Hotels cut expenses with new self-service kiosks
Self-service kiosks in hotel lobbies, which let travelers bypass the front desk at check-in, will eventually help hotels stem rising labor costs by enabling them to serve guests with fewer staff. Marriott International will roll out the kiosks this summer.
Oops! Wrong fare
Delta Air Lines Inc. broke its new $499 fare cap on Friday when a computer “glitch” loaded higher fares on a few routes. Delta spokesman Anthony Black said the airline on Friday published $509 one-way, walk-up fares on some routes.
Carnival cruises to nowhere
After five days on the 855-foot “fun ship” Ecstasy, hundreds of passengers disembarked in Galveston on Saturday seething with anger at Carnival Cruise Lines. Many interviewed said they were tricked into wasting money and vacation time puttering around the Caribbean on a disabled ship.
Pilots: ‘gaping’ security holes
An airline pilots group is giving dismal grades to aviation security, saying “gaping holes” remain almost four years after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. The group gives failing or near-failing grades to the government and airlines for most aspects of security, from the airport perimeter to the cockpit, concluding that security measures deserve a grade point average of about 1.1.
A wild Whistler spring
Look out for the bear. Mind the moose. And watch for the cougar. You don’t have to visit a national park to see them up-close. Just go skiing in Whistler, British Columbia, during the spring, and you’ll find them everywhere. Even on the slopes. Bears come out of hibernation during March, leaving their dens and foraging for food. Moose and cougar share downhill runs with skiers.
Card travel fees clarified?
Use your credit card while traveling abroad and you’ll be hit with a “foreign currency conversion fee.” In the past, that roughly 3 percent charge wasn’t always spelled out in monthly bills and likely slipped past the notice of many cardholders. Beginning in April, the fee will be made clearer by banks in response to Visa and MasterCard changing how the conversion system works.
Gas prices hit new record
Gasoline prices will hit a new record high this spring, reaching a national monthly average of $2.15 a gallon, the government said Tuesday. During the busy 2005 driving season, which runs from April through September, gasoline will average $2.10 a gallon, up 20 cents from the same period last year, the Energy Information Administration said in its monthly energy forecast.
Bird flu pandemic feared
The first possible human-to-human transmission of bird flu between two unrelated people has raised the specter the lethal virus could be changing to become more easily spread.
A fee for late arrivals?
Next week, Logan Airport in Boston will begin monitoring airline delays during its rush hours to see if airlines are over scheduling flights. Logan will keep tabs on the timeliness of the airlines and may start slapping airlines with a surcharge of up to $300 a flight for latecomers.
Around the world solo
After three sleepless days and a nail-biting 24 hours wondering if he would have to ditch in the ocean for lack of fuel, millionaire aviator Steve Fossett rode a rollicking tailwind into America’s heartland Thursday to become the first pilot to complete a solo nonstop flight around the globe. Fossett landed at 2:50 p.m. Eastern time.