For more information call Supreme Clientele Travel (407)413-9578
Monday, April 19, 2010
Supreme Clientele Travel's Norwegian Cruise Line Summer Blockbuster Event!
For more information call Supreme Clientele Travel (407)413-9578
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The gift they want and need!
SpaFinder Gift Certificates are the perfect gift for every occasion - and for everyone on your list. Accepted at over 5,000 spas around the globe, they can be used for ANY spa treatment of the recipient's choice such as relaxing massages, luxurious facials, fine beauty products, and more.
For more information call Supreme Clientele Travel (407)413-9578
For more information call Supreme Clientele Travel (407)413-9578
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Spirit Airlines to charge a $20-$45 fee for carry-on bags
Spirit Airlines has become the first U.S. carrier to charge passengers for carrying on a bag, upping the stakes for travelers who are increasingly charged for everything from pillows to snacks.
Spirit, the first domestic airline to charge for checking a bag, will now charge fliers $20 to $30 for carry-ons that go in the overhead bins and $45 if the bag is paid for at the gate. The new fees apply to trips bought beginning Tuesday for travel on and after Aug. 1. The fee doesn't apply to carry-ons that fit under the seat.
"In addition to lowering fares even further, this will reduce the number of carry-on bags, which will improve in-flight safety and efficiency by speeding up the boarding and deplaning process," Spirit Chief Operating Officer Ken McKenzie said in a statement.
Some passenger advocates and travel experts say the new fees take the trend of tacking on extra charges too far and could cost Spirit customers.
"With fees like this, airlines have crossed the line," says Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel. "I get charging for pillows and blankets ... but carry-on bags are fundamental. Who travels with nothing?"
Spirit, which calls itself an ultralow-fare carrier, has often been a magnet for controversy, criticized for its customer service and fined in 2008 for not including some fees in base fares it cited online.
"Enough is enough," Brandon Macsata, executive director of the Association for Airline Passenger Rights, said in a statement. "What's to follow: Should we be expecting to pay to use the restrooms while on board the aircraft, too?"
In 2008, airlines began charging passengers to check bags to offset rapidly rising fuel costs and then to shore up recession-battered finances. But some experts say it's unlikely Spirit's latest move will catch on. "The potential to annoy the customer is fairly high, so I doubt most other U.S. airlines would follow this," says Jami Counter, senior director of TripAdvisor Flights.
Others say potentially winnowing the amount of carry-on luggage isn't a bad idea.
"How many people have thrown their backs out putting their suitcases in the overhead bins?" says George Hobica, president of Airfarewatchdog, who agrees that stowing carry-ons slows the boarding and emptying of flights. "I do think that it's not a bad thing to roll back the clock to ... when people got on board with (just) their coat and hat."
Supreme Clientele Travel's Basketball Camp Fundraiser Car Wash!
Supreme Clientele Travel has sponsored Poinciana local youth
Hervenly “Hollywood” Jean, so he may attend Haines City High School Summer Basketball Camp.
Let us as a community come together and support our local youths in achieving their goals with positive leadership….
Enjoy free nights for Spring/Summer with Breezes Resorts & Spa!
For more info call Supreme Clientele Travel (407)413-9578
Monday, April 5, 2010
New rules for screening fliers in place
The Obama administration is replacing an emergency order that has required extra airport screening of passengers from 14 terrorism-prone countries with a system that will vet all U.S.-bound passengers against a broader array of intelligence sources, two senior administration officials said Thursday.
The emergency order was implemented after the attempted bombing of an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day.
The new system will treat all passengers flying into the USA the same way, regardless of nationality, said the officials, who were briefed on the policy. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the policy is not being announced until today.
The policy is the Obama administration's latest effort to tighten international aviation security since a Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, boarded a flight in Amsterdam allegedly carrying explosives in his underwear. Authorities said Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up the jet, which landed safely in Detroit.
In early January, the administration required foreign airports to give extra checkpoint scrutiny to anyone flying to the United States from one of 14 countries or who is a citizen of one of those countries.
Islamic groups such as the Muslim Public Affairs Council assailed the policy as profiling because most of the countries, such as Algeria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, are predominantly Muslim.
The policy being phased in this month will use intelligence snippets about terrorists whose full names are not known.
Authorities will put together information such as a terrorist's partial name, facial features, recent travel history or home country. U.S.-bound passengers who match those descriptions will face extra checkpoint screening at foreign airports, according to one of the administration officials.
The system is tailored toward intelligence information and possible threats, rather than stopping people of a particular nationality, the official said.
One of the officials acknowledged shortcomings of the January order, calling it a blunt tool that is not as effective as it was initially because terrorists figured out how to circumvent it.
The new system should significantly reduce the number of U.S.-bound passengers requiring extra airport screening because it will not focus on the thousands of people a day flying from the 14 terrorism-prone countries, one official said.
Taxes on hotel rooms are rising
More cities, counties and states are looking to raise taxes on hotel rooms as they battle budget shortfalls and cuts in services.
Among those increasing taxes or considering it: Baltimore; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Santa Clara, Calif.; and Connecticut.
Taxing visitors is an old habit for local governments. Revenue from taxes on hotel rooms and rental cars have been used to fund tourism promotion, build stadiums and repair roads.
While the taxes can infuriate travelers, they're seen as a politically palatable option in tough economic times.
"The government entities are hurting financially and are looking for creative means to generate more revenue," says Trisha Pugal, CEO of Wisconsin Innkeepers Association.
A report by the National Business Travel Association last year says taxes for a single night at the national average room rate of $95.61 were $13.12. The combined lodging taxes levied by state, county and city averaged 13.73%. Tax rates ranged from 10.05% in Burbank, Calif., to 17.91% in New York.
The lower end, below $11 a night in tax, includes Burbank, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Oakland and San Jose. Columbus, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Nashville, New York and San Antonio are on the higher end, above $16. Recently:
•Voters in Scottsdale and Tempe, Ariz., last month approved increasing hotel room taxes by 2 percentage points. In Scottsdale, the rate will increase to 13.92%. Tempe's rate rises to 14.07%. Brent DeRaad of Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau says about 18% of the revenue funds his organization. The city, county and state split the rest.
•Santa Clara voted on an increase last month to generate $35 million of the $937 million needed to build a stadium for the San Francisco 49ers NFL team. The room tax rises from 9.5% to 11.5%.
•Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will introduce measures April 12 to address the city's $120 million deficit. Raising the hotel tax from 7.5% is an option being discussed, says Ryan O'Doherty, a spokesman for the mayor.
•Connecticut is considering raising its 12% hotel tax to 15%. The money would be distributed to cities and towns.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
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