New group forms to fight concessions
Group of airline workers aims to fight against concessions — Just as Northwest Airlines pilots Wednesday accepted a new contract that cuts pay, a new group is trying to unite airline workers to fight concessions in the industry. (Detroit Free Press)
Summer ‘baggage meltdown’ predicted — Increased air traffic and a shortage of security screeners could combine to cause a “baggage meltdown” this summer for passengers, one of Congress’ leading aviation experts charged Thursday. (USA Today)
New travel card could hurt local tourism — The announcement in January of a “new, inexpensive, secure travel card for land border crossings” for Americans has brought renewed attention to changing U.S. travel documentation requirements. Critics say the plan could seriously impede hundreds of thousands of legitimate travelers across the Canada-U.S. border every day – including some 400,000 Canadian tourists who visit South Carolina. (Myrtle Beach Sun News)
Orlando takes center stage for huge travel industry show — Beginning Saturday, Orlando’s top tourism officials are staging the biggest commercial for the local market in the past five years. It’s live. It’s international. And it’s five days long. An estimated 1,600 travel buyers from 70 countries and more than 200 international journalists descend on Orlando. (Orlando Sentinel)
British Airways travel growth flying high — Economy traffic on the airline soared 10.9 percent and, in total, the airline carried 3.07 million passengers last month – 5 percent more than in April 2005. (Telegraph.co.uk)
A cruise for glue and scissors — Since their first appearance about five years ago, scrapbook cruises have caught on. Joan Levicoff, vice president of group sales for the Carnival Cruise Line, said her line does more than 20 scrapbooking cruises annually, with groups ranging in size from 30 to 200. (The New York Times)
Travel plans chug along — Die-hard road travelers won’t be staying home this summer, even as prices at the pump inch higher as the beginning of the traditional vacation season nears. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
US to update on airline stakes — US government officials are to brief the European Commission next week in Brussels on Washington’s revised proposals for easing foreign investment in US airlines. The original proposals put forward in November by the US Department of Transportation have run into fierce criticism in Congress. (Financial Times)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.