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It’s been a busy time for the travel industry with all the new changes in airlines and transportation. Here’s a rundown of the important stuff you should probably know about…
Airline Mergers – In the past month there has been a lot of talk about airline mergers and acquisitions.

The most notable is United and Continental’s $3.2 billion merger to form the world’s largest airline. Airline experts have said that airfares probably won’t be affected between major cities, but they could increase for some international flights and for flights into and out of smaller cities, where the carrier has more pricing control. The deal appears to be a good one for business travelers, according to AP. United and Continental combined fly to 370 locations and have hubs in Houston, Chicago and Washington, D.C. They also fly to major cities such as Beijing, Tokyo, Rome and Munich. The top executives of the new airline say that ample competition in its major markets will make boosting ticket prices for leisure travelers tough to do. We’ll see… I don’t trust it, not one bit.
Virgin Blue and Air New Zealand Seek Alliance
Air New Zealand and Virgin Blue are seeking regulatory approval for an alliance, with the airlines hoping to challenge Qantas as the dominant force in the south Pacific region. Regulators are expected to take around six months to review the applications prior to authorization.
Caribbean Airlines to buy Air Jamaica
Air Jamaica, nearly broke, will keep its equipment and offices at the Kingston airport, and the Jamaican government will have a 16 percent share in Caribbean Airlines. The flights to cities such as New York, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Philadelphia will continue, and Caribbean Airlines expects to announce other routes soon. It’s good to see that the employees of Air Jamaica aren’t going to suffer from this.
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The Good
Tarmac Delay Rule Goes Into Effect

The new tarmac delay rule is designed to prevent planes on domestic routes from sitting on the tarmac for more than three hours with passengers on board. Airlines that violate the rule could face fines of up to $27,500 per passenger, the maximum allowed for violating any aviation consumer rule. DOT secretary Ray LaHood said that the tarmac delay rule to be strongly enforced. I’m thrilled with this new rule! 2 Years ago I was stuck on an American Airlines flight for 2 hours as it idled 20 feet from the gate at Orlando Int’l Airport because AA didn’t have enough personnel to unload the plane. It was a miserable, miserable experience which is why I will NEVER fly AA again… at least they were kind enough to offer us $5 sodas.
Thai Tourism Resilient Despite Bangkok Protests

Protests in Bangkok (AP Photo)
Even though there is a lot of political unrest in the Thai capital, flight searches to Bangkok for summer travel remain at normal levels. Skyscanner reported no drop in flight searches for Bangkok – great news for travelers!
Agreement means more flights between US and Israel

El-Al, Israel's national carrier
A deal announced last week will allow more airline flights between the U.S. and Israel, with airlines able to pick routes and destinations based on demand for passenger and cargo services. DOT announced that once both countries sign the agreement, there will be no limit on the number of flights into and out of the countries. It will also allow for US-Israeli code sharing. Previously, there were limits on the number of cities U.S. and Israeli airlines could serve in each other’s country, as well as restrictions on code-sharing. I’m very happy to hear this because Israel is a spectacular and exotic country that is often skipped by backpackers and travelers due to fears of security or religious issues. I was in Israel during the 2009 Gaza Conflict and I felt 100% safe the entire time!
Stratosphere jump opens to daredevils in Las Vegas

(stock photo)
The Stratosphere tower in Las Vegas has a new ride giving daredevils a cable, a platform and a chance to jump 829 feet down. “SkyJump Las Vegas” has opened as the world’s highest commercial decelerator descent. A cable line guides jumpers down from a metal platform, with great views of the Las Vegas Strip along the way. The ride was certified by Guinness World Records as the highest of its kind. I need to get to Vegas!
SeaWorld offers $5 admission for kids

I think that's worth $5...
SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego are offering $5 one-day tickets for kids (age 3-12) now until the end of the year. The $5 tickets are available online with the purchase of a regular adult ticket (about $60). SeaWorld says 100 percent of the proceeds from the discounted tickets will go to wildlife conservation projects. It’s good to see an amusement park giving families a discount AND doing something good for the world.
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The Bad
Carnival Cruise Ship Lists, 60 Passengers Hurt

The Carnival Ecstasy (AP Photo/Carnival Cruise Lines, Andy Newman)
At least 60 passengers were hurt when a Carnival cruise ship listed during a maneuver to avoid a partially submerged buoy that was adrift near Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The Carnival Ecstasy had to make a sharp turn to avoid smashing into a buoy. Luckily, no one required hospital treatment and the ship was not damaged. It’s a good thing the Captain of the ship was able to save the ship! I wonder if those injured people will get a refund?
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The Ugly
Crazed Passengers = Diverted Flights

Passengers evacuate in Bangor, Maine after their CDG-ATL was diverted (AP Photo)
The media has been having a frenzy over a bunch of diverted flights in recent weeks because of disruptive passengers. My favorite story was of a SkyWest Airlines flight from Helena, Mont., to Salt Lake City which was diverted to Idaho Falls after a passenger began banging on the cockpit door, saying he was a space alien and wanted to fly the plane. A Delta Airlines flight to Atlanta from Paris was diverted to Maine last week after a passenger made threats about a bomb and was subdued by U.S. air marshals before being taken into custody upon landing.
Back in January, Two F-16s were launched to catch up with AirTran Airways Flight 39 from Atlanta to San Francisco after a report that an intoxicated passenger had locked himself in a bathroom. The winter blues got to a passenger on a Maui-bound Hawaiian Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon in January when it was turned around and escorted by two F-15 military fighters because of an uncooperative passenger. A guy was seated in the bulkhead row and was rather perturbed that he couldn’t keep his carry-on bag in his lap. Then the 56-year-old filled out a comment card with phrases about death and crashing, and he gave it to an attendant who passed it along to the pilot. The pilot was not happy about this suspicious behavior and landed the plane. I didn’t even know airlines had comment cards!
People need to realize that they can’t mess around and make empty threats on an airplane – it’s far too serious of a place for that kind of tomfoolery. In the wise words of Robert DeNiro in Meet The Parents, “You can’t say bomb on an airplane”.
Airlines made $7.8 billion from fees last year
The Department of Transportation said revenue from “ancillary fees” rose 42% to $7.8 billion in 2009. The biggest chunk came from checked baggage fees. Besides checked bags, other fees include those for reservation changes, pet travel and mileage sales.Delta, currently the world’s largest airline, collected the most revenue from fees at $1.65 billion. American was second, followed by US Airways. My favorite airline, Southwest, was ranked 4th on the DOT list. Even though they don’t charge for the first two checked bags, they do charge $50 for the 3rd bag, pets and unaccompanied minors. Part of the reason they ended up on the list was because SWA carries more passengers in the USA than any other airline. The most shocking revelation of this list – Spirit Airlines wasn’t in the top 10… because they don’t carry enough passengers.
Arizona Immigration Law Fallout

Protesters in Phoenix (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Anyone not living under a rock for the past month has heard about Arizona’s controversial new immigration law giving police the free reign to check a person’s immigration status. Many concerned citizens feel that this will lead to racial profiling in the state (I’m not getting political on this – I’m just stating facts). There is already, and will continue to be a huge amount of travel fallout for the state.
The Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association reported that 19 meetings representing 15,000 room nights have been canceled because of the immigration law. That’s a HUGE amount of money lost, and much to the dismay of hotel and restaurant owners, it’s only the beginning.
Cities across the country have started cutting off economic ties with Arizona and banning official travel to the state. The city of San Francisco was at the head of the trend, when its board of supervisors considered a measure to off the city’s economic ties with Arizona. The West Hollywood City Council is also considering banning official travel to Arizona until the state’s anti-illegal immigration law is repealed.
Two northern cities, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and St. Paul, Minnesota have also announced their own ban on Arizona travel. Milwaukee Common Council Aldermen may consider a controversial proposal to boycott certain Arizona businesses and St. Paul’s Mayor Chris Coleman already ordered city departments to no longer travel to conferences in the State of Arizona.
Even Denver Public Schools is taking a stand on the contentious immigration law in Arizona. The school district announced Thursday that it has banned all district-sponsored work-related travel to Arizona.
The USA isn’t alone – the Mexican government officially warned its citizens to use extreme caution if visiting Arizona because of the tough new law that requires all immigrants and visitors to carry U.S.-issued documents or risk arrest.
The Mexican government is urging U.S.-bound shoppers to avoid Arizona or prepare for unprovoked harassment by police. The governor of Sonora has called off an important cross-border tourism and trade meeting for the first time in 50 years, and Aeromexico has canceled flights to Phoenix.
The fallout will certainly continue as more states, cities, maybe even countries announce bans and boycotts of Arizona. This is going to play a big role on travel and tourism because that is one of Arizona’s largest parts of Arizona’s economy. Hotel rooms and conferences which would normally be booked in Arizona are going to be slowly moved to other cities. Only time will tell what happens…
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Filed under: Air Travel | Tagged: airline merger, Arizona Immigration, baggage fees, bangkok, boycott, Carnival Cruise, continental airlines, Delta Airlines, diverted flight, domestic travel, International Travel, Israel, Las Vegas, red shirt protests, SeaWorld, sky jump, SkyWest, Southwest Airlines, stratosphere, Tarmac Delay, Thailand, united airlines | 2 Comments »