remain high, it believes revising its fee structure for excess bags and specialty items is essential to generate the necessary revenues to offset its higher costs.

Delta currently does not charge passengers for checking a first bag on domestic flights. It has said it is studying a decision by several other major carriers to impose that fee.

Delta customers checking bags on international flights can check a first and second bag at no charge.

Fees are for each extra bag, each way.

The fee for checking a third bag on a domestic flight will increase from $80 to $125, while the fee for checking a bag that is between 51 and 70 pounds (23 and 32 kilograms) on a domestic flight will rise from $80 to $90.

Delta warned on its website that if a customer has an extra piece of baggage that goes over the weight limit and the size limit, the passenger will be charged three times — once for the extra bag, once for going over the size limit and once for going over the weight limit.

The airline said it accepts up to 10 checked bags on Delta mainline flights and four checked bags on Delta Connection carriers.

It said a $175 charge per item applies to media representatives carrying camera, film, video tape, lighting, or sound equipment.

Delta announced April 14 that it will acquire Eagan, Minnesota-based Northwest Airlines Corp. in a stock-swap deal that would create the world's largest carrier in terms of traffic. The deal is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.

JetBlue Adds Tampa Route at Westchester County Airport

JetBlue Airways will expand its presence at Westchester County Airport near White Plains, N.Y., this winter, growing to become the airline with the most seats to the most destinations as it begins nonstop service to Tampa, Fla., and adds more flights on routes to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Palm Beach. JetBlue's added service to all four cities takes flight Nov. 2, bringing even more convenient and affordable service to Westchester County, Fairfield County, and Hudson Valley travelers just in time for the snowbird season. JetBlue will offer the following 11 daily departures from Westchester County Airport this winter: Fort Lauderdale (three daily flights), Fort Myers (one daily flight), Orlando (four daily flights), Palm Beach (two daily flights), Tampa (one daily flight). JetBlue will operate its new Tampa route aboard the 150-seat Airbus A320.

Delta accepts PayPal payments

PayPal has added Delta Air Lines to its long list of merchants that accept PayPal payments for online sales. Customers booking travel at delta.com now have the option to use their secure PayPal accounts when purchasing new airline tickets.

PayPal has added Delta Air Lines to its long list of merchants that accept PayPal payments for online sales. Customers booking travel at delta.com now have the option to use their secure PayPal accounts when purchasing new airline tickets.

“We are excited to add Delta Air Lines, one of the most established airlines in the world, to our growing stable of travel merchants,” said Tyler Hoffman, senior director of merchant services at PayPal. “Many of our customers already book their international and domestic travel with Delta’s award winning Web site, delta.com, and are excited to now have the option of using their PayPal accounts to do so.”

With more than 60 million active accounts, PayPal provides consumers with a safer, easier way to pay for items and services online. With a PayPal account, Delta customers can choose from several different payment options to fund transactions, including PayPal account balance, bank account, debit cards, and credit cards, all while keeping their financial information private and secure.

“PayPal provides additional payment flexibility that supports Delta’s commitment to providing today’s busy travelers with the ease, convenience, and value they demand. We already guarantee that customers will find our best published fares at delta.com, and PayPal brings them another great option to purchase tickets,” said Josh Weiss, Delta’s managing director responsible for delta.com and self-service products.

Walt Disney World Resort unveiled a new vision for Downtown Disney

Walt Disney World Resort unveiled a new vision for Downtown Disney, with new shopping, dining and other experiences including a completely re-imagined Pleasure Island. Also planned are numerous enhancements to Downtown Disney locations, as well as additional theming and storytelling brought to life by Walt Disney Imagineers. Over the next year, the 120-acre entertainment-shopping-dining complex will add a number of one-of-a-kind, immersive experiences for clients. Downtown Disney will even get its own iconic attraction, in the form of a giant, tethered balloon that will take guests 300 feet into the air to view Walt Disney World Resort. Other new experiences include: T-Rex: A Prehistoric Family Adventure, a dinosaur-themed family eatery to debut this fall. Also this fall, a design-your-own t-shirt store from Hanes will add to the growing collection of merchandise clients can personalize at Downtown Disney. E-brands Restaurants, an Orlando-based, multi-concept restaurant group, will premier its newest concept at Downtown Disney in spring 2009. The casual eatery will feature authentic Central and South American cuisine, specialty drinks and live music along the waterfront. To make way for the new offerings, the last day of operation for all of the clubs currently on Pleasure Island will be Sept. 27. Other locations on Pleasure Island, including Raglan Road, Fuego by Sosa Cigars, Curl by Sammy Duval, Orlando Harley-Davidson and outdoor food and beverage locations will remain open during the transition.

To complement these new experiences, many popular Downtown Disney locations will undergo enhancements. Beginning this summer, Portobello Yacht Club will be transformed into a Tuscan Country Trattoria. This fall, Goofy's Candy Company will add a special new room that will enable families to host one-of-a-kind birthday parties at Downtown Disney. The Marketplace Stage will be completely replaced with a larger, covered stage this fall to welcome even more entertainment to Downtown Disney and serve as a new premier venue for Disney Magic Music Days. Fulton's Crab House will update its interior fixtures and furnishings and exterior in spring 2009. Next year, Wolfgang Puck Café will update its interior fixtures and furnishings and enclose its patio with glass to enable guests to enjoy the outdoors year-round.

Baggage Policy Changes

The following carriers have made changes to their checked baggage policies. Click on the airline below for further details.
To stay updated with the current baggage policy as it is today, please visit the airlines website.

Air Canada:

Air Canada has announced a new checked baggage policy for tickets issued on or after May 15 for travel on or after July 15, 2008. For those traveling before July 15, 2008 or have booked before May 15, 2008, the baggage allowance of 2 bags per person would still apply.

• Under the new policy, customers who purchase tickets on Air Canada which carry a cancellation penalty, may check one bag at no charge and a second bag for a $25 service fee. The fees are assessed each way and may be higher depending on weight and dimensions of the baggage.
• This policy applies for travel within Canada and between Canada and continental U.S. including Hawaii.
• Click here for complete details regarding the new baggage policy posted on carrier's Web site.

AirTran Airways:

AirTran Airways has announced a new checked baggage policy effective May 15, 2008.

• Customers may check one bag for free and a second bag for a $10 USD fee if paid through AirTran Airways' Online Check-in or $20 if paid at the airport, then $50 USD per bag thereafter. The fees are assessed each way and may be higher depending on weight and dimensions of the baggage.
• Click here for complete details regarding the new baggage policy posted on carrier's Web site.
  
  Note: Military personnel may check one duffel/sea bag in place of a 61-inch bag.

American Airlines:

American Airlines has announced a new checked baggage policy effective for tickets purchased on or after June 15.

• This policy applies for travel within the U.S. the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada.
• Customers may check one bag for a $15 USD fee ($30 USD round-trip) and a second bag for a $25 USD fee ($50 USD round-trip). The fee may be higher depending on weight and dimensions of the baggage.
• Click here for complete details regarding the new baggage policy, including exceptions, posted on the carrier's Web site.

Continental Airlines:

Continental Airlines has announced a new checked baggage policy for certain Economy fare tickets that were purchased on or after April 5 for travel on or after May 5, 2008.

• This policy applies to travel within the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada.
• Customers may check one bag for free and a second bag for a $25 USD fee ($50 USD round-trip). The fee may be higher depending on weight and dimensions of the baggage.
• Click here for complete details regarding the new baggage policy posted on the carrier's Web site.
  
  Note: OnePass Elite members, SkyTeam Elite and Elite Plus members, Tickets issued on Y class of service, Continental Airlines Presidential Plus credit card holders, active military traveling on orders are not impacted by this policy change.

Delta:

Delta has announced a new checked baggage policy for domestic tickets traveling on or after May 1, 2008.

• This policy applies to domestic travel.
• Customers may check one bag for free and a second bag for a $25 USD fee ($50 USD round-trip). The fee may be higher depending on weight and dimensions of the baggage.
• The fee will be charged to passengers if their itinerary includes segments after May 1 regardless of when the tickets were purchased.

Note: SkyMiles Elite, and First/Business Class passengers are not impacted by this policy change.

Frontier:

Please be advised of the following baggage fee changes that Frontier has implemented effective Jun 10.

• Customers who purchase tickets for travel on or after June 10th will be charged a $25 fee for a second checked bag.
• Customers who have already purchased tickets before that date will not be affected. Our EarlyReturns® Summit and Ascent members and active duty military personnel will be exempt from this fee.
• The policy for pets traveling in the aircraft cabin will be discontinued effective June 10, but all existing reservations will be honored.
• Click here for complete details regarding the new baggage policy posted on the carrier's Web site.

JetBlue:

JetBlue has announced a new checked baggage policy that will take effect June 1, 2008.

• This new policy applies to customers traveling on/after June 1, 2008.
• Customers may check one bag for free and a second bag for a $20 USD fee ($40 USD round-trip). Subsequent bags will be assessed at $50 USD per bag. The fees may be higher depending on weight and dimensions of each baggage.

Northwest Airlines:

Northwest Airlines has announced a new checked baggage policy for those traveling within North America on or after May 5, 2008.

• This policy applies to tickets issued on/after March 29 for travel within North America on/after May 5.
• Customers may check one bag for free and a second bag for a $25 USD fee ($50 USD round-trip). For customers checking in three or more bags, the carrier will assess a fee of $100 per bag each-way. The fee may be higher depending on weight and dimensions of the baggage.
• Click here for complete details regarding the new baggage policy posted on Northwest Airlines' Web site.
  
  Note: Silver, Gold and Platinum WorldPerks® Elite customers, SkyTeam Elite customers, and those booked in first or full fare classes (Y or B) will not be impacted by this policy change.

United:

United has announced a new checked baggage policy for nonrefundable domestic economy tickets that were purchased on or after February 4 for travel on or after May 5, 2008.

• This policy applies to travel within the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada.
• Customers may check one bag for free and a second bag for a $25 USD fee ($50 USD round-trip). The fee may be higher depending on weight and dimensions of the baggage.
• Click here for complete details regarding the new baggage policy posted on United's Web site.
  
  Note: Customers with Mileage Plus Premier status or greater, Star Alliance Silver status or greater, government fares, military fares, standard Award Tickets, first and business class award tickets, or first and business class upgrades granted prior to check-in are not impacted by this policy change.

US Airways:

US Airways has announced a new baggage policy for tickets purchased on or after February 26 for travel on or after May 5, 2008.

• The new policy applies to all flights within the United States, to/from Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe.
• Customers may check one bag for free and a second bag for a $25 USD fee ($50 USD round-trip). The fee may be higher depending on weight and dimensions of the baggage.
• Click here for complete details regarding the baggage policy posted on US Airways' Web site.
  
  Note: Dividend Miles Preferred members (Silver, Gold, Platinum and Chairman's Preferred), confirmed First Class and Envoy passengers (at time of check-in), Star Alliance Silver and Gold status members, active military personnel in uniform with ID, unaccompanied minors, or passengers checking personal assistive devices are not impacted by this change.

Florida Imposes Restrictions on Sellers of Travel

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has advised members that Florida Governor Charlie Crist has signed into law SB 1310 which, effective July 1, significantly increases registration fees, security bonds and potential fines for firms selling trips to any nation that has been designated by the State Department as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Under the new law, if an agent located anywhere in the country sells travel to a Florida resident with any one of the five designated countries as a destination, he/she must certify in advance of the sale and pay an increased registration fee ranging from $1,000 and $2,500.

Presently, Iran, Syria, Cuba, Sudan and North Korea are the only countries designated by the State Department as terrorism sponsors. Today, ASTA noted, President Bush announced his intention to remove North Korea from the terrorism sponsor list within 45 days.

The agent must also post a security bond ranging from $100,000 and $250,000. Agents who fail to comply could face a $10,000 fine and a third-degree felony conviction. A single transaction involving travel to Iran, Syria, Cuba, Sudan or North Korea can constitute a violation.

In the past, agencies have been generally exempt from Florida's registration requirements if they have been ARC accredited for the past three consecutive years. But under the new amendments to Florida's Seller of Travel law, agents lose that exemption if they sell travel to at least one of the countries on the State Department's list.

ASTA has strongly objected to SB 1310 as an unfair restraint on citizens' freedom to travel. ASTA also believes that it is in direct conflict with federal law. When the legislation becomes effective next week, it will restrict travel which the federal government deems as authorized and perfectly legal. ASTA had urged Governor Crist to veto SB 1310, pointing out that it violates a total of four provisions of the U.S. Constitution.

United To Lay Off Pilots, Cut Domestic Service

United Airlines said that it will lay off 950 pilots due to plans to reduce domestic flights in the face of skyrocketing fuel prices. That will affect about 15 percent of pilots. United issued a statement that said: "As we reduce the size of our fleet and take actions companywide to enable United to compete in an environment of record fuel prices, we must take the difficult, but necessary step to reduce the number of people we have to run our business; and today, we notified our pilots about expected furloughs. We continue discussions with ALPA and all of our unions on ways to mitigate involuntary furloughs, and we are working to notify all of our employee groups about furloughs as soon as we know the impact of our capacity reductions." The carrier said that it is continuing talks with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and other unions on ways to ease the layoffs of company pilots.

American, American Eagle Cut Chicago, LGA Service

American Airlines and its regional affiliate, American Eagle, announced additional details of their capacity reductions for the fourth quarter of 2008. The reductions are in line with American's previously announced (May 21) plans of cutting fourth quarter domestic capacity by 11 to 12 percent and regional affiliate capacity by 10 to 11 percent versus fourth quarter 2007 levels. The changes are being instituted to reduce costs and create a more sustainable supply-and-demand balance in today's high fuel-cost environment. The reductions involve additional schedule changes taking effect in November. Previously announced (May 27) reductions will take effect in September. American is reducing flights at most of its principal operations. This announcement, combined with the previously announced round of schedule reductions, means American will close its operations entirely at three of its airports, while Eagle will close five of its airports, out of a combined total of 250 airports for both. The airports/cities being closed are: American - Oakland, Calif. (previously announced); London Stansted (previously announced); and Barranquilla, Colombia; American Eagle - Albany, New York; Providence, R.I.; Harrisburg, Pa.; Samana, Dominican Republic (previously announced); and San Luis Obispo, Calif. American Eagle will also close its maintenance base in San Luis Obispo. American plans to reduce its departures in Chicago by 28 flights with American Eagle reducing 34 departures. In St. Louis, American will reduce departures by 8 flights with American Eagle and AmericanConnection reducing 35 departures. American will reduce 19 departures at Dallas/Fort Worth along with 23 American Eagle flight reductions. The company also has decided to eliminate five AA flights and 37 American Eagle jet departures at LaGuardia Airport. In addition to the expected cost savings, these changes, coupled with appropriate government action, could allow the airport to operate with less chronic disruption and improve customer experience at one of the nation's most congested airports.

Carnival's 130,000-Ton Carnival Dream to Feature Innovations

Carnival Cruise Lines' new 130,000-ton Carnival Dream -- the largest "Fun Ship" ever constructed -- is slated to debut Sept. 21, 2009 with an array of innovations. The vessel will operate an inaugural schedule in Europe and the Caribbean. Currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, the 3,646-passenger ship will be a new class of vessel for the line. Unique features of the Carnival Dream include The Piazza, an indoor/outdoor café and live music venue; elaborate children's facilities, including expansive play areas and a Carnival WaterWorks aqua park; scenic whirlpools that extend over the ship's beam; and new stateroom categories, including those specifically catering to families. "We've taken everything we've learned about shipbuilding and incorporated it into the magnificent Carnival Dream," said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO.

Carnival Dream's inaugural voyage is a 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruise from Rome (Civitavecchia) visiting Naples, Livorno and Venice (two-day call), Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Messina, Sicily; Monaco; and Barcelona, Spain. Two additional 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruises will be offered on Oct. 3 and Oct. 15, 2009. The ship will then operate a 16-day transatlantic crossing departing Civitavecchia Oct. 27 and arriving New York Nov. 12, 2009. Ports of call include Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and Malaga, Spain; Las Palmas, Canary Islands; and King's Wharf, Bermuda (overnight call). From New York, Carnival Dream will operate two eight-day Bahamas/Florida cruises departing Nov. 15 and Nov. 23, 2009. These voyages include a call at Port Canaveral, followed by visits to Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas.

Following its New York departures, Carnival Dream will reposition to Port Canaveral Dec. 5, 2009 for year-round seven-day Caribbean cruises. Carnival Dream will depart every Saturday on alternating weeklong cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. Eastern Caribbean cruises will call at Nassau, St. Thomas/St. John, and St. Maarten. Western Caribbean voyages will visit Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya and Nassau. Carnival Dream will assume this route from the Carnival Glory, which will redeploy to Miami to operate year-round seven-day Caribbean cruises beginning Oct. 3, 2009.

One of the ship's innovations is called the Piazza, which is designed to be a comfortable oasis during the day and a bustling entertainment complex at night. It will feature a bandstand and a large circular dance floor. A floor-to-ceiling curved glass wall will separate the indoor and outdoor seating areas. Guests at The Piazza can also enjoy full bar service, along with an espresso bar offering gelato and baked goods, along with high-speed Internet access. Carnival Dream will also have a half-mile, open-air promenade encircling the ship on Promenade Deck 5. Along the promenade, four scenic whirlpools cantilever out over the sea. Higher up, Lido Deck 10 will offer a tropical, resort-style main pool complete with a Seaside Theatre LED screen and a Serenity adults-only retreat.

A variety of lounges, bars and nightspots -- including a new dance club concept offering indoor/outdoor access-will be accessible via an 11-deck-high atrium whose ground level will offer a cantilevered bandstand atop a dance floor. Other features include a 23,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa, Carnival's largest and most elaborate health and wellness center to date. Several new types of staterooms will be introduced. The line's first "cove" balcony staterooms -- located closer to the water line -- will offer sea views at a value price. New deluxe ocean-view staterooms will feature two bathrooms. In addition to twin beds that convert to a king, the two-bathroom configuration will include one full bathroom and a second bathroom featuring a junior tub with shower and sink.

Some staterooms will accommodate five guests, making them ideal for families. Additionally, there will be a selection of balcony staterooms and suites. Additionally, adjacent to the Cloud 9 Spa will be 65 spa staterooms and suites which will offer exclusive amenities and privileges. All Carnival Dream staterooms will feature the Carnival Comfort Bed sleep system with plush mattresses, duvets and high-quality linens and pillows. Carnival Dream's family-friendly amenities will include separate, purpose-built facilities for the line's three children's programs: Camp Carnival for kids ages 2-11, Circle C for 12- to 14-year-olds, and Club O2 for teens ages 15 to 17, along with a full schedule of morning-until-night activities catering to each age group. Also fun for children will be Carnival WaterWorks, an aqua park offering water slides and water spray apparatus, and a two-level miniature golf course. Reservations will be accepted for all Carnival Dream's cruises starting July 1.