News articles in Air, Fares & Fees

Orlando to Offer Flights to Cuba.

(Dive Travel Business News - Feb 27, 2012) -- Orlando International Airport is the latest U.S. airport to be granted permission to offer flights to Cuba. The airport received the OK from U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Feb 1, 2012. But airport officials said that none are currently scheduled. As the seventh airport to be given approval for Cuba, Orlando International joins Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Palm Beach and Fort Myers in facilitating such flights. read more »

Lack of Airline Competition, Taxes, Global Economic Downturn Choke Tourism in the Caribbean.

(Dive Travel Business News - January 25, 2012) -- At the 30th anniversary opening of Caribbean Marketplace 2012, held January 22-24 at Atlantis Paradise Resort Bahamas, President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Josef Forstmayr spoke to the dirth of competition in the regional airline industry that is stifling the tourism sector resulting in outrageous ticket prices and an ill-conceived network, lacking a true regional airline system.

Addressing hoteliers, travel agents, tour operators and buyers from the regional and international community at the official opening of CHTA Caribbean Marketplace 2012, Forstmayr remarked that the CHTA estimated that in 2010, the Caribbean governments collectively paid US$45 million to secure airlift, only to find that the situation is still inadequate and way too expensive for visitors. read more »

New US Travel Law in Effect - Government Taxes & Fees must be included in Ticket Price

(Dive Travel Business News - December 20, 2011) -- U.S. Airline passengers frustrated by inconsistencies in how carriers advertise their fares will be getting some relief next month when a new federal rule kicks in requiring that all government taxes and fees be included in the stated price.

The new rule, part of the second phase of a package of federal airline passenger protections enacted this year, is set to take effect Jan. 24. When the law comes into effect, customers searching online for the best fare will no longer have to click through to find footnotes or fine print that boosts the final price. Airlines will still be allowed to list optional charges separately, such as baggage, seat assignment and reservation change fees.

Additional measures slated to take effect next month include:

• A requirement that airlines disclose baggage fees at the time of booking. Airlines already must post baggage fees on their websites. But passengers now will automatically see the fees when they buy a ticket online. read more »

More Air Service to the Caribbean, Mexico from U.S. in 2012

(Dive Travel Business News - December 29, 2011) -- Dive Travelers are going to have access to more air lift, more access, more options and more gateways from the U.S. this year signaling a comeback in travel from the past two years. The downside - higher fares and full planes. Here is a summary of some of the new air service.

Antigua -
• American began nonstop flights four times a week from Kennedy to Antigua in November.
• St. Vincent Grenadines Air offers daily scheduled service between Antigua and Montserrat.

Aruba -
• JetBlue offers a Saturday flight from Boston to Aruba in addition to its two weekly flights
• AirTran has weekend flights from Baltimore to Aruba through March 14, plus daily service to Aruba from Atlanta and weekend flights from Orlando.
• Delta has weekly nonstop service on Saturday from LaGuardia to Aruba, complementing its Saturday nonstop service from DKennedy and its flights via Atlanta to Aruba from Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark and Westchester County Airport. read more »

AA Files for Bankruptcy

(Dive Travel Business - December 1, 2011) -- With rising fuel costs, staggering labor costs, and an uncertain economy, American Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday Nov 29, 2011. AMR, the parent company of American, moved to reorganize the struggling operation and reassure passengers that the filing would not affect regular operations. Booked flights are secure, as American said it would operate its regular schedule and honor tickets and reservations.

American Airlines passengers should not expect any near-term changes, and may even see better fares if American chooses to cut prices to keep planes full and nervous passengers buying tickets for a typically slow January and February sales period. read more »

Upswing in Fraudulent Airline Tickets in 2011

(Dive Travel Business News - December 12, 2011) -- The LA times reports that the number of fraudulent airline tickets ordered in the U.S. has surged recently, with more than $1 million in unauthorized tickets issued in the last few months.

The Airline Reporting Corp., the Arlington, Va.-based company that settles transactions between the nation's airlines and travel agents, reported Monday 82 incidents of unauthorized tickets ordered from August to November. In contrast, Airline Reporting reported only 18 such incidents of fraudulent ticket orders in all of 2010. The face value of the fraudulent tickets in 2011 is more than $1 million, with the largest single incident valued at more than $77,000, according to ARC. read more »

Global Travel Alert Issued by U.S. State Dept.

(Dive Travel Business News - Sept 3, 2011) -- With the approaching 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., the U.S. government not surprisingly is alerting the public to the potential for another attack timed around the anniversary. On Sept. 2, the U.S. Department of State issued a travel alert informing U.S. citizens traveling or residing abroad of the continued threat posed by al-Qaeda and its affiliates.

“While we have not identified any specific threats from al-Qaeda affiliates and allies to attack the United States or our interests on the 9/11 anniversary,” the State Department said, “U.S. citizens should be aware that al-Qaeda affiliates and allies have demonstrated the intent and capability to carry out attacks against the United States and our interests around the world.” read more »

Airport Security in the Decade Since 9/11

(Dive Travel Business News - Sept 8, 2011) -- On the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a new TSA video is being played for airline passengers waiting to go through security checkpoints at many U.S. airports. The video appeals to the traveling public's cooperation and patience in response to the continuing threat of terrorists bringing aboard explosives to blow up airliners.

But travelers are losing patience and confidence in the Transportation Safety Administration's ability to protect them. Passengers don't argue that there remains a potential terrorism threat, but are seriously questioning some of the TSA methods being used to deter terrorists. read more »

Airlines Curtail Discount Airfares

Deeply discounted airfares hard to come by in 2011.

(Dive Travel Business News - May 2, 2011) - Rock-bottom deals are starting to get scarce, as airlines increase prices and cut capacity in response to increasing fuel costs. To offset surging fuel costs, airlines are reducing the number of available seats. As post-recession demand starts to grow the remaining seats will cost more. "Seats will be more difficult to find, especially deeply discounted ones," said Ray Neidl, an industry analyst. Read the entire article here. read more »

US DOT Defers Airline Fee-disclosure Proposal to 2012

(Dive Travel Business News - May 17, 2011) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's new proposal on the disclosure of airlines' ancillary fees through global distribution systems will likely not be announced until next year. However, a draft of the rule is expected to be sent to the Office of Management and Budget in August and will be evaluated until the end of the year.

The U.S. Department of Transportation does not expect to publicly reveal before January 2012 a new proposal on airlines' disclosure of optional service fees through global distribution systems. According to a DOT update issued last week, a public comment period following that Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would extend until June 2012. read more »