News articles in Travel Laws

Pinterest Potential for Marketing Dive Travel

(Dive Travel Business News - April 17, 2012) -- Dive travel pros take note: Pinterest, the social media scrapbooking site, might be the social media tool best suited to dive travel specialists and suppliers alike. Divers love taking photos and videos, and that is what Pinterest is all about: Pinterest is a social network that allows users to create digital collections of photo and video albums and share things they find interesting. Users “Pin” (collect) things they they like (or dislike) and set them up on various themed personal "Pinboards" (albums) for their Pinterest followers to see and share on Facebook, and other social networks.

Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest is not about selling or telling. It's about showing, and creating conversations with pictures, which plays right into the strengths of how dive travel pros market their trips. Pinterest lets users tell their travel stories through photos rather than words. Keep in mind: Pinners are not on Pinterest to be marketed to. They are there to collect interesting things and share them with their friends. read more »

Travel Attorney Jeff Miller Launches Blog

(Dive Travel Business News - March 13, 2011) -- Travel attorney and consultant Jeff Miller has launched a blog for travel agents and consumers with a mix of travel industry commentary and tips for travelers. Miller’s Travel Musings covers a cross-section of timely issues such as the unrest in Egypt, Cuba travel and weather-related travel woes.

Miller represents travel agents, corporations, suppliers and consortia in diverse matters related to the travel industry, including minimizing risks (of what you sell and to whom), incorporation matters, mergers and acquisitions, contract negotiations, and creation of strategic marketing and business plans. He also speaks before industry audiences, both in smaller workshop sessions as well as keynote venues on timely travel topics. Miller is also the legal editor of Agent@Home magazine. For more information, visit Miller's Travel Musings.

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States to pursue licensing standard for travel insurance sales

(Dive Travel Business News - October 31, 2010) -- U.S. state regulation of the sale of travel insurance could be moving in a new direction following an agreement among state insurance commissioners to work toward uniform guidelines for travel agents.

According to the U.S. Travel Insurance Association, whose members include some of the top brands of travel insurance providers, state governments now have a roadmap for developing a standard regime that would replace the existing patchwork of state laws and permit travel agents to distribute information about travel insurance and process applications, without a license.

The group said the National Association of Insurance Commissions recently agreed on a uniform licensing standard that would enable travel agents to engage in these activities as long as the insurance provider is licensed in that state. read more »

US Travel Promotion Act Starts Sept 15, 2010

US Travel Promotion Act begins Sept 15, 2010

(Dive Travel Business News - Sept 8, 2010) -- Earlier this summer, the U.S. Government raised U.S. passport fees substantially, increasing the cost for US citizens traveling abroad. This fall, the focus will be on inbound travel with the new U.S. Travel Promotion Act: This Act, which goes into effect next week on Wednesday, September 15, calls for a $14 fee to be levied on travelers from 36 nations who enter the U.S.

The 36 nations are those that fall under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which allows visits to the U.S. of up to 90 days without the necessity of a seeking a visa (for non-work related travel).

Travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries will pay the $14 when they register online for U.S. travel through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. Of the $14 fee, $10 will go toward tourism marketing and $4 will cover the operating costs of registering the travelers for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. read more »

Travel Pros Must Comply with Secure Flight Rules

Travel Pros must follow secure flight rules

(Dive Travel Business News - July 7, 2010) -- A couple of airlines are warning travel agents that passenger name records (PNR's) could be cancelled or agencies debited if they fail to properly submit the appropriate data for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration's Secure Flight program, the American Society of Travel Agents alerted members in a dispatch this week.

US Airways warned agents this week that beginning Nov. 1, "ticketed PNRs that do not contain proper Secure Flight data within 72 hours of departure may be cancelled," following an earlier warning from Continental Airlines, which said it could debit agencies for failing to submit Secure Flight data.

The TSA has been collecting Secure Flight data elements, including gender and date of birth, since August of last year, it said beginning Nov. 1, 2010, "TSA has threatened to return all non-compliant records to the airlines for follow-up," regardless of where the booking originated. read more »

End of Ban on US Travel to Cuba Near?

Act to lift US Ban on Travel to Cuba over first hurdle

(Dive Travel Business News - June 30, 2010) -- In a vote of 25 to 20, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee approved the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act. This is the first hurdle towards lifting the ban on US travel to Cuba, in a measure that also eases restrictions on the sale of American commodities there. The Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act must still get through another House committee and pass the full House. Then the Senate would have to pass its own version of the bill before it could be signed by the president.

Before the final vote, the Agriculture Committee rejected several amendments that would have eliminated the travel ban reversal or delayed its enactment. Opponents of the bill argue that while export restrictions should be eased, lifting the travel ban would benefit only the Communist government led by Fidel and Raúl Castro. read more »

More Passenger-Friendly Airline Rules Introduced by DOT

More Traveler-Friendly Airline Rules Introduced by DOT

(Dive Travel Business News - June 9, 2010) -- Just months after the US Department of Transportation (DOT) dealt with lengthy on-ground flight delays with new tarmac rules, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood has released a new round of consumer-friendly airline rules. If adopted, this newest set of airline regulations would: read more »

DOT New Passenger Protection Rules

(Dive Travel Business News - May 11, 2010 ) -- You've now heard of the "3-hour rule". With a few security-related exemptions, an airline must allow customers to get off the plane — or risk receiving fines of up to $27,500 per passenger to be paid to the government — at the three-hour point of a tarmac delay.

But it's not just the tarmac delay rule that took effect April 29, 2010, but one of a series of new DOT regulations designed to protect commercial airline passengers.The Department of Transportations' new rule on tarmac delays is part of an 81-page document detailing DOT’s new Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections. In the document, other regulations are found that apply more broadly and require carriers to be more truthful about flight delays and take more responsibility when things go wrong.

Here are some highlights of the DOT legislation. read more »

New Tarmac Delay Rule 101

New 3-hour tarmac rule in effect may cause more delays

(Dive Travel Business News - May 6, 2010 ) -- On Thursday April 29, 2010, new US Transportation Department legislation was put into effect that requires all U.S. airlines to deplane passengers after 3 hours or face potential fines of up to $27,500 per passenger. International airlines are not subject to the 3-hour delay rule, even if they land or takeoff from U.S. airports. The rule applies only to domestic flights and will not affect international flights.

It all started last August when a Continental Express jet with 47 passengers was diverted from Minneapolis due to bad weather and was stranded overnight in the plane Rochester, Minn. some 50 yards from the terminal gate: The horror stories emminating from that incident - airline passengers young and old, stranded on the tarmac for hours without food or water, without access to their medications or sanitary bathroom conditions - prompted the Transportation Department to draw up the new 3-hour tarmac delay rules, which were approved in December 2009 and are now in effect.

Here's is a Summary of the 3-Hour Rule: read more »

Unlicensed Tour Operators Thrive on the Internet

(DiveTravelBusinessNews.com - Nov 30, 2009) -- UK Telegraph reporter Gill Charleton recently caused a stir in the travel world when he reported that the popular TripAdvisor website was promoting questionable tour operators. While the ground tour operators cited were located in Florence Italy, the story raises questions about unlicensed tour operators using trusted sites on the Internet to advertise their services. These ground operators lack basic public liability insurance and should something unfortunate happen, travelers using such tour operators are usually not covered under their own travel insurance.

The source of the problem lies with reviewers at the TripAdvisor.com website, and travelers in general, who are unaware that many guided ground tours are operating outside the law and without insurance. Many of these tours are picked up outside a hotel, the traveler pays cash and the company works from a cellphone, not a bricks and mortar operation. Travelers should check to see if a company is legitimate and has insurance before booking.