This month our feature sections are: Terry's Latest Blog Entries Feature Column Destinations Airlines and Airports Cars Cruise Rail Spotlight on .. Business Travel Forecast Terry Keeling, CTA, MCC AWA Travel View my travel blog at awatravelguy.com

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Terry's Latest Blog Entries

Is 3 Hours Too Much or Not Enough?
Give me your feedback on the proposed Passenger Rights Bill before Congress.

What are your Travel Pet Peeves?
We all have them...those passengers that annoy us, or express inappropriate behavior while traveling. Let's hear what you have to say.

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Column

Column: Adventure traveler discovers key to richness of life
Jeff Dossett, CEO at the adventure travel aggregator AdventureLink, said that after climbing Mount Everest, he had an epiphany. "It became very clear to me that it was experiences, not the stuff or material things, that defined the richness of my life," Dossett said. Kate Rice of TravelPulse.com says that adventure travel exposes people to new cultures and people, as well as the physical challenges, making it a transformational experience. (Source: TravelPulse)


Travelers get more access to free Wi-Fi courtesy of tech giants
Google recently announced that from now until Jan. 15, it will offer free Wi-Fi at dozens of U.S. airports. Microsoft's Bing, in partnership with JiWire, is also providing free Wi-Fi access at hotels and airports, but users will be required to use Bing for at least one search. Meanwhile, Yahoo is providing free Wi-Fi in Times Square in New York. (Source: International Business Times)

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Destinations

Mazatlan's Centro Historico overflows with music, art
Mazatlan's Centro Historico has been resurrected by artists, writers, musicians, fashionistas and foodies -- the illusive class of creative types that give a city a cosmopolitan feel. Music is a permanent feature of the city located along Mexico's western coat. It brings the sidewalk cafes, galleries and shops to life. As one of the first popular resort towns for Americans, Mazatlan has had its tourism ups and downs, but a dedicated group of people has helped bring the city back to life. (Source: The New York Times)

Hawaii's World Botanical Gardens and Waterfalls adds zip line
Visitors to Hawaii's Big Island will soon have the opportunity to sail through the rain forest on a zip line in the World Botanical Gardens and Waterfalls. "Along with safe excitement, our top priority for Zip Isle is to be an environmental leader on the Big Island," said Lanny Neel, garden director at WBGW. "As a botanical garden and repository for endangered plant species, the environment is extremely important to all of us. We carefully chose a zip line construction method using utility poles to ensure preservation of the forest." (Source: TravelAge West)

Luxury resorts on Fiji battle challenges with discounts
Tourist arrivals in Fiji have dropped steeply as natural disasters, political tensions and economic issues have kept many travelers away from the idyllic paradise. The situation has prompted some of the island's most luxurious resorts to offer significant discounts, even during their busiest time of year. Meanwhile, a battle between Virgin Blue and Jetstar is expected to reduce airfares. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

Barcelona's public gardens, courtyards offer refuge
The Eixample is a district of Barcelona located between the old city and what used to be small towns surrounding the larger center. It features awe-inspiring architecture and shops filled with handmade chocolates, interesting furniture and tapas, for which the country is famous. Behind the grand facades in Eixample, however, small public gardens and courtyards can be found. These public spaces offer travelers and locals alike a refuge from the rush of urban life and a more intimate glimpse into daily life in Barcelona. (Source: The New York Times)

New Orleans in November is all about oysters, shopping, cafes
November is the heart of oyster season in New Orleans. Interesting restaurants have opened in the city's business district, and Magazine Street is starting to rival the French Quarter as the hottest shopping scene in town. Between Jackson and Louisiana, Magazine Street features boutiques with everything from out-of-print cookbooks to toy soldiers, pleasant cafes and an antique mall. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

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Carriers' measures to save fuel and cut costs add up
Airlines have made numerous changes, such as removing pillows or opting to carry lemons or limes but not both, and those adjustments have helped the carriers reduce the amount of fuel they need and ultimately save money. "Removing 100 pounds of unnecessary weight from each aircraft in the US Airways fleet results in saving approximately 450,000 gallons of fuel in a year," said Valerie Wunder, a representative of the airline. (Source: The Denver Post)

Delta, AA strive to strengthen ties with Japan Airlines
While the Japanese government is working on a restructuring plan for Japan Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines are bolstering their efforts toward developing an alliance with the struggling carrier. Despite JAL's challenges, Delta and AA are eager to tap into the airline's extensive network in Asia. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

Demand for Wi-Fi creates challenges for airlines
Airline passengers are increasingly interested in having Wi-Fi access while in flight, and airlines are eager to cater to those desires. However, the carriers face a number of challenges in trying to comply with federal laws as well as company policies regarding wireless communications. (Source: Travel Weekly)

British Airways nears merger with Spain's Iberia
Although some insiders say the merger between British Airways and Iberia could still fall through, the U.K. airline said that negotiations, which have been going on for more than a year, are continuing. BA CEO Willie Walsh is expected to become chief executive of the company, if a deal is struck. Meanwhile, Antonio Vazquez Romero, chairman of Iberia, would be named chairman. (Source: The Times (London))

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Cars

Taxes on rental cars continue to rise
In 1990, there were 14 excise taxes levied for car rentals or leases. Since then, another 100 have been added, covering 43 states as well as the District of Columbia. The taxes make it difficult for travelers to avoid them, and in some cases the taxes are upward of 20% of the car rental bill. The taxes are costly to travelers and a nuisance to rental car companies that would rather not become tax collectors. Despite efforts to rein in the taxes, they are proliferating as municipalities look for revenue to cover their shortfalls. (Source: USA TODAY)

Avis and Budget have announced plans to implement no show fees for some locations and rentals
Beginning on the 15th December, 2009, locations where the no-show fees apply will also require a guarantee to a valid credit card in order to book the reservation. If the booked rental is no-showed, i.e., not completed and not cancelled at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled pick-up time, a no-show fee will be charged to the credit card. (Source: Press Release)

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Cruise

Younger travelers discover allure of luxury cruises
The economic downturn has forced Seabourn Cruises and other luxury cruise lines to reduce their prices, attracting younger customers to the ships. "For people who wanted to try Seabourn and hadn't yet, the value tipped them over," said CEO Pam Conover. "We are bringing on new guests and also new travel agents." (Source: Travel Weekly)

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Rail

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Spotlight on .. Business Travel Forecast

The National Business Travel Association’s 2010 U.S. Business Travel Forecast predicts that air and car rental costs will be flat and hotel rates will decline between two and eight percent, so businesses will travel more.

• Nearly 7 in 10 of travel managers responding to an NBTA survey expect travel spending to increase

• Fifty-six percent expect their total travel spending to increase next year, 31 percent expect it to stay flat

• Compared to the previous year, many expect to see far fewer spending cuts for conference and event travel

In this new environment, corporate travel managers expect good values from their travel suppliers. Seventy percent of buyers expect to negotiate better hotel discounts next year. More than 30 percent forecast better discounts from airlines.
(Source: NBTA press release)