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Large waves strike cruise ship, kill two passengers

March 03, 2010

Louis Cruises said two passengers died when the Louis Majesty was struck by "abnormal waves" while sailing in the Mediterranean on Wednesday.

New rules limiting tarmac delays could lead to more cancellations

March 03, 2010

Passengers who felt put out last month when more than a quarter of all U.S. flights were canceled because of winter storms in the Midwest and along the Eastern Seaboard will soon discover that it was only a preview of coming annoyances.

 

Afterlife of luxury: Cruise ship preservation isn't so easy

March 02, 2010

Fans of ocean liners fighting to preserve these relics of the golden age of passenger vessels are learning that the cost of their preservation can seem insurmountable, and the hurdles are many.

Packed planes spark carry-on crackdown

March 03, 2010

With higher load factors and fuller planes, airlines are focusing more attention on the number, size and shape of passengers’ carry-on bags, forcing more flyers to check their oversized or extra bags at the gates, and to pay checked-bag fees for the inconvenience.

Stay request means Hilton could face federal criminal charges

February 28, 2010

Federal prosecutors have asked a federal court for a stay of Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ corporate espionage suit against Hilton and two former Starwood executives, a move that could indicate criminal charges are likely.

Caribbean Airlines slated to take over Air Jamaica in April

March 04, 2010

Jamaica’s government plans to hand over operations of national carrier Air Jamaica to Caribbean Airlines on April 12.

Tour operators report resurgence in international bookings

March 05, 2010

Tour operators are seeing customers book more international trips for 2010, indicating that U.S. travelers are starting to invest more in their vacations again and are feeling secure enough in their jobs to leave the office for longer.

Yotel coming to NYC

March 02, 2010

Yotel's hotel pods are coming to New York City in 2011, when the company plans to open a 663-cabin hotel near Times Square. It will be the brand's largest hotel and its first property outside of an airport location.

Costa Europa crew members die in pier accident

February 26, 2010

Three crew members on the Costa Europa died when the ship collided with a pier while docking Friday morning in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, Costa Cruises said.

Northstar Travel Media acquires five Nielsen publications

March 01, 2010

Northstar Travel Media, parent of Travel Weekly, has acquired five publications from the Nielsen Co.'s Business Media Travel Group. The brands are Business Travel News, Successful Meetings, Meeting News, Incentive and MiMegasite, an online portal serving the meetings industry.

Vision of the Seas passengers told to stay onboard in Buzios

March 04, 2010

Passengers on Royal Caribbean International’s Vision of the Seas were not allowed to disembark in Buzios, Brazil, due to an outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness onboard.

Morgans hotel executive found dead

March 10, 2010

Hotel industry veteran Andrew Kwasniewski, president of Morgans Hotel Group Las Vegas and COO of Hard Rock Hotel Inc., was found dead in his Las Vegas home.

Carnival forces agents to automate some tasks

March 11, 2010

Several of Carnival Cruise Lines' booking functions for agents can now be done online only. The policy began March 1.

Union locks out 150 guests from Radisson in Mexico City

3/8/2010

More than 150 guests at the Radisson Paraiso Hotel in Mexico City were locked out of the hotel for two nights last week — some without essential medications — by striking union employees.

Canadian packager goes under

February 26, 2010

Go Travel South, a vacation packager based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, ceased operations this week.

Carnival amends social media policy

March 04, 2010

Carnival Cruise Lines will allow travel agents to use its branded trademarks on social media forums like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace as well as on blogs.

Orbitz says new travel agent website fills market demand

February 24, 2010

In what it says is the latest example of the merging of online and offline worlds, Orbitz has created a booking site for a group long considered one of its fiercest competitors: travel agents.

Travel Promotion Act awaits President Obama's signature

February 26, 2010

The Senate passed the Travel Promotion Act on Thursday night by a vote of 78-18, setting the stage for the development of a federally-funded, tourism-marketing campaign such as this country has never seen before.

Like Carnival, NCL will raise prices

March 05, 2010

Citing an unprecedented increase in booking volume this year, Norwegian Cruise Line will raise cruise prices 7% on April 2.

ASTA report shows one-third of agencies were profitable in '09

March 04, 2010

ASTA’s annual Agency Profile shows that the typical ASTA travel agency is still small and still struggling with the effects of the recession — only a third realized a profit last year, down from 53% as recently as 2007.

Celebrity takes extra time to sanitize ship

March 01, 2010

Celebrity Cruises is trying to pinpoint the cause of a norovirus outbreak on the Celebrity Mercury's last sailing.

Costa downsizes U.S. operations

March 09, 2010

Costa Cruises will downsize its U.S. sales and marketing team from 120 to 40 employees over the next three months, and will target a smaller group of travel agents to sell cruises.

JetBlue wants JFK exemption from new tarmac-delay rule

March 05, 2010

JetBlue is asking the Transportation Department for an exemption from new rules on tarmac delay limits at New York's Kennedy Airport while its biggest runway is closed for repairs.

Allegiant to serve Hawaii

March 08, 2010

Allegiant Air has agreed to acquire six Boeing 757s for the express purpose of serving Hawaii.

Evolution of the hotel bathroom

March 09, 2010

Hotel designers and developers are looking to the hotel bathroom as the new frontier of the guestroom, seeking to turn what has long been a mostly functional space into an 'oasis,' a 'mini-spa,' even an 'escape.'