Showing posts with label business travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business travel. Show all posts
Friday, July 17, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tougher ID requirements begin June 1 for citizens returning to the U.S.
On June 1, U.S. citizens returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and parts of the Caribbean by land or sea will face stiffer documentation requirements.
Passports, passport cards, Enhanced Driver's Licenses or "trusted traveler" cards will have to be shown, unless voyagers are youngsters or on certain exempt cruises.
(U.S. citizens already need a passport to return via air from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and Caribbean islands except Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.)
The stepped-up requirements are the final phase of a Department of Homeland Security/State Department anti-terrorism policy called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which took effect in January 2007 with passports required to fly back from neighboring countries.
"The mission is to strengthen border security while facilitating legitimate travel," says Joanne Ferreira, a spokeswoman for U.S Customs and Border Protection.
The various entry cards and information on how to get them are detailed on the agency's website getyouhome.gov.
Passport cards, which look like driver's licenses, have been offered since July and can be used to drive or walk across the border from Canada or Mexico or to take ferries or cruises. They're not accepted for international air travel.
Enhanced Driver's Licenses, embedded with technology that refers border agents to a stored record in a government database, are currently being issued by only four states: New York, Vermont, Michigan and Washington State.
Other forms of acceptable land-and-sea border crossing documentation: "trusted traveler" cards such as SENTRI, NEXUS and FAST (for truckers), which require more screening to obtain. Those with passport cards, enhanced licenses and other cards embedded with identity information can use scanners to speed their trip through some checkpoints.
Those under 16 or teens 16 to 18 who are traveling with an organized group to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean will need only a birth certificate, the Customs and Border Protection agency says.
The new rules were to have kicked in January 2008, but they were postponed in part by fears that they would hinder trade and tourism.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters this week that she knows some Americans are unaware of the new requirements or haven't gotten around to getting a passport. The process can take a month or more.
"We'll work with them at the border," she said. That may involve being pulled aside while border agents confirm identity and citizenship.
Cruising already is a sea of confusion.
For instance, cruisers who begin and end their trips in the same U.S. port are not required to show passports under the new law. Technically, they can use a driver's license and birth certificate.
The Cruise Lines International Association says individual carriers reserve the right to require certain identification, including passports and that would-be cruisers check with individual cruise lines when booking.
It's too early to say whether the new rules will further slow travel and harm tourist-dependent areas such as Mexican border towns.
A record 30% of Americans hold passports, the State Department says. But applications, which had been rising, are down in this recessionary year (7.1 million issued through April, vs. 10.3 million in the same period last year).
The cost for an adult passport ($100 purchased in person; $75 by mail) and $45 passport card for first-time adult purchasers ($20 by mail) may deter some vacationers. As might the wait to get them.
So who might profit from the new rules?
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix — are United States territory and continue to be passport-free zones.
Passports, passport cards, Enhanced Driver's Licenses or "trusted traveler" cards will have to be shown, unless voyagers are youngsters or on certain exempt cruises.
(U.S. citizens already need a passport to return via air from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and Caribbean islands except Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.)
The stepped-up requirements are the final phase of a Department of Homeland Security/State Department anti-terrorism policy called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which took effect in January 2007 with passports required to fly back from neighboring countries.
"The mission is to strengthen border security while facilitating legitimate travel," says Joanne Ferreira, a spokeswoman for U.S Customs and Border Protection.
The various entry cards and information on how to get them are detailed on the agency's website getyouhome.gov.
Passport cards, which look like driver's licenses, have been offered since July and can be used to drive or walk across the border from Canada or Mexico or to take ferries or cruises. They're not accepted for international air travel.
Enhanced Driver's Licenses, embedded with technology that refers border agents to a stored record in a government database, are currently being issued by only four states: New York, Vermont, Michigan and Washington State.
Other forms of acceptable land-and-sea border crossing documentation: "trusted traveler" cards such as SENTRI, NEXUS and FAST (for truckers), which require more screening to obtain. Those with passport cards, enhanced licenses and other cards embedded with identity information can use scanners to speed their trip through some checkpoints.
Those under 16 or teens 16 to 18 who are traveling with an organized group to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean will need only a birth certificate, the Customs and Border Protection agency says.
The new rules were to have kicked in January 2008, but they were postponed in part by fears that they would hinder trade and tourism.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters this week that she knows some Americans are unaware of the new requirements or haven't gotten around to getting a passport. The process can take a month or more.
"We'll work with them at the border," she said. That may involve being pulled aside while border agents confirm identity and citizenship.
Cruising already is a sea of confusion.
For instance, cruisers who begin and end their trips in the same U.S. port are not required to show passports under the new law. Technically, they can use a driver's license and birth certificate.
The Cruise Lines International Association says individual carriers reserve the right to require certain identification, including passports and that would-be cruisers check with individual cruise lines when booking.
It's too early to say whether the new rules will further slow travel and harm tourist-dependent areas such as Mexican border towns.
A record 30% of Americans hold passports, the State Department says. But applications, which had been rising, are down in this recessionary year (7.1 million issued through April, vs. 10.3 million in the same period last year).
The cost for an adult passport ($100 purchased in person; $75 by mail) and $45 passport card for first-time adult purchasers ($20 by mail) may deter some vacationers. As might the wait to get them.
So who might profit from the new rules?
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix — are United States territory and continue to be passport-free zones.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Southwest Piloting Onboard Wi-Fi
Southwest Airlines today launched a one-airplane pilot test of inflight wireless Internet with satellite connectivity supplier Row 44. In the next month, Southwest plans to expand the trial to three more aircraft.
The carrier is offering onboard Wi-Fi for free during the trial period, though it plans ultimately to monetize the offering, a spokesperson said today.
Though Southwest did not disclose price points, as it awaits trial results, Row 44 CEO John Guidon said, "If we were selling this as a retail service, meaning if the airlines weren't marketing it, then we'd probably put it somewhere in that $7.99 region, but we have really no input on how much the airlines will charge. They'll charge as they'll see fit and I'm sure it will be a good value."
Southwest expects the trial to extend "for the next few months." The Southwest trial is the first with Row 44, though Alaska Airlines, which already has inked an agreement with the provider, is expected to roll out the service "extremely soon," Guidon said.
Southwest said expansion beyond the pilot requires Federal Communications Commission approval, as Row 44 continues to wrap up its permits. "We're in a process that we've been navigating through for some months, and we're getting very close to the end of that process," said Guidon.
The carrier said the service is compatible with any Wi-Fi-enabled device, including laptops and smart phones, though "cellular technology will not work."
Southwest joins a growing number of domestic airlines that are bringing Wi-Fi onboard. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines in the past year have rolled out Wi-Fi on a limited domestic basis in conjunction with Aircell. American Airlines in August began rolling out the service across its 15-plane Boeing 767-200 fleet, while Delta is planning a fleetwide domestic rollout of the service, which this week launched on its 20th domestic aircraft. United Airlines last month also announced plans to outfit 13 transcontinental Boeing 757 aircraft with inflight wireless Internet capabilities in the second half of the year.
The carrier is offering onboard Wi-Fi for free during the trial period, though it plans ultimately to monetize the offering, a spokesperson said today.
Though Southwest did not disclose price points, as it awaits trial results, Row 44 CEO John Guidon said, "If we were selling this as a retail service, meaning if the airlines weren't marketing it, then we'd probably put it somewhere in that $7.99 region, but we have really no input on how much the airlines will charge. They'll charge as they'll see fit and I'm sure it will be a good value."
Southwest expects the trial to extend "for the next few months." The Southwest trial is the first with Row 44, though Alaska Airlines, which already has inked an agreement with the provider, is expected to roll out the service "extremely soon," Guidon said.
Southwest said expansion beyond the pilot requires Federal Communications Commission approval, as Row 44 continues to wrap up its permits. "We're in a process that we've been navigating through for some months, and we're getting very close to the end of that process," said Guidon.
The carrier said the service is compatible with any Wi-Fi-enabled device, including laptops and smart phones, though "cellular technology will not work."
Southwest joins a growing number of domestic airlines that are bringing Wi-Fi onboard. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines in the past year have rolled out Wi-Fi on a limited domestic basis in conjunction with Aircell. American Airlines in August began rolling out the service across its 15-plane Boeing 767-200 fleet, while Delta is planning a fleetwide domestic rollout of the service, which this week launched on its 20th domestic aircraft. United Airlines last month also announced plans to outfit 13 transcontinental Boeing 757 aircraft with inflight wireless Internet capabilities in the second half of the year.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Check on Airport Delays@www.yourbusinesstravel.info
Supreme Clientele Travel displays an interactive map of FlightStats'- an exclusive airport delays index for your region. Updated every 30 minutes, the color-coded dots indicate each airport's delay index - a measure of current delay conditions and trends. You can see system-wide conditions at a glance. Moving a mouse over an airport's location generates a pop-up window inviting you to click through for links to airport information, flight arrivals and flight departures so that you can check for any impact on your specific flight.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
WWW.YOURBUSINESSTRAVEL.INFO
If travel is one of your biggest expenses, it demands a strategic approach.... In the travel industry, fares and rates change constantly and vary wildly depending on where and how you purchase. Every day, an average of over 10,000 fare changes typically hit the market. Every day, the same airline will offer a dozen or more fares for the same seat on the same plane. Every day, there are corporate deals, group deals, internet deals, bulk-purchase deals, etc., etc. which come into and out of the marketplace. Do you have the time or resources to keep track of it all?
We do.
We are a whole new kind of travel agency with the unique resources, technology, and savvy to save you 20-30% on travel costs, offering rates and savings that even the leading web sites can't touch.
At Supreme Clientele Travel, we have the experience, the savvy, and the cutting edge technology to do that work for you – more quickly,
more accurately, and more cost effectively.
Whether you're a sales rep or a CEO, Supreme Clientele Travel delivers an array of complimentary services and resources to make your business travel more efficient, affordable and hassle-free.
We provide global travel management services - putting service first to meet all your business travel needs.
www.yourbusinesstravel.info
24 Hour Live Customer Support
(866)782-9838
Fax/Voicemail: (206)203-4826
We do.
We are a whole new kind of travel agency with the unique resources, technology, and savvy to save you 20-30% on travel costs, offering rates and savings that even the leading web sites can't touch.
At Supreme Clientele Travel, we have the experience, the savvy, and the cutting edge technology to do that work for you – more quickly,
more accurately, and more cost effectively.
Whether you're a sales rep or a CEO, Supreme Clientele Travel delivers an array of complimentary services and resources to make your business travel more efficient, affordable and hassle-free.
We provide global travel management services - putting service first to meet all your business travel needs.
www.yourbusinesstravel.info
24 Hour Live Customer Support
(866)782-9838
Fax/Voicemail: (206)203-4826
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