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INDUSTRY NEWS & PEOPLE  September 2007
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$50M Infusion Builds Eos Fleet
Eos Airlines has secured another $50 million in equity capital and will use it, according to President and CEO Jack Williams, to acquire its fifth and sixth Boeing 757-200ER aircraft. The new capitalization comes from both institutional and private sources; one accounts for $35 million of the total. Delivery of the new planes is expected to take place over the next five months.
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40 Operators Serving 110 Airports Form International Shuttle Service
Forty independent transportation companies in the US, Canada, Mexico, England, France, Italy, Scotland and Spain have launched a door-to-door airport shuttle company, Go Airport Shuttle. The company serves 110 airports and has a fleet of 3,765 vehicles. “The Go concept responds to a growing demand in the market for a single-source ground transportation company,” says John McCarthy, president of Go Airport Shuttle and president of Continental Air Transport in Chicago, which operates Go Airport Express.
The 40 companies, each of which has been operating under its own individual name, are currently converting their vans, motorcoaches and sedans to Go’s green-and-white color scheme. Local operators will remain independently owned and managed.
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Accor Sheds Food Services Unit
As part of its strategy to divest of non-strategic assets and focus on its hotel operations, Accor has sold its Italian food services business to Barclay’s Private Equity for 135 million euros, or approximately $185 million.
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Acquisition Of Worldspan Seen Strengthening Galileo Offerings
Noting that customers of its Galileo GDS will reap the benefits of Worldspan innovations, Travelport has announced the completion of its $1.4 billion acquisition of the Atlanta-based global distribution company. Galileo will be “enhanced by Worldspan’s online distribution technology platform, while Worldspan will benefit from Galileo’s expanded supplier base and expansive content,” says Gordon Wilson, CEO of Galileo. “The complementary strengths of both companies will bring improved offerings for our agency and supplier customers.”
Worldspan’s rapid re-price system received special mention in the Travelport announcement, which noted that the system would “reduce the cost and time of refunding and exchanging airline tickets.” Worldspan took the tool worldwide during the run-up to completion of the Travelport deal. Rapid Reprice Select now can shop and reprice international itineraries, regardless of the currency, the originally-issued ticket or the repriced ticket. With it, online travel buyers can make changes to a ticketed itinerary, retrieve up to five low-fare alternates and instantly complete a booking.
The Worldspan development pipeline also produced a new Consolidator Control capability over the last month. It allows a consolidator and a booking agent to share control of a single Worldspan passenger name record (PNR) containing airline segments. Once the consolidator tickets a PNR received from the booking agent, the consolidator can assume full PNR functionality. This reduces exposure for consolidators by restricting actions that would invalidate the ticketed fare. It also allows consolidators to specify when PNR displays of proprietary fare data should be blocked.
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AirCell To Test In-flight Connectivity On AA’s B767-200s
American Airlines has signed a memorandum of intent with AirCell to be the first US airline to test its ability to provide passengers with high-speed broadband connectivity. The test will be conducted in 2008 on American’s Boeing 767-200 aircraft, which primarily fly transcontinental routes. The product is designed to provide high-speed Internet connection, VPN access and e-mail capabilities through Wi-Fi enabled laptops and PDA devices. The cost of the service will be announced at the time of service rollout.
The technology uses three antennae installed on the outside of the aircraft (two on the bottom and one on top). AirCell will provide cellular towers throughout the continental US to transmit the signal. The technology is subject to requirements set forth by the Federal Aviation Administration through an exclusive license from the Federal Communications Commission. Both agencies oversee the use of broadband and wireless signals by aircraft flying over the continental US.
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AirPlus Unveils Corporate Card Designed For SE Asian Market
AirPlus International, a provider of travel payment solutions, has launched the AirPlus Corporate Card for Southeast Asia clients. The card, issued by United Overseas Bank, is available in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. The AirPlus Corporate Card, combined with the AirPlus Company Account, offers travel data management as well as credit and settlement services. The card is designed for mid-sized and large corporations.
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AirTran Unveils Rewards-based Visa Card For Small Business
AirTran Airways and Barclays are now offering the AirTran Airways A+ Visa credit card to small-business customers. New cardholders are awarded eight A+ Rewards credits after their first purchase and have the ability to earn up to 10 more A+ Rewards credits for balance transfers. In addition, cardholders earn two points for every dollar spent on AirTran purchases and one point for every dollar spent on all other purchases. There is no limit to the number of points that can be earned.
The card also offers expense-management, spend-tracking and reporting tools; and a credit line of up to $50,000. The card has an annual fee of $39.
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Alaska, Horizon List On Expedia
Expedia has signed a multiyear strategic partnership with Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, under which all of the carriers’ published fares, schedules and inventory will be available through Expedia.com and Expedia.ca.
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American Airlines Enhances Its Web-based Booking Tool
American Airlines American has enhanced its online booking tool to display multiple price and schedule options from three days before to three days after the selected departure date, all on the same page. Previously the tool showed the options for the departure date only. Also new: simplified movement between steps in the booking process. Now, customers can go back and forth between pages via links at the top of the page without having to start over.
The airline also has launched DealFinder, a downloadable computer desktop tool that offers customers discounted fares to locations throughout the carrier’s worldwide network. DealFinder alerts users if fares matching their pre-selected preferences are available. Users enter where they want to go, how much they’d like to spend, their travel dates and how many people will be traveling. Users can also specify their favorite destination types, such as beach/resort, golf or ski.
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American Express’ Best Card Customers Get AA Club Access
Consumer, small business and corporate members of American Express’ Platinum and Centurion card programs now have access to American Airlines’ 44 Admiral Club lounges worldwide. The relationship expands the American Express Airport Club Access Program for Platinum and Centurion cards. The program also allows card members access to lounges for Continental, Delta and Northwest. Card members present to the club representative their card, a ticket valid for same-day travel and a government-issued ID. Spouse and children, or up to two traveling companions, can join the card member as guests in the airport lounges.
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At HRG: New Structure, New Technology, New Affiliates
Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) has begun restructuring its European operations, appointing four European managing directors, each with specific areas of responsibility; unveiled its new “radically different” technology platform; and announcing the addition of two corporate travel agencies in the Middle East.
Under the restructuring, Europe North will be headed by Hans Holmen (previously managing director of HRG Nordic), based in Stockholm. Europe Central is now led by Beat Bürer (previously managing director for HRG Switzerland), based in Zurich. Europe West will be headed by Peter Kite (formerly managing director of HRG UK), based in Farnborough, UK. Europe Multinational Services, covering all client services functions for HRG’s key managed clients across the region, is now controlled by Ian Windsor (previously operations director for Europe), also based in Farnborough.
HRG’s new Universal Super Platform (USP) is designed to integrate seamlessly with both in-house and third party products and services for the international market. USP was developed in-house. The TMC has also committed to linking travel reservation centers in the UK, Hungary, Sweden, Singapore and Canada, which will allow it to adopt a “follow the sun” strategy for providing continuous support for clients regardless of geographic location or time of day.
And finally, the TMC has added Tel Aviv-based Lachish Tours and Travel, and Algeria’s Liberte Tours to its worldwide network. Lachish is HRG’s exclusive partner in Israel; its operations, now trading as HRG Israel, are located in the key Israeli cities of Ashdod, Jerusalem and Haifa. Liberte, now HRG’s exclusive partner in Algeria, will trade as HRG Algeria, operating from its headquarters in Bab Al Oued and an office within Algeria’s international airport.
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British Airways To Offer Spa Services In NYC & London
British Airways has entered into a five-year agreement with Steiner Leisure’s Elemis brand to operate spa facilities in its terminal lounges at Heathrow and JFK International airports. Elemis expects to start running four Heathrow spas and one JFK spa in October.
Three more luxury spas are expected to be opened at BA’s new facilities in Heathrow’s Terminal 5 in March 2008.
Also beginning in October, Elemis-branded skincare products are scheduled to be provided to BA’s business-class passengers on long-haul flights.
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cFares Charts Tradeoffs In Choices Of Price & Schedule
cFares has unveiled an enhanced user interface to give travelers a visual dashboard charting the tradeoffs to be made between departure time and prices among similar flights. This added transparency into how airfares vary by departure time is expected to improve travelers’ ability to optimize their airline ticket purchases.
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Charter Booking Tool Unveiled
Connect-A-Jet.com has introduced a charter online booking system and has completed all necessary documentation to initiate trading on the Pink Sheets, an over-the-counter securities market, under the symbol CAJT.PK. The Connect-A-Jet.com portal provides direct access to aircraft operators. Customers can input their travel criteria, choose from a list of aircraft that are specified by tail number and charter operators, and also place their catering and ground transportation requests.
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Choice Hotels’ New Franchise Pact Targets Growth In Ireland
Choice Hotels International, has entered into a 10-year master franchising agreement with Ireland-based Kasterlee Limited for the right to license and develop Choice’s Clarion, Quality and Comfort brands in Ireland. Prior to acquiring the master franchising rights directly from Choice, Kasterlee operated Choice’s brands in Ireland under an area representative agreement with Real Hotel Group (formerly CHE Hotel Group), which previously held the master franchise rights in Ireland.
Choice’s current portfolio in Ireland consists of 21 Comfort, Quality and Clarion hotels in markets including Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick. Concurrent with the agreement, Kasterlee, doing business as Choice Hotels Ireland, has sold its ownership interest in 11 Comfort Inn and Quality Hotels to a consortium of investors led by TVC Holdings.
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Continental Adds Canada Service
Continental Airlines has announced that it will commence new nonstop service between its Cleveland hub and Ottawa International Airport on September 30. This will be the fourth Canadian city and the seventh international city served by Continental from Cleveland. The twice-daily service will operated with 37-seat Embraer 135 regional jet aircraft.
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CWT Acquires Boston Agency
Carlson Wagonlit Travel has acquired the business travel operations of Preferred Travel, a travel management company based in Braintree, Mass. The 85-employee company handles client business worth $80 million in annual air volume.
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Dollar Thrifty Cuts HQ Jobs For Estimated $7M Savings
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group has announced a cost-reduction plan that calls for the elimination of 25 percent of management positions at the company’s headquarters in Tulsa, Okla., as well as other support staff.
Dollar Thrifty estimates that the reductions will result in an annual pretax cost savings of approximately $7 million.
Dollar Thrifty has already outsourced information technology services and a significant portion of its call center operations. The company is also installing fleet-optimization software this fall.
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Expedia’s $725M Buyback Nets 25 Million Shares
Expedia has bought back 25 million shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $29 per share, for a total cost of approximately $725 million, excluding fees and expenses relating to the tender offer. Expedia is borrowing $500 million under its existing credit facility to fund a portion of the purchase price for the shares and will use cash on hand for the remainder of the purchase price and to pay related fees and expenses.
In June, Expedia announced it would buy back 117 million shares for $3.5 billion, but decided to drastically scale back that plan because the company could not secure acceptable financing.
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Four Points By Sheraton Opening Hotels In Tibet, China
Later this year, Four Points by Sheraton plans to open its first hotel in Tibet, the 93-room Four Points by Sheraton Lhasa, in the country’s capital city. The brand is also opening two new hotels in China: the 254-room Four Points by Sheraton Lianyungang, a 254-room hotel scheduled to open in 2009, and the Four Points by Sheraton Sanya Bay, a 405-room resort due to open in 2010.
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G2 SwitchWorks’ First Non-air Link: GT3 Limo Booking System
G2 SwitchWorks has signed an agreement with Ground Travel Technology Team (GT3) to provide customers of G2’s reservations system with access to GT3’s executive car service reservations system. GT3 is the first non-air supplier to connect to G2’s system.
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Gelco’s Payment Processing, Audit Services Win Concur Bid
Concur, a provider of booking and expense-management tools, has agreed to acquire H-G Holdings and its subsidiaries, including Gelco Information Network. Gelco is also a provider of expense-management technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Concur will pay $160 million in cash for all of the outstanding equity securities of H-G Holdings. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the year.
The acquisition will be “mostly additive,” according to Steve Singh, Concur’s chairman and CEO. Concur has 5,000 clients; Gelco, 1,200. Half of Gelco’s clients already use Cliqbook, the self-booking tool added to the Concur product line in January 2006 with the acquisition of Outlook.
More important, he indicates, is the addition of Gelco’s on-demand auditing service and payment processing service “We just recently got into auditing and processing,” says Singh, but those initiatives are relatively recent and will be greatly enhanced by Gelco’s experience and capacity. Gelco’s management team is also a plus, he says. “We’ll keep the vast majority of the Gelco team and will look at how their added expertise will help drive growth.”
Gelco’s market outside the United States is predominantly in the EU. Concur hopes to accelerate its own growth both there and in the Asia Pacific region, says Singh: “Over the next three to four years, we want to drive international revenue from 15 percent to 30 percent.”
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Hampton Inn Heads To Mexico
Hilton Hotels Corp. has reached an agreement with Tenedora Augusta, a hotel development company based in Mexico, to develop Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites hotels throughout Mexico and operate the hotels under Hampton Inn franchise agreements. Tenedora currently owns and operates three Hamptons in Monterrey, Saltillo and Torreon. Among the cities and destinations targeted for expansion are Tijuana, Queretaro, Guadalajara, Cancun and Monterrey.
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Hertz Automates Airport Rentals For Economy Selections
Hertz is rolling out Simply Wheelz, designed for air travelers who want to reserve one of eight low-priced vehicle types online. The program is built around one-stop self-service rental machines similar to those used by airlines. Customers use the machine to scan their bar-coded printed web reservation and their driver’s license; then select a few additional options, such as any additional drivers and insurance/ waiver options. The machine assigns a vehicle and prints the rental agreement. Once the rental transaction is completed at the machine, customers go straight to their car and proceed off the lot.
Travelers can make Simply Wheelz reservations via SimplyWheelz.com as well as through major retail travel web sites such as Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline and Travelocity. Hertz #1 Club and #1 Club Gold service are not available for Simply Wheelz. Cars from the Hertz Prestige, Fun and Green Collections are not available in the Simply Wheelz fleet.
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Hotels.com Unveils Mapping Tool
Hotels.com has added interactive mapping capabilities that enable users to display landmarks and points of interest surrounding their potential hotel choice on an interactive map. They also can drag the map in any direction, view the distance between two selected points and the estimated driving and walking times between those points. The mapping features allow travelers to choose a hotel that is convenient to the local sites they want to visit as well as transportation, such as airports and train stations.
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Interstate Enters Mexico Market
Interstate Hotels & Resorts, a hotel management company, has formed a strategic partnership with Steadfast Companies to own and operate hotels in Mexico. Interstate invested $5.7 million in a three-property portfolio of Tesoro Resorts in Mexico, currently owned by affiliates of Steadfast. Interstate has already taken over management of Tesoro resorts in Los Cabos, Manzanillo and Ixtapa. A $10 million capital plan will be initiated to make improvements at all three resorts, with primary concentration on redeveloping the Cabo San Lucas property.
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Meeting Intelligence and SignUp4 — 'It's A Ten.'
In a perfect world, people would register early for the meetings they plan to attend.
They’d make all their arrangements at once: register for the event itself, select
the sessions they’ll be attending, book a hotel room and their incoming and return flights.
Everything would run smoothly. And when it was all over, the meeting manager would have a tidy collection of data to effectively run the event. They would also be prepared for negotiating better values for the next event.
In a perfect world, those who plan to attend wouldn’t change their minds about any of their choices. And they wouldn’t have their arrangements changed for them because a seminar was discovered to be overbooked or the selected hotel room was not available after all. And there would be someone at the airport and/or the hotel to greet them when they arrived.
Bad news: it’s not a perfect world.
But it’s getting better.
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Midwest Agrees To Acquisition By Group That Includes NWA
Midwest Air Group, parent of Midwest Airlines, has signed a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of TPG Capital, in a transaction valued at approximately $450 million. Northwest Airlines will be a minority “passive investor” in Midwest Air Partners, the entity formed to acquire Midwest. The merger agreement, expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2007, was unanimously approved by Midwest’s board of directors.
The agreement with TPG came at the conclusion of a process in which TPG and AirTran were each asked to submit a final offer. TPG submitted a proposal of $17 per share; AirTran offered $16.27 per share in cash and AirTran stock.
“The agreement preserves the airline’s status as Milwaukee’s hometown airline and the popular Midwest Airlines brand for Midwest’s loyal customers and employees,” says Timothy Hoeksema, chairman and CEO of Midwest. “TPG shares our commitment to quality and truly understands the value of a differentiated product.”
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Qantas Booking Site Unveils Book Now, Pay Later Feature
Qantas has introduced an online payment feature that allows customers to book a flight on the airline’s web site but defer payment until closer to their departure date. Those who choose to defer payment are able to confirm their seat at booking for international, Fully Flexible and Business Class Australian domestic fares.
Availability of the Book Now, Pay Later plan and the length of time customers have to pay will depend on fare type and time until departure, with customers shown the date when full payment is due before deciding to proceed. In order to secure a booking, customers will be charged a holding guarantee of A$25 per passenger. This is then refunded when a customer pays the full amount for their tickets online.
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Rocco Forte Collection Partners With HelmsBriscoe
The Rocco Forte Collection, a collection of nine luxury hotels in Europe, has partnered with US-based conference and meetings specialist HelmsBriscoe to raise awareness of the properties among meeting planners. The Rocco Forte Collection will receive sales and marketing support from HelmsBriscoe partnerships around the world.
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Sabre, Amadeus Seek Antitrust Pass For Joint Payment System
Sabre Holdings and Amadeus have filed with the European Commission for antitrust approval to create a joint venture that will provide automated payment processing, clearing and reconciliation solutions to the travel industry. The joint venture plans to focus on the non-air segments of the industry such as hotels, cruise, tour, car and rail.
More information on the joint venture will be available when and if it is approved by the European Commission, say the companies.
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Silverjet Posts On Worldspan
Silverjet has begun to make its inventory and fares available through the Worldspan global distribution system (GDS). The pact includes a 3 percent standard commission to US and Canadian agents on all published fares booked either through the GDS or at the Silverjet web site.
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St. Regis Plans Asian Sites
St. Regis, a Starwood luxury brand, will be raising its flag in Bangkok, Thailand (a property with 198 guest rooms, 22 serviced apartments and 71 exclusive residential units due to open in early 2009); Osaka, Japan (159 rooms, 2010); and Tianjin, China (284 rooms, 2011). Starwood had previously announced that St. Regis will open new properties in Macao, Bali and Singapore in the next two years.
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StarCite Begins Beta Tests Of Meeting-planning Technology
StarCite has announced the beta launch of StarCite TV, a meeting-planning web center that includes hotel listings, videos and meeting planning blogs. StarCite plans to add hotel ratings based on meeting planners’ experiences; visual mapping of key information like local restaurants and entertainment options; market trends based on StarCite data; instant group-booking capability; and meeting planner surveys.
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Travelocity Tool Helps Users Find Pertinent Hotel Reviews
Travelocity has introduced a tool that gives travelers the ability to sort through tens of thousands of user-generated reviews to find information relevant to them in a range of categories: couples, families with young kids, families with teens, mature travelers, solo women, groups of friends, people with disabilities, people with pets and business travelers.
Travelers create a customized profile and then contribute detailed feedback on criteria important to that type of traveler. For instance, travelers with disabilities provide comments on wheelchair accessibility, whereas pet lovers talk about pet-friendly policies.
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US Airways-Air NZ Codeshare Connects At LAX, SFO Airports
US Airways has signed a codeshare agreement with Air New Zealand that will go into effect in October. Codeshare flights will be available for purchase in September. US Airways customers traveling to New Zealand will be able to connect on Air New Zealand’s nonstop service from Los Angeles and San Francisco. Conversely, Air New Zealand customers will be able to connect to US Airways flights heading to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
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US Helicopter Lists On Galileo
Galileo has signed a multi-year global content distribution agreement with US Helicopter to make all of the shuttle service’s published fares and inventory available to Galileo-connected travel agencies worldwide. US Helicopter’s scheduled service offers business travelers an eight-minute airport commute between New York’s JFK and Newark Liberty airports.
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Virgin America Begins Roll-out Of Transcontinental Service
Virgin America has begun service, operating flights between San Francisco and New York Kennedy and San Francisco and Los Angeles International. By the end of this month, the airline will have four daily flights between San Francisco and New York, and three daily flights between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Twice-daily service between San Francisco and Washington Dulles will commence on Sept. 26; between San Francisco and Las Vegas on Oct. 10 with three daily flights; and between Los Angeles and Washington on Oct. 24 with two daily flights.
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Wyndham OKs Stock Repurchase
Wyndham Worldwide’s board of directors has authorized a stock repurchase program that will enable the hotel company to purchase up to $200 million of its common stock. Wyndham says the amount and timing of specific repurchases are subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements and other factors.
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AA Enables Reservation Changes At Web Site
American Airlines has introduced a feature on its web site that lets customers change their reservations online. The new feature is available for trips that have not yet begun, up to three hours prior to the originally scheduled flight departure, for customers who are traveling with an e-ticket purchased through American Airlines reservations, ticket offices or AA.com; and are traveling wholly on American Airlines, American Eagle or AmericanConnection flights within the US, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands or Canada. The functionality does not apply to tickets redeemed for frequent-flyer points.
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Abacus Creates Virtual Travel Agency, Rolls Out Traveler Locator
Abacus International, a GDS provider in the Asia-Pacific region, and Safe2Travel, a Singapore-based corporate travel agency, have created a virtual travel agency on SecondLife.com. Users who visit the Abacus/Safe2Travel virtual agency will find themselves in a modern, sleekly furnished building that "creates a relaxing environment for customers." And it’s not just pretend: Second Life users can book travel at the virtual agency.
Also, the GDS is rolling out Abacus TravelSecurity to its network of 15,000 travel agencies. The product enables corporate travel managers and agencies to quickly locate travelers worldwide. Reports includes traveler contact information and complete Abacus reservations data.
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Accor Completes Sale Of Red Roof Inn, Restructures NA Ops
Accor has closed on the sale of Red Roof Inn to a consortium comprised of Citigroup’s Global Special Situations Group and Westbridge Hospitality Fund for $1.3 billion.
Now that it has sold the 341-hotel chain, the structure of Accor North America will change. Accor North America Mexico hotels will report to Accor Latin America, and Sofitel in North America will report to Sofitel worldwide. Therefore, the focus of Accor North America will be primarily on the economy Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands in the US and Canada. The company plans to open more than 200 Motel 6 properties in the US and Canada by 2010.
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ACTE Opens Registration For '08 Event As '07 Sign-ups Break Record
ACTE has opened early bird registration for its 2008 Global Education Conference in Rome, with a little more than a month to go before its 2007 conference, to be held in Munich. Registrations for the October 21-23 Munich conference are ahead of last year’s European conference, and attracting a higher percentage of first-time corporate participants, reports the Association.
Next month's agenda has "a distinctly European flair," say its organizers, with 11 of the 26 seminars and presentations dealing directly with European issues, including the evolution of corporate social responsibility, duty of care, CRS, "shared services" and rail travel developments. While the 11 sessions hold a specific interest for our European members, "they will also be very useful to travel management executives from other regions with travelers moving extensively throughout Europe," says ACTE's director, Susan Gurley. "The fact that so many of our educational sessions can be used toward certification or accreditation in other associations emphasizes how ACTE saves its members time and money."
Meanwhile, ACTE's new president, Richard Crum, will travel to Mexico next week to present opening remarks at the PowerTalk in Monterrey on September 25 and at the Executive Forum to be held in Mexico City on September 27.
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ACTE To Hold Global Conference In Munich
On Oct. 21, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives will hold its Global Education Conference in Munich. The three-day event will delve into the confluence of government regulation and corporate travel economics, the impact of new technology on traveler productivity and travel and procurement trends for 2008. For a look at the conference agenda, visit www.acte.org.
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Affinia Hotels Offers New Services To Relieve Stress
Affinia Hotels, which operates a collection of properties in New York and Chicago, has introduced its TravelSmart program, designed to help guests avoid many common travel stressors. The program features the delivery of chargers and adapters for personal electronic devices to guest rooms, a luggage shipping service, an expanded selection of toiletries, the printing of airline boarding passes and paperless checkout (hotel folio e-mailed after a guest’s stay).
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Air China Puts Premium Cabins On More Routes
Air China is offering its premium-cabin services on four additional routes: Beijing-London, Beijing-Madrid-Sao Paulo, Shanghai-Milan-Rome and Shanghai-Paris. Air China already offers the service for Beijing-Frankfurt, Shanghai-Frankfurt, Beijing-New York, Beijing-Los Angeles and Beijing-San Francisco.
The "Forbidden Pavilion" first-class seat features individual partitions for private space and a fully flat bed. The "Capital Pavilion" business class has nearly five feet separating 21-inch-wide seats that extend and recline 170 degrees.
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Air Partner Hires Wyvern To Conduct Safety Audits
Air Partner, an aircraft charter agency, has tabbed Wyvern Consulting to conduct on-site safety audits at its international locations. "As international travel is becoming the norm for US-based corporations, it’s essential to ensure the integrity for reliable, safe use of private aircraft," says Phil Mathews, president of Air Partner, which has 20 offices across four continents.
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AirPlus Rolls Out Carbon Offset Program
AirPlus International has introduced an automated carbon offset feature for users of its AirPlus Company Account payment solution. With it, AirPlus clients can automatically pay for the offsetting of flights purchased. AirPlus transfers flight data to a carbon offset provider, which in turn calculates the amount to offset the company’s carbon emissions. This amount is charged to the client via the AirPlus Company Account and the transaction information is then fed into AirPlus Information Manager, the company’s reporting tool. The carbon offset solution is available globally.
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AirTran Pilots Reject Tentative Deal
AirTran’s pilots, represented by the National Pilots Association, voted down a proposed tentative agreement last week by a margin of 61.4 percent to 38.6 percent. The rejection of the labor deal sends the airline and its pilots back to the drawing board after two-and-a-half years of negotiations. AirTran and its pilots had reached a tentative deal on a four-year contract in May.
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AirTran To Add Raleigh/Durham-Orlando Service
AirTran will launch nonstop service between Raleigh/Durham, N.C., and Orlando on Feb. 14. AirTran also will offer more nonstop, seasonal flights between Orlando and Minneapolis/St. Paul and Rochester, N.Y.
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AKA Opens Property In Philadelphia
AKA continues to grow its luxury, extended-stay collection with the opening of its fifth property this year, the AKA Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. The property features 81 units comprised of studios and one- and two-bedroom suites.
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Amadeus Updates Fare-loading Tool
Amadeus has launched a new-generation solution for loading private/negotiated fares into the GDS. Fares can now be filed through the FareXpert Filing Platform and the XML Fare Data Interface. Amadeus says the interface allows large volumes of fares to be loaded automatically from an in-house database.
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Ambassadors Adds Green Conference Services
Ambassadors has added green conference and meeting-management services to its portfolio of travel and events services. Clients can add PlanIt Green Meeting Services to any of the full range of Ambassadors services, including event development, strategy, production and design; incentive travel and merchandise award programs; conference and event management; and housing and registration. Specific areas in which PlanIt Green Meeting Services impacts events include overall strategy, site selection, transportation, catering, exhibit hall coordination, marketing communications, production, "green" messaging at the event, and housing and registration.
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American Eagle To Launch LaGuardia-Montreal Service
American Eagle, American Airlines’ regional affiliate, will begin service to Montreal from New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Dec. 13. American Eagle also serves Montreal from New York’s JFK Airport. Also on Dec. 13, American Eagle will begin service between Pittsburgh and JFK. Both routes will be served by Embraer jets that seat between 37 and 44 passengers.
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American Express To Provide Starwood's Folio Data
American Express has signed a hotel folio agreement with Starwood Hotels & Resorts. The arrangement enables American Express to provide corporate card customers with reports that break down total hotel spending at participating Starwood hotels in the US and Canada. The program will roll out across more than 400 properties. American Express says it now receives lodging folio data representing more than 40 percent of its clients’ global spending on commercial cards.
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American Express To Sell Banking Business For $1.1 Billion
American Express Company has entered into an agreement to sell its international banking subsidiary, American Express Bank, to Standard Chartered for about $1.1 billion. The sale is subject to certain regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2008. "The agreement reflects our strategic focus on the high-growth, high-return payments businesses that have been driving our performance in recent years," says Kenneth Chenault, American Express’ CEO. American Express Bank serves financial institutions and customers with high net worth in 47 countries.
The sale will not include any of the company's card or travel businesses, nor its international financial services businesses that operate separately from American Express Bank.
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Amtrak Offers Travel Insurance
Amtrak and Access America have formed a partnership that enables Amtrak to offer rail passengers the option to purchase travel insurance protection. Confirmed Amtrak passengers will be directed to a co-branded web site through a link in their itinerary confirmation. Eventually, the insurance will be offered as part of the booking path on Amtrak.com.
Access America has developed three insurance packages for Amtrak, based on the needs of rail passengers and the typical costs of rail travel. The insurance provides coverage for circumstances such as lost baggage, travel delays and emergency medical/dental issues.
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ARC's Proposed Fee Increases Under Review
ARC’s proposal for a 2008 fee increase for travel agencies and corporate travel departments has been reviewed by ARC’s Fees and Charges Working Group. The next step is a review at the ARC Joint Advisory Board — Agent Reporting Agreement meeting on Oct. 18. ARC proposes raising its annual administrative fee for home offices and independent locations from $145 to $395. ARC also proposes an increase in the transaction fee from 1.7 cents to 2 cents. Agencies with five branches that have 100,000 transactions a year (the 200 largest agencies in the U.S., said ARC), would see an increase of $300 in their transaction fee.
ARC says several members of the Fees and Charges Working Group wanted to maintain the current 90/10 split of core operating costs between airlines (ARC is airline-owned) and travel agencies/corporate travel departments. ARC says it would like to work toward a 70/30 split beyond 2008.
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Avis Budget Expands Toll Tag Program
Avis Budget Group, the parent company of the Avis and Budget car rental companies, plans to equip vehicles in Florida, Colorado and Puerto Rico with devices enabling electronic toll collection. The service is available now in Puerto Rico, will roll out in Florida next week and will be introduced in Colorado later this fall. The service eliminates the need for customers to carry change or wait in cash payment lines. Toll charges and daily fees for the service will be processed as a separate charge to the customer’s credit or debit card.
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Barcelo Starts Premium Club Service At Maya Beach Resort
The Barcelo Maya Beach Resort, on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, is the latest Barcelo resort to offer Club Premium services to guests staying in a suite. Club Premium services include priority seating and unlimited reservations in the a la carte restaurants; use of the Premium Club Lounge, a private lounge with complimentary Internet service, refreshments throughout the day, a full bar with premium alcohol; table games and large screen TVs; private guest registration upon arrival and personalized check-out; complimentary early check-in and late checkout (up to three hours); and turndown service. Club Premium services also are available at the Maya Tropical Beach, Maya Colonial Beach and Maya Caribe Beach.
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Barclays, US Airways Introduce New Card For Small Businesses
Barclays and US Airways have launched the US Airways Dividend Miles MasterCard BusinessCard for small businesses. Those who apply for the card can choose one of two options: one with a $79 annual fee; the other with no fee.
The rewards program for the fee-based card includes 15,000 Dividend Miles after the first purchase, two miles for every dollar spent on US Airways purchase, one mile for every dollar spent on all other purchases, one complimentary US Airways Club day pass per year, $75 each year towards a US Airways Club annual membership fee and the ability to convert up to 10,000 base miles into preferred miles, which can be used to upgrade the cardholder’s elite status in US Airways’ frequent-flyer program.
The no-fee version awards 5,000 miles after the first purchase and awards one mile for every dollar spent on all purchases.
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BCD Travel Takes Ownership Stake In Australian Travel Agency
BCD Travel has acquired a majority stake in International Express, BCD’s Australian network partner, calling the move a step toward increasing its strategic ownership position in the Asia-Pacific region. International Express (which formerly traded as Sydney Express, Brisbane Express and Melbourne Express) was rebranded as BCD Travel in Australia earlier this year.
As part of its ownership position, BCD Travel will be implementing a multinational service center in Brisbane.
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Best Western Plans To Nearly Double Asia Portfolio By 2010
Best Western says it is on a pace to have more than 200 hotels in Asia by 2010, an expansion from 106 today. In China, Best Western plans to open seven to 10 hotels per year over the next three years. In India, the chain recently signed a new master licensing agreement with Cabana Hotels. A $1.2 billion investment is expected to bring 100 hotels and 10,000 rooms to India over the next decade. In Thailand, Best Western aims to have up to 30 hotels in the country by 2010; it has 11 now. In Japan, 21 hotels are under development in the country. Best Western recently established a development office in Indonesia and expects to have 20 hotels in that country within the next three years. The chain also is operating or developing hotels in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and South Korea.
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BMI Delays Launch Of US Service
British carrier BMI has postponed its plans to introduce service to the United States from London Heathrow, according to published reports. The airline had intended to launch US service next year when the US-EU open-skies agreement goes into effect. Now, the airline will reportedly wait until at least 2009 to do so.
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Boeing Bullish On Latin America
Boeing forecasts that Latin American airlines will need 1,730 airplanes worth $120 billion over the next 20 years, according to an analysis presented at the Latin America Airfinance Conference in Rio de Janeiro. Air travel within Latin America will grow 6.6 percent during this period, above the world average growth of 5 percent and second only to China’s 8.8 percent forecasted growth rate, says Boeing.
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BridgeStreet Names Alliance Partner In Charlotte
BridgeStreet Worldwide, a provider of corporate housing, has announced that A+ Accommodations & Relocation in Charlotte, N.C., has signed a deal to become a Premier Global Alliance Partner. The alliance is a network of corporate housing providers worldwide. BridgeStreet and A+ Accommodations have merged operations, but A+ Accommodations will still operate under its brand name.
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British Airways To Withdraw From London-Detroit Market
British Airways will cease operating daily flights between Detroit and London Heathrow on March 30. "Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we have been unable to make a reasonable level of profit on the Detroit-London route," says Robin Hayes, British Airways’ executive vice president, Americas. "Detroit was a route very dependent on the auto industry, and the changing nature of this sector made it a very challenging market." British Airways has served the Detroit-London market for over 50 years.
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BSI Enhances Booking Tool
UK-based BSI has enhanced the functionality of BSI Direct, its online booking tool. Key features include extensive filter parameters that allow corporate travel managers to establish greater policy control and set boundaries for their company’s spending; the option to introduce soft and hard rate caps, depending on how rigorous managers want their control of the expenditure to be; profiles that can be established to provide a history of bookings; expanded criteria for hotel searches; more accommodations options, including apartments; and the ability to bypass the GDS to get a lower hotel rate.
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BTC, ACTE, ITM To Host Hearing On European GDS Reform
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives, Business Travel Coalition, Institute of Travel Management and other organizations will host a hearing on September 20 concerning proposed reforms to rules governing the GDS industry in Europe. The European Commission is currently reviewing the industry’s code of conduct, which has been in place since 1989. The purpose of the event is to encourage a transparent, public consultation regarding potential reform of the code and to provide a platform for travel buyers’ concerns with respect to the EC’s apparent interest in redefining what constitutes a "parent carrier." To register, visit www.AdvancedSurvey.com/default.asp?SurveyID=54820.
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BTE September Issue Includes Another View On Air Canada-Galileo
The September issue of Business Travel Executive, soon to be posted on the www.askBTE.com site, includes a response to Kevin Mitchell's latest Insight column, which argues that the recently-announced Air Canada-Galileo partnership may ultimately increase corporate travel costs. But Richard Eastman, president and CEO of the Eastman Group travel technology development company, responds that the changes portended by the partnership are part of a logical evolution as airlines readjust their business models. Both articles will be available in BTE print and online editions.
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Cambria Suites Opens Second Hotel
Cambria Suites, Choice Hotels’ new upscale brand, has opened its second hotel, in Appleton, Wis. The 100-suite hotel, according to brand specifications, is smoke-free and features separate work and living areas with ergonomic chairs, movable desks, luxury linens and Bath and Body Works products. Free high-speed wired and wireless Internet access is available throughout the hotel.
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Candlewood Suites Distributes Old Bedding To Needy Families
After completing bedding renovations at 55 hotels this summer, Candlewood Suites repurposed the box springs and linens to benefit approximately 4,300 families in need across the United States. The extended-stay chain worked in partnership with the National Furniture Bank Association to distribute the bedding. Candlewood Suites says an additional benefit of the reuse program was a cumulative savings of more than $100,000 in disposal fees.
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Caribbean Sun Airlines To Relaunch With Bigger Planes
Caribbean Sun Airlines, a carrier that ceased operations in January, intends to relaunch by the end of 2007. Caribbean Sun plans to fly Boeing 737 jet aircraft; previously, Caribbean Sun operated a fleet of 37-seat Dash-8 turboprop aircraft. Caribbean Sun’s relaunch follows a six-month restructuring program.
Relaunch plans are subject to regulatory approvals from the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration. Details about Caribbean Sun’s corporate leadership, new route structure and other operational issues will be disclosed following receipt of all government regulatory approvals.
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Carlson Adds Six Hotels In July
Six hotels joined the Carlson Hotels Worldwide portfolio in July. The new properties are the Radisson Resort Fiji Denarau Island in Fiji; a Park Inn in New Brunswick, Canada; and four Country Inns & Suites in Ohio, Michigan, Virginia and Florida.
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CheckinWiz Tests Arrival-alert Service For Hotels, Guests
Ottawa-based CheckinWiz has unveiled a solution for business travelers and hotels that allows guests to notify the hotel of their arrival time and check-in using a PDA such as a BlackBerry or web-enabled phone. CheckinWiz says the service sends a customized message, including time of arrival, guest preferences and special requests, enabling the hotel to prepare a room and keys in advance of the guest’s arrival. Hotels benefit from this direct connection to their guests to send instructions, marketing messages (such as daily restaurant specials) or timely information updates on hotel rooms and services, says CheckinWiz, which has modules for individual and group check-ins.
A trial version is currently being offered at several Ottawa hotels. The public launch of CheckinWiz is scheduled for 2008.
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China Southern Places $3.8B Aircraft Order
China Southern Airlines has ordered 55 Boeing 737s for its expanding fleet. At catalogue prices, the order is valued at $3.8 billion. The 55 jets will supplement the 129 737s already in China Southern’s fleet as well as 14 more that have not yet been delivered from previous orders.
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CIBT Acquires Visa Expeditor In Germany
CIBT, a processor of visas and passports, has acquired Visum Direkt, a provider of expedited travel visas to the corporate and leisure travel markets. Headquartered in Bonn, Germany, Visum Direkt also has an office in Berlin. The company will be re-branded under the CIBT Visum Centrale name and will operate from CIBT’s current offices in Bonn, Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.
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Clear Opens Security Lanes At SFO
Clear, a provider of registered traveler lanes at US airports, has opened express security lanes at both domestic terminals at San Francisco International Airport. SFO is Clear’s 11th airport. Later this month, Clear will be open for business at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
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Concord Hospitality Reveals Growth Plans
Concord Hospitality Enterprises plans to build $500 million in new hotels as part of its goal to double its portfolio to 100 owned and managed hotels by 2010. The announcement came on the heels of Concord’s sale of a 19-hotel portfolio of Marriott-branded properties in eight states for $440 million to Houston-based Moody National Cos.
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Continental Adds $50M To Defined-benefits Pension Plans
Continental Airlines has contributed an additional $50 million in cash to its defined-benefit pension plans, bringing its total year-to-date pension contribution to $261 million. Continental expects to contribute more than $325 million to its pension plans in 2007, exceeding its minimum funding requirement of $187 million for the year.
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Continental Plans Major Cleveland Expansion
Continental Airlines plans to grow its capacity at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport by 40 percent over a two-year period. The carrier will initially operate 50 new flights, principally on regional jets, and add 20 new nonstop destinations by next summer. By early 2009, it plans to have added more than a dozen additional flights, principally on mainline aircraft. Many of the regional jet aircraft used for the additional service will be reallocated from Newark. Beginning in 2009, a number of additional mainline aircraft will also be allocated to support the growth.
The planned expansion is the result of a partnership among Continental, the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio. The state offered Continental an incentive package valued at more than $16 million. To date, Continental has been awarded a $900,000 Rapid Outreach Grant; a 70 percent, 10-year Ohio Job Creation Tax Credit; an Ohio Investment in Training program grant valued at up to $550,000; and employment pre-screening, testing and recruitment services through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
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Control Risks Introduces Security Training For Travelers
Control Risks has launched two e-learning tools to assist corporations with the education of employees on safety and security issues: the Travel Security and Workplace Violence e-learning modules. The Travel Security course is designed to equip business travelers with the confidence to safely undertake routine business travel. Developed in partnership with Fuel, a provider of e-learning solutions, the course covers a variety of situations associated with business travel, including destination risk assessments, airport procedures, information security, meet and greet, hotel security and local travel arrangements.
Workplace Violence provides clients with an overview of the causes, warning signs and prevention steps of workplace violence. Users are briefed on the different types of workplace violence, conditions that can lead to violence and practical advice on how to manage and identify potentially dangerous situations.
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Country Hearth Inns Opens Six Hotels
Mid-priced chain Country Hearth Inns & Suites opened six hotels on September 1 in Gulf Shores, Ala.; Stockbridge, Ga.; Jacksonville, Ill.; Andrews, N.C.; Lake George, N.Y.; and Cayce, S.C. Another property, California’s first Country Hearth Inn hotel, is scheduled to open on September 15 in Hesperia, Calif.
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Country Inn & Suites Opens Airport Hotel In New Orleans
Country Inn & Suites by Carlson has opened a 94-room hotel in Kenner, La., near the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The hotel features an outdoor swimming pool, 24-hour fitness center, 24-hour business center and 60-person meeting room that provides free fax and copy service. The hotel is five miles from the airport and offers a complimentary airport shuttle.
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Delta Enables Online Reissues, Revamps Menu
Customers who buy tickets at Delta.com can now reissue domestic and global tickets without having to consult a reservations agent or visit a local ticket office. Customers can also receive automatic refunds via their credit card or an e-credit, and apply e-credits or previously issued tickets to a new reservation online.
In the air, Delta has hired celebrity chef Todd English to create selections for a new food-for-purchase menu for coach customers on domestic flights. On Sept. 13, Delta will begin selling a variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees, as well as snack items, on nonstop flights between New York’s JFK Airport and Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. Menu items will be priced between $2 and $10. Also starting Sept. 13, Delta will reveal celebrity chef Michelle Bernstein’s menu for first-class customers flying between JFK and Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. Bernstein also has refreshed her business-class menu for international flights.
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Delta Lowers Fares In Cincinnati
Delta says it has lowered leisure fares in about 60 percent of nonstop US domestic markets served from Cincinnati after completing a review of fares. On average, the reductions offer customers a 20 percent savings on advance-purchase fares to certain destinations, including select cities in Florida, the Northeast and the West Coast. These fare reductions, which average about $80 roundtrip, are targeted only to markets where leisure fares have become "uncompetitive," says Delta.
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Delta Plans Flights To St. Kitts And Bonaire
Delta continues its expansion in the Caribbean basin with new nonstop flights from Atlanta to Bonaire and St. Kitts, starting next year. Delta’s Saturday flight to Bonaire starts Feb. 9; its Saturday flight to St. Kitts starts Feb. 16.
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Delta Plans New York-Bermuda Service
Delta will launch daily service from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Bermuda on April 5. The new flight is in addition to Delta’s nonstop service to Bermuda from Boston and Atlanta.
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Delta Says '08 Plan For JFK Will Add Service, Reduce Congestion
Delta is introducing a redesigned New York schedule for summer 2008 that accommodates growing customer demand at JFK Airport while taking steps to reduce airport congestion and delays. Delta plans to offer 14 new international routes, including nine destinations not served by any other US major airline from JFK, and says it will offer customers improved on-time reliability by reducing the number of Delta flights operating during peak hours.
The nine new transatlantic routes are to Tel Aviv, Israel (effective March 10); Edinburgh, Scotland (May 1); Dakar, Senegal (June 2); Nairobi, Kenya (via Dakar, June 2); Cairo, Egypt (June 4); Malaga, Spain (June 4); Amman, Jordan (June 5); Lagos, Nigeria (June 9); and, subject to DOT approval, Cape Town, South Africa (via Dakar, June 3). The five new Latin America/Caribbean routes are to Panama City (Dec. 13); Guatemala City (Dec. 14); Port of Spain, Trinidad (Dec. 20); San Jose, Costa Rica (Feb. 15); and Liberia, Costa Rica (Feb. 16).
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Desires Hotels Reveals Plans For Three Properties
Desires Hotels, a Miami-based boutique hotel operator, has signed contracts to manage two boutique hotels in New York and one in Milwaukee. The hotels are the Cassa Hotel and Residences in Manhattan, the Lift Hotel in Long Island City, NY, and the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee.
Located on 45th Street in midtown Manhattan, the Cassa Hotel and Residences will include 166 suites, a signature restaurant, conference facilities and business and fitness centers. It will open in the first quarter of 2009. The 58-room Lift Hotel, expected to open in second-quarter 2009, will be located within 10 minutes of Shea Stadium. The Iron Horse Hotel, expected to open in the summer of 2008 across the Milwaukee River from the new Harley Davidson Museum, will include 100 rooms and suites, conference facilities and business and fitness centers. It will cater to business and leisure travelers as well as motorcycle enthusiasts, says Desires.
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DOT Awards China Routes
For 2008, the US Department of Transportation has awarded Delta a new direct route from Atlanta to Shanghai and United a direct route from San Francisco to Guangzhou.
The DOT also proposed awards for four new daily flights to begin in 2009: American Airlines for Chicago-Beijing, Continental Airlines for Newark-Shanghai, Northwest Airlines for Detroit-Shanghai and US Airways for Philadelphia-Beijing. Final decisions of these proposed awards will be made in the near future after further public comment, according to DOT.
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Dragonair To Join Oneworld Alliance
Dragonair will join the Oneworld alliance on November 1. The Hong Kong-based carrier serves 19 destinations in mainland China with about 400 flights a week. Twelve of the destinations will be new to the Oneworld network: Chongqing, Changsha, Chengdu, Fuzhou, Haikou, Kunming, Guilin, Ningbo, Nanjing, Shenyang, Sanya and Wuhan. With their addition, Oneworld will serve a total of 22 destinations in mainland China.
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El Al Opens Business Lounges At JFK
El Al has taken the wraps off its new King David Lounges in Terminal 4 at JFK International Airport in New York. The First and Platinum Business Class Lounges and Bank Leumi Business Center, a $1 million investment between El Al and Bank Leumi, feature state-of-the-art amenities, including four LCD flat-screen televisions. The lounges total 1,400 square feet and seat approximately 125 passengers. Travelers can refresh by using the lounge’s new on-site shower facility as well as dine on light hors d’oeuvres and dessert. A selection of Israeli wines, cocktails and soft drinks will also be offered.
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Element to Open Las Vegas Hotel
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has agreed to open an Element hotel in Las Vegas in October 2008, in the master-planned community of Summerlin. Element is Starwood’s new extended-stay brand.
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Expensewatch Introduces Automated Card Reimbursement
Expensewatch.com has rolled out tools for small and midsized companies that enable them to automate and manage credit card reimbursements and payments. The new credit card consolidates all accounts, charges and statements and makes them available in one location.
The new service makes it easier for the people who file expense reports to upload and match charges to transactions, says Expensewatch. Financial teams are provided with a credit card dashboard, giving them visibility into charge counts, totals and statuses on all credit cards in the system.
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ExpressJet Partners With Avis Budget
ExpressJet Airlines has formed a preferred partnership with Avis Budget Group, parent company of Avis and Budget. Discounts and added-value programs will be made available to members of ExpressJet’s frequent-flyer program. ExpressJet customers will receive up to 25 percent off Avis rental rates and up to 20 percent off Budget rentals when reserved at xjet.com. In addition, Avis and Budget will provide ExpressJet customers with other benefits, such as upgrades.
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FAA Redesigns Airspace In New York-Philadelphia Metro Area
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a final decision for redesigning the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia metropolitan area airspace. The FAA says the redesign is expected to reduce delays, fuel consumption, aircraft emissions and noise, as well as allow it to move more rapidly toward satellite-based technology.
The redesign involves a 31,000-square-mile area over New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut. The alternative strategy integrates the airspace surrounding the metropolitan area and expands the use of more efficient separation standards, says the FAA.
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Flight Launches Business Aviation Version Of Database
Flight, a division of Reed Business Information, has introduced fleet market information a business aviation version of its ACAS database. ACAS Business Aviation enables suppliers to find new customers, forecast their market and carry out market analyses. The database holds information on aircraft, including ownership, maintenance, hours and cycles, and fleet data. ACAS has traditionally focused on the commercial aviation market.
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FlightBliss.com, A Site That Provides Upgrade Tips, Launches
FlightBliss.com, a free information service specializing entirely in airline upgrade strategies, has launched. FlightBliss.com says it is dedicated to teaching flyers how to get more value from their frequent-flyer miles, choose the most comfortable seats, leverage airline upgrade promotions and book first- and business-class fares for less than the published rates — sometimes for the price of coach. The site features strategies, tips and guides for executing airline upgrade experiences on the ground and in the air.
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Fortis Riders Rolls Out Membership Card
Fortis Riders, a company that partners with aviation clientele to provide chauffeured ground transportation, has unveiled the Onyx membership card, which provides private jet passengers with benefits such as guaranteed vehicle availability at high-demand events, a more generous cancellation policy and luxury amenities. Onyx members determine their membership level by the amount they purchase on their card. Membership levels range from Preferred at $25,000 to Diamond at $1 million. Members may have their balance refunded at any time.
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Frontier’s Launch Of Turboprop Subsidiary Delayed
Lynx Aviation, Frontier Airlines’ turboprop subsidiary, has reported a delay in its launch because it has not completed Federal Aviation Authority certification. Lynx had expected to serve Wichita, Kan.; Rapid City, S.D.; Sioux City, Iowa; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Billings, Mont., starting October 1. During the delay, Frontier will service those routes via existing E170 and CRJ-700 aircraft from its partners Republic Airways and Horizon Air, as well as with supplemental mainline Airbus service as needed.
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Gaylord To Expand Texas Property
Gaylord Entertainment plans a $315 million expansion of its Gaylord Texan Hotel & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The expansion will add 500 room and more than 200,000 square feet of meeting and convention space to the hotel. After the expansion, the hotel will have more than 2,000 rooms.
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Golden Tulip Plans Largest Hotel In Portfolio
Golden Tulip Hospitality Group has signed a management agreement for what will become the largest hotel within its portfolio, the Golden Tulip Ajman, a 1,000-room hotel in Ajman, United Arab Emirates. The first phase will open in early 2008 and consist of 444 hotel suites and apartments in three towers: The Residence, The Suites and The Executive Apartments. Each will have a mixture of studios, one-bedroom units and units with connecting rooms. The second phase, a 550-room hotel with a revolving restaurant, is expected to open in second-quarter 2009.
Also in the United Arab Emirates, Golden Tulip plans to open the Golden Tulip Sharjah in October. The hotel will have 264 suites and hotel apartments.
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Halcyon Jets Goes Public
Halcyon Jets Holdings, a broker for on-demand charter aircraft services, has commenced trading on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol HJHO. The company has closed on approximately $5 million in equity financing through the sale of common stock and warrants. One of Halcyon’s board of directors is film director Spike Lee.
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Hampton, Best Western To Open Dulles Airport Locations
The Best Western Inn Dulles will open on Oct. 8 in Dulles, Va., just minutes from Washington Dulles International Airport. The hotel will offer complimentary shuttle service in the area, including to the Dulles Towne Center. The Hampton Inn & Suites Dulles Airport, a 170-room hotel, is also scheduled to open in October. The hotel is two miles from the airport.
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Hertz Enhances Long-term Rental Program
Hertz has enhanced its Multi-Month Plus rental program, which enables customers to rent a Hertz car for 28 days to 11 months. Hertz is offering a $50 discount through Dec. 15; one free rental day for every month rented (starting at the beginning of the second month); complimentary vehicle exchange every three months with the opportunity to upgrade to a different car class for a fee; 500 Hertz #1 bonus points per month; discounted loss damage waiver coverage; and automatic monthly billing.
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Hertz Offers Hourly Rentals In Boston
Hertz has introduced hourly rentals, available at its Boston Park Plaza location, with no fuel charge, no application fees and no fees for canceling or changing a reservation, Hertz Hourly Rentals are truly the easiest way to rent a car on an hourly basis. As with all its rentals, Hertz Hourly Rentals also include unlimited mileage and 24-hour emergency roadside assistance. Rates start as low as $12 per hour and include one-year complimentary membership in Hertz #1 Club Gold.
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Hilton Garden Inn Signs Franchise Deal In Central America
Hilton Garden Inn has signed its first franchise agreement in Central America with Hoteles Aeropuerto. The Hilton Garden Inn Liberia Airport, located in Liberia, Costa Rica, is scheduled to open in fall 2008. The hotel will feature 160 guest rooms, including 10 suites.
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Hilton Starts Acquisition Process
Hilton Hotels Corp. has commenced cash tender offers and consent solicitations for approximately $1.8 billion of its outstanding debt securities, in connection with its previously announced merger agreement that provides for the acquisition of Hilton by The Blackstone Group for $26 billion. The offer for each issue of securities will expire on Oct. 11, unless extended or earlier terminated by Hilton.
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Hilton Stockholders Approve Acquisition By Blackstone Group
Hilton Hotels Corp.’s stockholders have approved a merger agreement with the Blackstone Group. More than 98 percent of the shares that voted were cast in favor of the merger. Hilton expects the $26 billion transaction to be completed by the end of October.
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Hilton Strikes Development Deal For Russia
Hilton Hotels Corp. and Belgravia Asset Management have agreed to develop 25 new hotels across Russia as well as other Central and Eastern European markets. Over the next five years, Hilton and Belgravia expect to introduce both Hampton and Hilton Garden Inn hotels, all of which Hilton expects to manage. The first property will be a Hampton in St. Petersburg, which is expected to open during the second quarter of 2008.
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Horizon Air Steps Up Palm Springs Service
Horizon Air will offer daily, nonstop jet service between San Jose and Palm Springs, Calif., from November 4 through April 6. Additionally, Horizon will add a nonstop flight between Portland, Ore., and Palm Springs for the winter season to supplement Alaska Airlines’ seasonal nonstop between the two cities. Horizon’s flight on this route will also run from November 4 through April 6.
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Hotel Companies Form Viking Hospitality Fund
Prism Hotels & Resorts, Telemark Hotel Developers and Hotel Assets Group have formed Viking Hospitality Fund, a joint venture to build select- and limited-service hotels across the US under the Hilton and Marriott brands. Viking plans to construct as many as 30 hotels over the next three years at a rate of 8 to 10 each year.
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Hotel Indigo To Open In Asheville, NC
InterContinental Hotels Group has announced plans for a 100-room Hotel Indigo in Asheville, N.C. Construction of the 13-story property is anticipated to begin in the first of quarter 2008, with an expected opening in summer 2009.
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IHG Launches Web Site For Hotel Developers
InterContinental Hotels Group has introduced a global web site for hotel developers. The site — through the use of video, downloads and creative displays — offers an interactive experience that helps investors and developers learn more about IHG and its brands. The IHG family includes InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. The site also provides prospective owners with information about the type of available licensing arrangements and the prototype designs for some of IHG’s brands, as well as details about the support owners receive from IHG to help fill hotel rooms and grow their portfolio.
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IHG To Implement Passkey Tool For Meeting Planning
InterContinental Hotels Group plans to implement the web-based Passkey group reservations tool for meeting planners booking group events. During 2008, IHG will implement the capability in more than 250 InterContinental and Crowne Plaza hotels (plus some Holiday Inns) across the US and Canada.
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Interstate Acquires Three More Hotels
Interstate Hotels & Resorts has formed a joint venture partnership with Investcorp International’s US-based Real Estate Group in order to acquire three hotels from affiliates of The Blackstone Group for an aggregate price of $118 million: the 321-room Hilton Seelbach Louisville in Kentucky; the 226-room Crowne Plaza Madison in Wisconsin; and the 288-room Sheraton Columbia in Maryland. Interstate will invest approximately $4.7 million in exchange for a 15 percent equity interest in two of the properties, the Hilton Seelbach and the Crowne Plaza Madison. The two joint venture properties will continue to be managed by Interstate under new management agreements.
Interstate will also acquire 100 percent of the third hotel, the Sheraton Columbia, for $46.5 million. The company plans to invest $12 million in a comprehensive renovation of the property, including upgrades to all guest rooms and public spaces, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.
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Jets.com Offers Carbon-offset Program
Jets.com, a jet charter company, and Carbonfund.org have partnered to create Jets.com’s Carbon Neutral Flights Program. Jets.com customers can choose to add charges to their travel cost, which will be contributed to Carbonfund.org for reforestation programs across the U.S. network. Using World Resources Institute data, Carbonfund has worked with Jets.com to determine the carbon dioxide emission rates for each type of jet in the Jets.com network. Jets.com has set up an online system that calculates the carbon offset cost using the specific jet’s emissions rate, the $5.50 unit cost for each carbon dioxide metric ton and the estimated flight time of a given trip.
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KDS Expands To Australia
KDS, a European provider of corporate booking and expense-management solutions, will establish a presence in Asia Pacific to improve support to regional customers and to respond to market demand. Emma Magnusson will lead the new operation, overseeing the opening of a KDS office in Sydney, Australia, and developing a distribution strategy. Magnusson was commercial program manager for Qantas Airways.
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La Quinta Plans First Hotel In Downtown Chicago
La Quinta Inns & Suites plans to open its first downtown Chicago hotel in the fall of 2008. The hotel will be located inside the Chicago Loop in the Financial District. Construction has begun to convert the existing structure, the former Jewish Federation Building built in 1958. Two new wings will be added to the property, which will accommodate a total of 241 guest rooms.
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Las Vegas Hilton Refurbishes More than Half Its Rooms
The 3,000-rom Las Vegas Hilton, which began a transformation three years ago after its purchase by Colony Resorts, has refurbished 923 rooms in its north tower and 600 rooms in its east tower. The renovated rooms feature new beds, premium bed linens, an "elegant" pillow package, 37-inch plasma TVs, wireless Internet access, high-end amenities and MP3 ports for digital players. In addition, 221 executive level Resort Club rooms have been added in the north tower, offering additional amenities and access to the Resort Club lounge on the 24th floor. The Resort Club rooms offer luxurious bedding, premium linens and pillows, plush spa robes, upgraded bathroom amenities, slippers, free wireless Internet access, iPod docking stations, 37-inch plasma TVs, in-room business printers, safes and refrigerators.
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Loews To Develop Atlanta Hotel
Loews Hotels intends to open its first property in Atlanta in April 2010. The 414-room Loews Atlanta Hotel will be the centerpiece of 12th & Midtown, a luxury, mixed-use development spanning four city blocks in midtown Atlanta.
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Marcus Hotels To Manage Luxury Hotel In Indiana
Marcus Hotels and Resorts has been selected to manage a luxury, boutique hotel that is part of Carmel City Center, a master-planned, multi-use development in Carmel, Indiana, a city just north of Indianapolis. The independent hotel, scheduled to open in 2010, will have 120 to 140 rooms, several food and beverage outlets, a banquet hall, meeting space and a spa. The hotel will be complemented by retail and office space, 300 residential units, a performance hall and a performing arts theater.
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Marriott To Add Two Courtyards, One Executive Apartments In Thailand
Marriott International will open two Courtyard by Marriott hotels in Thailand in 2008 under a management agreement reached with Destination Properties Company. The 243-room Tipviman Hotel in Cha-Am which will be rebranded the Courtyard by Marriott Hua Hin at Cha-Am Beach, and the 180-room Kamala Bay Garden Resort in Phuket will be reflagged the Courtyard by Marriott Phuket at Kamala Beach. Both hotels will undergo refurbishment prior to being reflagged.
Marriott's second Marriott Executive Apartments for extended-stay travelers opens in Bangkok in early 2008 under a management agreement with Metrostar Property Public Company. The 184-unit Sathorn Vista, Bangkok — Marriott Executive Apartments will be housed in a stand-alone, 31-story tower on Soi Suanplu, off South Sathorn Road in the heart of Bangkok’s central business district.
Earlier this year, Marriott announced management agreements with Destination Properties for the Grand Tropicana Hotel Phuket and the Surin Beach Resort in Phuket, both of which will also reflag to Marriott’s Courtyard brand in early 2008.
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Marriott's 3,000th Property Underlines Its China Initiative
With the debut of the 588-room JW Marriott Hotel Beijing, Marriott International will open its 3,000th property. The hotel will open in November, along with the 305-room Ritz-Carlton, Beijing. The properties will anchor China Central Place, a new residential/office development in Beijing. The hotel is part of Marriott’s overall growth in China, as another 20 Marriott International-branded hotels are scheduled to open in China through 2010.
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MEDEX, Harvard Medical Create Health Information Site For Travelers
MEDEX Global Group and Harvard Medical International, a nonprofit subsidiary of Harvard Medical School, have created MEDEX 360m, a health information website for international travelers. The site includes profiles for 236 countries and territories, 76 diseases and health risks plus relevant advice and advisories. Harvard contributes health updates and medical alerts, while MEDEX physicians and specialists review and edit all content and add their expertise in emergency assistance, knowledge of infectious diseases, local medical practices and advice for travelers.
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Mesa Puts CFO On Administrative Leave
Mesa Air Group, an operator of regional jets, has placed the company’s chief financial officer, George "Peter" Murnane III, on administrative leave while the company investigates matters relating to his conduct during Mesa’s ongoing litigation with Hawaiian Airlines. The review was initiated by Mesa following reports by persons outside of the company of potential misconduct.
Hawaiian has accused Mesa of gaining an unfair competitive advantage by obtaining documents when it was interested in investing in Hawaiian three years ago, before launching its own Hawaii inter-island operation, Go, which now competes with Hawaiian. The administrative leave will be for a period of up to 90 days, pending Mesa’s completion of its review of the matter.
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MGM, Kerzner And Istithmar Confirm Deal To Build Vegas Resort
MGM Mirage, Kerzner International Holdings and Istithmar Hotels have entered into definitive agreements, forming their previously announced joint venture that will develop a multi-billion dollar resort on the Las Vegas Strip. Under the terms of the agreement, MGM will provide the land for the resort. Kerzner (a resort operator) and Istithmar (a company owned by the government of Dubai) will provide cash equity. Kerzner will also lead the planning and conceptualization of the resort, which is expected to open in 2012. MGM, Kerzner and Istithmar will own 50 percent, 25 percent and 25 percent of the joint venture, respectively.
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Midwest Offers Seat Upgrade Option On Long-distance Flights
Midwest Airlines is now offering a seating choice to passengers flying on its MD-80 aircraft, which have been configured with 12 wide, leather Signature seats, arranged in a two-by-two configuration with extra legroom. Customers have the option of selecting a Signature seat for $60 per segment at web check-in up to 24 hours before travel. Passengers may also purchase a Signature seat at the airport kiosk, ticket counter or gate up to 30 minutes before departure. Signature seating is available on Milwaukee flights to Kansas City, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle and Tampa.
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Millennium Set To Open Bangkok Hotel
The Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok Hotel is scheduled to open in Thailand this October. Located in one of Bangkok’s prime central areas on Asoke Road, the luxury hotel will offer easy access to the city’s business district and financial institutions. The 325-room Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok features a sail-like glass facade with an atrium and concept floors.
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Names In The News 8-06-07
Advito, an independent consulting division of BCD Travel, has named Hayley Housden senior director of the company’s global business development team. Housden, a former corporate sales manager at Hogg Robinson Group, will be based in London.
Air Charter Service, an air charter broker, has appointed Christopher Foyle as non-executive director to the board. Foyle, who has worked in the industry for more than 30 years, in 1977 created Air Foyle, an executive air charter company that eventually became a cargo airline.
Auberge Resorts has appointed Jeffrey Mahan general manager of its newest property, Encantado, located in Tesuque, NM, just outside of Santa Fe. The resort, resting upon the 57 acres of land formerly occupied by Rancho Encantado, is scheduled to open in Summer 2008. Mahan most recently served as general manager of the El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa in Taos.
Crestline Hotels & Resorts has named Leticia Proctor director of sales and marketing for the 150-room Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington, DC. Proctor rejoins Crestline after a sabbatical. She had last served as the director of sales and marketing for the Sheraton Reston in Reston, Va.
GlobalStar Travel Management has accepted the resignation of Martin P. Metzler as worldwide president, effective August 31. Metzler says he will be using his experience developing businesses in global markets to develop a wellness business into a global venture. He will also retain his consulting business for corporate clients and travel industry participants.
ITA Software has named James Russell vice president of pricing and shopping systems. In this newly created position, Russell will lead the continued development of QPX, the company’s management system for airfare pricing and shopping. Prior to joining ITA Software, Russell held executive positions in the Lotus and WebSphere divisions of IBM Software.
The Las Vegas Monorail Co. has appointed Sandra Semling to the position of corporate sales executive. Semling will develop and offer monorail ticket sales programs to meeting and convention planners. Previously, she was sales manager of the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.
PRA Destination Management’s office in Palm Spring, Calif., has named Vicki Keyser director of sales. Prior to joining the PRA team, Keyser was the sales manager for an event-production firm in the Palm Springs area.
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has appointed Barbara Pang senior vice president – sales and marketing, Responsible for the group’s overall sales and marketing. In her previous position at Shangri-la, she was vice president – marketing, providing linkage between corporate sales and marketing and her assigned properties.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has hired Frits van Paasschen as its CEO, effective September 24. Van Paasschen comes to Starwood from Molson Coors Brewing Co., where he was president and CEO. Bruce Duncan, who has served as Starwood’s interim CEO since Steven Heyer left in April, will continue in his role as chairman.
The Villa Group has appointed David Kuhn to the position of corporate director of e-commerce sales and marketing for its resorts in Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Sierra Madre. Most recently, Kuhn served as vice president of interactive marketing & e-commerce for OneLink Corp., a travel technology company in San Francisco.
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Names In The News 9-13-07
Accor North America, which this week closed on the sale of Red Roof Inn, has named Olivier Poirot CEO of Motel 6/Studio 6 and Accor North America. Poirot was previously Accor North America’s chief financial officer. Georges Le Mener, Accor North America’s president and CEO, will retire. Jim Amorosia, Motel 6/Studio 6’s chief operating officer, was named president and COO of Motel 6/Studio 6 with expanded duties, including day-to-day marketing of the brand.
American Express has named Lyell Farquharson vice president and general manager for Business Travel, Amex Canada. Prior to joining American Express, he was president of Navigant International Canada.
Frontier Airlines has appointed D. Dale Browning has chairman of the board of Frontier Airlines Holdings. Browning has served on the board since 1996 in various capacities, including as chairman of the compensation committee and as chairman of the audit committee for the past four years. Browning will take over for longtime board chair Sam Addoms, who announced his retirement earlier this year.
Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort in Nuevo Vallarta Mexico, has named Margarita Guitron director of sales. Guitron has been part of the Grand Velas sales team for the past five years. She had been groups and conventions manager.
JetBlue has given more responsibility to chief operating officer Russ Chew, naming him president. Chew will work directly with chief executive officer Dave Barger to execute the company's vision and strategic plan.
Jet Source, a full-service aviation firm based at the McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, Calif., has promoted Stuart Scott to the position of environmental safety manager. Scott will be responsible for developing, planning, implementing and enforcing the occupational health, safety and security policies and procedures throughout Jet Source’s facility. Scott has been a pilot for 20 years.
Marshall Management, a hotel management company, has named Tracy Landman vice president of operations. Previously, she was director of operations for Integral Hospitality Solutions, where she managed a portfolio of eight hotels in the Hilton family of brands.
The Regent Boston at Battery Wharf, scheduled to open in the spring, has named Martin Joyce director of sales and marketing. Joyce has more than 20 years of experience in hotel sales, including positions at properties in Boston; Cambridge, Mass.; Quincy, Mass.; and Hartford, Conn.
South African Airways has appointed Deborah Droke as director of sales development for the mid-Atlantic region, effective. Droke, will be based in the Washington, DC, area. Prior to joining SAA, he served as manager, national account sales, with US Airways in Arlington, Va.
US Airways has named Robert Isom to the newly created position of executive vice president and chief operating officer. Isom comes to US Airways from GMAC, where he most recently served as chief restructuring officer. Prior to that, he was the senior vice president, ground operations and airport customer service, for Northwest Airlines. US Airways also named Daniel Pon vice president of human resources and Kerry Hester vice president, customer service planning. Anthony Mule, senior vice president of customer service, announced his plans to retire after a 35-year career in the aviation industry.
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Names In The News 9-20-07
Carlson Hotels Worldwide has hired Karen deKanter to be a director of national sales. Focusing on accounts based in New England, deKanter will work to drive incremental revenue in the group sector. Prior to joining Carlson, deKanter served as corporate sales director of global accounts for Newmarket International, a provider of sales and catering automation for the hospitality industry.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has appointed Mark Andrew regional vice president, Pacific Northwest, and general manager of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Andrew’s regional responsibilities include the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Fairmont Waterfront, Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Fairmont Empress (Victoria), Fairmont Olympic Hotel (Seattle) and Fairmont Pacific Rim (scheduled to open in late 2009). Andrew brings more than 30 years experience to his new role, having most recently finished his term as chairman of the board of directors for Meeting Professionals International.
The Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Colo., has named Nathan Boyd director of sales and marketing. Previously, he led the leisure sales team at the St. Regis Resort in Aspen, and most recently was the director of leisure sales at the Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek, Colo.
InterContinental Hotels Group has named Jorge Apaez area president for Mexico. Previously, Apaez served as IHG’s senior vice president and managing director for Mexico. He has also served as marketing director for the company.
Joie de Vivre Hospitality, a San Francisco-based boutique hotel chain, has promoted Mark Polochak to regional vice president of operations for seven of its South Bay hotels. Polochak joined Joie de Vivre in January 2004 as the regional managing director, overseeing the company’s Silicon Valley properties.
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants has named Vicki Walker director of sales and marketing of the 154-room Hotel Palomar Arlington at Waterview in Arlington, Va. The hotel is scheduled to open in October in Arlington’s Rosslyn neighborhood. Walker most recently served as the director of sales and marketing at the Boar’s Head Inn, a resort in Charlottesville, Va.
Moneydirect, the new Sabre-Amadeus joint venture, has named James Filsinger CEO. Previously, Filsinger was vice president of new business ventures at Sabre Holdings. Laurent Chartier will be the chief operating officer of Moneydirect. Previously, Chartier was a director in Amadeus’ corporate strategy department.
Orient-Express Hotels has reorganized its management structure as it pursues its expansion plans. The appointments follow the appointment of former chief financial officer Paul White as president and CEO on August 10. Natale Rusconi was named vice president; Nick Varian, chief development officer; Dean Andrews, vice president, real estate development; Filip Boyen, vice president, operations; Maurizio Saccani, vice president, Italy; Roger Collins, vice president, design and technical services; Pippa Isbell, vice president, corporate communications; and David Williams, vice president, sales and marketing. The company is in the final stages of recruiting a new CFO.
Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts has named Alexander Pangelinan regional director of sales, the Americas. Most recently, he was the director of marketing at Hotel Renew in Hawaii, where he oversaw revenue generation for the Los Angeles and San Francisco markets.
The Federal Aviation Administration has named Captain Henry P. (Hank) Krakowski to serve as its chief administrator, charged with leading 35,000 controllers, technicians, engineers and support personnel in its air traffic control, research and acquisition programs. Krakowski, a Boeing 737 captain, will assume his new duties on October 1. Krakowski joins the FAA following a nearly 30-year career with United Airlines, most recently as vice president of flight operations. Previously, he served as vice president of corporate safety, security and quality assurance.
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Names In The News 9-27-07
Ambassadors has named Marlene Hetzel regional vice president of sales for its housing division. Hetzel, who will be based in Chicago, joins Ambassadors after an extensive career at another event planning company, Experient.
Associated Luxury Hotels has appointed Drew Toth senior vice president. In this newly-created position, Toth will head up the company’s Southeast and Mid-Atlantic sales regions, which includes national sales offices in Washington, Atlanta and Orlando. Toth joins Associated Luxury from Tishman Hotel Corp., where he served as vice president, with regional asset management responsibilities for Tishman’s resorts in the Caribbean.
Benchmark Hospitality International has named Steve Ludwig director of sales and marketing for the Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, West Virginia. Ludwig was most recently corporate director of sales and marketing for Southern Hospitality, based in Oklahoma City.
eLong, an Expedia-owned online travel service in China, has named Guangfu Cui CEO, effective October 8. Henrik Kjellberg will step down as interim CEO but remain chairman of the eLong board of directors and continue to be actively involved in the company. Cui was the managing director for FedEx Kinko’s China.
Hertz Global Holdings has appointed John A. Thomas to executive vice president of supply chain management. Thomas joins Hertz from R.R. Donnelley, where he most recently served as group senior vice president of business process outsourcing (BPO). Prior to R.R. Donnelley, Thomas managed the supply chain for two of General Electric's subsidiaries, including the company's flagship Aircraft Engines business. In his new position, Thomas will be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive, company-wide supply chain strategy; for procurement of worldwide car and equipment rental fleets; logistics and asset disposition; and real estate.
NYLO Hotels has made four additions to its corporate team: Stephen Taylor, construction director; Bona Allen, corporate controller; Bhavesh Patel, development manager; and Amanda Emmo, design associate. The first NYLO will open in Plano, Texas, at the end of 2007.
PrivatAir has appointed Eric Gray vice president of charter sales. Gray comes to PrivatAir with more than nine years of aviation experience. He started his career at TAG Aviation in White Plains, NY, and subsequently worked at Jet Aviation in Teterboro, NJ, for several years.
Sentient Flight Group, a private aviation company, has named Steven Hankin CEO, replacing Greg Campbell, who remains chairman of the board of directors, continuing to focus on Sentient’s overall corporate strategy and driving the company’s acquisition program. Prior to his role as CEO of Sentient Flight Group, Campbell was CEO of JetDirect Aviation, where he led the company’s rollup strategy, culminating in the April formation of the Sentient Flight Group through the merger of JetDirect Aviation and Sentient Jet. Hankin has been president and chief operating officer of Sentient Flight Group since April. Prior to the formation of Sentient Flight Group, he was CEO of Sentient Jet.
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NetJets Unveils Eco-friendly Initiative
NetJets has revealed details of a multifaceted initiative to address the environmental impact of the company’s flights and other operations. The initiative, which will be expanded in the coming months, includes a focus on offsetting carbon emissions from NetJets flights while beginning to reduce the carbon footprint of NetJets’ internal operations worldwide. It also includes an investment in technology research with the goal of creating a low-emission jet fuel.
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NetJets Waives Ferry Fees For Some International Flights
NetJets has unveiled a program that waives ferry fees (aircraft repositioning charges) for travel between the continental US and many international destinations. The program introduces international ferry-free flying for NetJets owners and users of the Marquis Jet Card who are flying to a location within a specific ferry waiver zone for the aircraft type that they own. These customers already can fly anywhere within the continental US without ferry charges.
Ferry-free service is now available for flights to the Caribbean, Central America, Hawaii, most of Europe (including some cities in Russia), Greenland, Iceland, Israel, Morocco and Turkey.
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North American Airlines Reaches Agreement With Pilots
North American Airlines, a carrier that operates scheduled service to Nigeria, Ghana and Guyana, has reached a tentative agreement on a 54-month contract with its pilots, represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The agreement is subject to ratification. According to the union, the agreement provides for a 13 percent wage increase and better working rules and benefits.
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Northwest, Midwest Advance Partnership With Codeshare Deal
Midwest and Northwest airlines have signed an agreement to form a codeshare partnership, expanding upon their current marketing agreement. Midwest says this is its largest such agreement in its 23-year history. The 250 codeshares will be phased in by market, with the initial destinations to include Midwest flights between Milwaukee, Kansas City and Omaha, Neb., and major West Coast cities, where passengers can connect to Northwest flights to several points in Hawaii. Travelers are expected to be able to purchase tickets beginning November 3 for travel starting November 17.
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Oakwood Wins Government Contract
Oakwood Worldwide, a provider of temporary housing and serviced apartments, has won a US General Services Administration contract to be an approved vendor of corporate housing to government travelers. The five-year contract includes three renewable five-year options. Oakwood values the contract at and estimated $5 million in annual sales.
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Oneworld Alliance Adds Four New Destinations
Four new destinations and one new country are being added to the worldwide network served by Oneworld member airlines. The new county is Nepal, with Dragonair launching service between its Hong Kong base and Kathmandu on December 2. Japan Airlines is putting a second Shanghai airport on the Oneworld map with the inauguration of daily flights to Hongqiao from the airline’s Tokyo Haneda hub on September 29.
In Europe, both British Airways and Iberia are launching flights to Genoa, Italy. Iberia will inaugurate services first, through franchisee Iberia Regional Air Nostrum, with daily regional jet flights to and from its Madrid hub, starting October 28. British Airways will follow on April 4 with daily service to and from London Gatwick.
In the US, American Eagle will launch service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Santa Fe, NM, on December 13. The next day, it will start Los Angeles-Santa Fe service.
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Orbitz Offers Updates From Fellow Travelers
Orbitz has introduced its OrbitzTLC Traveler Update, which combines reports from everyday travelers with information from the Federal Aviation Administration, OrbitzTLC air traffic alerts and data from the Transportation Security Administration. Content includes real-time data on security line wait times, traffic delays, parking updates, taxi lines, flight delays and weather information.
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Paragon Partners Plan Milan Conference For May 2008
Ten national corporate travel organizations, including the US-based National Business Travel Association (NBTA), have agreed to plan a European business travel conference to be held in Milan, Italy, on May 15 and 16. Co-hosts for Crossroads Milan — Paragon Business Travel Conference & Expo will also include organizations based in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands. The event, according to an announcement from NBTA, will be designed to provide education sessions and an exposition for European business travel professionals.
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Pegasus Provides Distribution Technology For StarCite
Pegasus Solutions has signed an agreement to provide its UltraDirect distribution technology to StarCite, a provider of meetings-related technology. Pegasus will provide StarCite with electronic connectivity to hotel reservation systems, directly linking the company to Pegasus’ portfolio of more than 78,000 hotels. Through the use of this single interface, StarCite can get real-time access to information on rates, availability and reservations from hotels worldwide. In addition, it will provide an automated solution allowing StarCite and its customers to book online and in real-time for small meetings. Pegasus says expanding into the meetings space is a key component of its strategy of opening new distribution channels.
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Playa Hotels Buys Resort In Dominican Republic
Playa Hotels & Resorts, a private equity fund owned by Grupo Barcelo that is focused on buying beachfront resorts, has acquired the 738-room Ocean Bavaro Spa and Beach Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The property will be re-branded as a Barcelo resort and renamed the Barcelo Dominican Beach Resort. The resort has 3,121 square feet of meeting space, a spa, a theater and a casino that was completed in June.
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PRISM Adds Green Reports, ISO Certification, New Clients
PRISM Group Inc. has enhanced its airline and corporate information products with reports that track carbon emissions for air travel. A set of "Green Reports" provides tracking by ticketed miles/kilometers in detail and aggregate. Corporate travel managers can summarize by total emissions, country, and other parameters. The information can be used within the airline and corporation as part of their environmental policy.
The company, which has recently added Japan Air Lines and All Nippon Airlines to its client roster, also says it has completed and certified formal compliance with ISO/IEC 17799:2005(E), the major international standard and code of practice for information security management. The code establishes baseline operational controls and protocols designed to protect the integrity and confidentiality of electronic information in a working environment.
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Radisson Edwardian Set To Open Hotel In London’s Docklands
On September 10, Radisson Edwardian Hotels will open its new 169-room hotel at the New Providence Wharf development in London’s Docklands, close to Canary Wharf and London City Airport. The new hotel, Radisson Edwardian New Providence Wharf, will be the brand's 12th in London and the 13th in its UK portfolio. Located in an eight-story building, the hotel is connected via a glass atrium to the base of the development’s 27-story Ontario Tower.
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Red Branch Starts Controlled Rollout Of Booking Tool
Red Branch Technologies has begun the controlled introduction phase of its my/mTravel online business travel solution. The tool caters specifically to independent and unmanaged business travelers who do not have corporate travel policies. Initially, the controlled launch of my/mTravel will be limited to a specially recruited group of independent business travelers from companies of various sizes.
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Red Lion Re-enters California To Take Over Anaheim Hotel
Red Lion Hotels Corp. has entered into an agreement to acquire the leasehold interest in the 314-room Radisson Hotel Maingate — Anaheim in Orange County, California. The transaction is expected to close by the middle of October. The hotel is located on South Harbor Boulevard, adjacent to the Disneyland Resort, Disney’s California Adventure, Downtown Disney and the Anaheim Convention Center. The transaction marks Red Lion’s re-entry into the Southern California market. Following the closing of the transaction, the company plans to spend approximately $10 million on renovations to guest rooms and public areas and reposition the hotel to meet Red Lion’s brand standards.
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Regent Eyes January Opening For South Florida Hotel
Regent Hotels & Resorts has announced that the 124-room Regent Bal Harbour will open on January 2 in the Bal Harbour Village beach community in North Miami Beach. Guests at the luxury hotel will not access their rooms via hallways; semi-private or private elevators will whisk guests to their rooms instead. The property will feature boutique shops and the Guerlian Spa, a 15-room facility with bamboo flooring, a limestone waterfall, a wet suite for hydrotherapy treatments and a waterfront terrace.
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Republic Airways Buys Back More Stock
Republic Airways has agreed to purchase 1 million shares of its common stock from WexAir, the company’s former majority stockholder, at a price of $20.20 per share, for a total consideration of $20.2 million. The purchase is authorized under a previously announced $100 million share repurchase program. Last week, Republic bought back $38.4 million in stock from WexAir.
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Republic Airways To Buy Back $38 million In Stock
Republic Airways Holdings, an operator of regional jets, has agreed to purchase 2 million shares of its common stock from WexAir, the company’s former majority stockholder, at a price of $19.20 per share, for a total consideration of $38.4 million. The transaction is expected to close on September 7. The purchase is authorized under a previously announced $100 million share repurchase program.
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Rim Hospitality Acquires Tepic’s Assets, Adds Six Brands To Portfolio
Rim Hospitality, a hotel management company based in Modesto, Calif., has acquired the assets of Tepic Hotel Management in a multi-million dollar cash-and-stock transaction. Tepic manages eight properties in British Columbia and one in Alberta. Rim and Tepic’s owners have formed Rim Hospitality Canada, a Canada-based joint venture with $200 million in hotel management assets.
Rim has added six lodging brands to its portfolio in the past 90 days. With the addition of SpringHill Suites, Hyatt Place, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Four Points by Sheraton, Cambria Suites and Staybridge Suites, the company now has 18 lodging brands under management or under contract. Two of these new properties under Rim management opened in the past six weeks: an 82-room Homewood Suites and a 100-room Staybridge Suites, both in Fairfield, Calif. Rim also took over management of an existing SpringHill Suites in Las Cruces, NM, in August. Rim’s first Cambria Suites property will be in Ontario, Calif., while its Hyatt Place will be in Riverside, Calif. A Four Points by Sheraton will open in Sacramento later this month.
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Ritz-Carlton To Open Resort In Dominican Republic
Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. has formed a partnership with Cap Cana, a luxury resort community in the Dominican Republic, to develop the Ritz-Carlton, Cap Cana and a residential venture, the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, Cap Cana. The 220-room resort and 194 residences are scheduled to open in early 2010.
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Ryanair Has $1B Plan To Serve Milan
Ryanair released its ‘Manifesto for Malpensa’ in response to Alitalia’s plan to cut half of its 340 daily flights from the airport in Milan. Ryanair plans to invest $1 billion between 2008 to 2012. It intends to more than double the size of its existing base at Orio al Serio International Airport near Milan (currently four aircraft and 39 routes) and base 12 aircraft at Malpensa, starting with five in 2008, four more in 2009 and an additional three in 2010.
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Sabre & Amadeus Win EU Okay For Automated Payment Solution
Following antitrust approval from the European Commission, Sabre and Amadeus have launched Moneydirect, a joint venture that will provide automated payment processing, clearing and reconciliation. Antitrust approval was not required in the US. Moneydirect will focus on travel suppliers such as hotels, cruise lines, tour operators, car rental companies, ferries, railways and travel intermediaries such as travel agencies and wholesalers. "While Amadeus and Sabre compete in many areas, both companies saw the tremendous opportunity to provide an industry standard where none exists today," says Greg Webb, chief marketing officer for Sabre Holdings.
Some examples of Moneydirect services include the processing of deposits and pre-paid bookings, bulk settlement for group bookings and global commissions processing. The company will be headquartered in Ireland, with subsidiaries in the US and Australia.
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Sabre Makes Virtually There Compatible With Mobile Devices
Sabre Travel Network has made features on Virtually There available to business travelers to view on their cell phones or other web-enabled personal devices. These features include flight notification alerts for current itineraries, expected wait times at security checkpoints at specific airport locations, maps and driving directions, a currency converter, city guides and information about local restaurants. Virtually There on mobile devices will retain the co-branded information established by corporate travel agencies, with their logo and contact information appearing on the mobile screen.
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SAS Introduces Simplified Fare Structure
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has introduced a simplified fare structure for flights from the US, giving travelers the ability to purchase roundtrip travel as one-way fares and combine travel in different classes. The new fare structure is in effect in all three service classes: business, economy extra and economy. The structure is divided into fully flexible, flexible and fixed fares.
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Sheraton Unveils In-room Entertainment Initiative
Sheraton is rolling out Scene @ Sheraton, which offers guests access to a variety of in-room entertainment content. Scene @ Sheraton will focus upon sneak previews (it has a deal with Showtime to air the season premier episodes of "Brotherhood" and "Dexter"); on-demand sporting events; the Meaningful Music channel, developed for Sheraton by Sony BMG Music; and up to 30 classic TV programs, available on-demand.
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Silverjet To Add Second Newark-London Flight
Silverjet, a transatlantic, all-business-class airline, will begin a second daily flight between Newark Liberty and London Luton Airport on September 23. Silverjet says it had an 80 percent revenue load factor in August.
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Silverjet To Operate London-Dubai Route
Silverjet, an all-business-class airline, will begin service from London Luton Airport to Dubai on November 18. In the US, Silverjet flies from Newark to Luton.
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SkyTeam Enrolls Trio Of Associate Airlines
The SkyTeam airline alliance has accepted Air Europa, Copa Airlines and Kenya Airways as its first associate airlines. Earlier this year, SkyTeam said each airline had signed an agreement outlining a commitment to meet a set of predetermined safety, security and quality standards in order to be recognized as an associate. As part of the associate program, the carriers also adopted a SkyTeam member’s customer loyalty program. Air Europa and Kenya Airways will be part of Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program, while Copa Airlines accepted Continental’s One Pass program.
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Southwest Changes Boarding Procedure
Southwest Airlines says it will continue to operate its open-seating policy but with a new boarding procedure that eliminates the "cattle call" and the need for some passengers to "camp out" in a line at the gate in hopes of getting a choice seat.
Beginning in early November, Southwest customers will be assigned a letter and a number on their Southwest boarding pass when they check in for a flight (A32, for example). The combination represents the customer’s reserved spot in their boarding group (boarding positions will be separated into groups of five). When a customer’s boarding group is called, they find their designated place in line to board the aircraft.
After testing assigned seats in San Diego last summer, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said that "the majority of our customers did not want us to abandon our open seating, but they did challenge us to enhance the way we board our aircraft."
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St. Regis To Open Hotel In Buenos Aires
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement with First South American Investments to develop the St. Regis Hotel & Residences, Buenos Aires. The property, which will be St. Regis’ first in South America, will open in 2010. The hotel will have 160 guest rooms and suites.
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StarCite, American Express Co-brand Meetings Management Tool
American Express and StarCite have created a web solution customized for users of StarCite’s meetings-management technology and American Express Card clients. The two companies will introduce the solution to a select group of large, global corporations this fall and then implement broadly early next year.
In the first version, card spending data will be automatically uploaded into the co-branded solution, enabling clients to reconcile actual expenditures with corporate budget line items. The two companies say the tool will enable broader capture of meeting spending data, including information that segments expenditures by multiple categories, such as catering, sleeping rooms, audio-visual and conference room rental charges. It will enable meeting planners to resolve issues with questionable charges via direct e-mails to suppliers. The tool, which will feature StarCite’s Global Meeting Marketplace for items such as hotel space, F&B services and ground transportation, will also offer exclusive American Express hotel offers.
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SuperShuttle Buys Businesses In San Diego And Kansas City
SuperShuttle International, a ground transportation provider, has acquired Cloud 9 in San Diego and Kansas City Transportation Group in Missouri. The purchase prices were not disclosed. The acquisition of Cloud 9 includes 105 vans and sedans. The new entity will be known as Cloud 9 SuperShuttle; John Hawkins, owner and president of Cloud 9, will become vice president of SuperShuttle San Diego.
The Kansas City Transportation Group acquisition includes the operation of Kansas City Yellow Cab, Carey Limousine and KCI Shuttle. The fleet includes approximately 300 taxicabs, 55 airport shuttles, 35 para-transit vehicles and 45 limousine and livery vehicles. Bill George, the former owner, remains as president of SuperShuttle Kansas City. During the next several months, KCI Airport Shuttle will be expanded into the SuperShuttle service model and brand. Other brands, such as Yellow Cab, will remain under the same brand names.
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SuperShuttle Introduces Self-Service Kiosk at BWI
SuperShuttle, a provider of shared-ride ground transportation, has installed its first self-service kiosk, at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Passengers using SuperShuttle transportation will be able to book, confirm and pay for their reservations at the kiosk located in the ground transportation area, next to the SuperShuttle service counters. Other airports in the SuperShuttle system will get kiosks in the next 10 to 12 months.
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Tata Groups Buys 10 Percent Stake In Orient-Express Hotels
The Tata Group, an Indian company, has purchased a 10 percent stake in Orient-Express Hotels for about $211 million. Indian Hotels Co., a Tata subsidiary, plans to forge a strategic alliance with Orient-Express, although published reports say that the stake purchase is a means to ward off other potential buyers of Orient-Express Hotels.
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Travelport Forms Integrated Management Team For GDS Business
Travelport has appointed a new integrated management team to lead its GDS business, which now includes recently acquired Worldspan. Headquartered in Langley, UK, and operating across 145 countries, Travelport’s GDS business comprises the Galileo and Worldspan operations; Shepherd Systems, which provides business and marketing intelligence to the travel industry; aiRES, a provider of airline IT systems; and THOR, a provider of distribution and marketing services. The management team plans to "capitalize on the natural synergies that present themselves."
Gordon Wilson will head the GDS business as president and CEO. The new senior management team has executives from Galileo and Worldspan. Philip Emery, Galileo’s chief financial officer, takes that same position for the GDS business. Kevin Mooney, Worldspan’s chief financial officer, will head the GDS business’ commercial operations, encompassing all travel agency and supplier dealings. Sue Powers, Worldspan’s chief information officer, will hold the same position for the new GDS business.
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Trondent To Develop Profile Management Portal
Trondent Development Corp., a provider of travel-related applications and data management services, has partnered with the advertising and marketing conglomerate Interpublic Group to develop a travel profile portal for Interpublic to use in its North American operations. The portal creates a centralized profile management system that effectively keeps traveler profiles in sync with multiple travel agencies, online booking tools, GDSs and the company’s PeopleSoft HR system.
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Trust Partners With RSI In Hotel Technology Deal
Trust International, a Travelport brand and provider of technology and distribution solutions for the hotel industry, has implemented a direct, two-way interface between its Voyager central reservations system and RSI International’s RoomKey, a property management system. Hotels that use both solutions can reduce the time and money needed to manage the two systems and be more accurate when loading rates and other hotel information, say the two companies.
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TRX's Newest RESX Version Helps Meet Market Share Agreements
TRX has released version 7.1 of its RESX corporate self-booking tool, with an expanded "preferred airlines by market" feature that enhances a corporation's ability to deliver on carrier market share agreements through targeted, rule-based biasing by market at the point of sale.
TRX says RESX v7.1 also includes enhancements to RESX's Trip Sync functionality, which allows users to retrieve up-to-date itinerary information for all trips, whether booked online through RESX or offline with a travel management provider. The newest release also includes performance optimizations designed to further improve upon application speed; air contract enhancements to allow multiple airfare displays associated with negotiated airline contracts; a new ability to shop, book and modify Amtrak reservations; and the first-phase completion of RESX’s Electronic and IT Accessibility Standardization efforts, making RESX more accessible to the visually impaired.
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Unisys Helps TravelSky Beef Up Reservations System
Unisys Corp.'s subsidiary in China has signed a contract to upgrade computer systems for TravelSky Technology, a provider of GDS services in China. The upgraded system is designed to provide TravelSky with the intensified processing capacity and information availability needed to handle an expected surge of travelers throughout the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
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United Renews Deal With Starbucks
United Airlines and Starbucks have signed an agreement, under which Starbucks coffee will continue to be the only coffee served on United flights. United says it is the only major US carrier to serve Starbucks coffee.
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United To Begin Frankfurt-Los Angeles Service
United Airlines will launch daily service between Los Angeles and Frankfurt, Germany, on December 15. United currently operates twice-daily service to Frankfurt from San Francisco and Chicago, and flies three times daily to Frankfurt from Washington Dulles.
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US Airways Gets Single FAA Certification
The new US Airways, the result of a merger between America West and US Airways two years ago, officially became one airline in the eyes of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as the FAA granted the airline a single operating certificate. The certification became official after the integration of the airlines’ flight operations systems this week. The single certificate enables the airline to operate as one US Airways with one set of policies, procedures, computer systems, maintenance and flight control systems.
US Airways says the next step in the airline’s integration is to achieve single contracts with pilots, flight attendants and ground and maintenance employees, who will continue to work under terms of transition agreements reached after the merger. However, US Airways pilots plant to picketing at Washington Reagan National Airport today (which marks the two-year anniversary of the US Airways/America West merger) to demand that management provide them with the same wages as their America West counterparts. Both pilot groups, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, fly the same aircraft, routes and passengers, say the US Airways pilots, but America West captains, on average, earn about $20,000 more a year than US Airways captains.
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Utell Signs Two Enjoy Brand Luxury Hotels In Chile
Utell, the hotel representation and marketing service owned by Pegasus Solutions, has signed up two Chilean casino-hotels. The two luxury properties, Hotel del Mar in Vina del Mar and Hotel del Lago in Pucon, are among a total of five (three other hotels are planned) under the Enjoy brand that will be electronically distributed and internationally marketed by Utell.
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Virgin America Begins Washington-San Francisco Service
Virgin America has launched twice-daily service between Washington Dulles and San Francisco, adding a fourth route to its operations. The airline, which began service in August, will launch thrice-daily service on October 10 between San Francisco and Las Vegas.
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Virgin America To Distribute Through Sabre
Virgin America, a San Francisco-based low-fare carrier that launched this summer, has signed a multi-year distribution agreement with Sabre. The airline’s fares and inventory will be made available to all Sabre-connected travel agents and corporations worldwide. Virgin America already has a GDS deal with Galileo.
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Virgin Group Launches Virgin Charter
Virgin Group has unveiled Virgin Charter, a full-service, online marketplace that brings together private air travel buyers and operators. Virgin Charter says the site is designed to meet the needs of corporate travel departments, travel agents, brokers and individuals. To purchase a charter trip, buyers go online, locate available aircraft, negotiate pricing and manage their entire trip over the Internet. The marketplace is open only to charter members now but will expand to allow access to all buyers of private charter in February 2008. Virgin Charter has selected more than 100 charter operators to participate.
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W To Open Bali Resort
W Hotels will open its first property in Indonesia in 2009. The W Retreat & Spa — Bali will be located in the Seminyak area on Bali. The resort will have 232 rooms, including 80 luxury villas.
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Westin Offers In-room Spa Treatments
Westin Hotels & Resorts has launched an in-room spa program, featuring a portable spa bed inspired by Westin’s Heavenly Bed and a spa basket filled with items to be enjoyed before, during and after the massage. Approximately 40 minutes before the massage appointment, Westin staff delivers a spa basket holding water, a flower, a CD with relaxation music, a healthful treat such as dark chocolate and a letter explaining what to expect from the treatment along with tips for relaxation and enjoyment. The basket also contains a selection of plant-based aromatherapy oils and room sprays.
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Worldspan To Distribute Gullivers Hotel Content
Travelport’s newly acquired Worldspan GDS will join its existing Galileo business in making Gullivers Travel Associates’ (GTA) hotel inventory available to Worldspan users. GTA, a travel wholesaler owned by Travelport, signed a four-year distribution agreement with Worldspan. The partnership will add thousands of properties to the Worldspan Hotel Select shopping and booking system used by travel agencies and corporations.
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XOJET Gets Financing To Expand Fleet
XOJET, a private aviation company, has announced the close of $143 million in equity and debt financing from TPG and Lehman Brothers GPS, and an additional $220 million in aircraft lease financing from Lehman Brothers GPS. XOJET says this investment will allow it to meet expanding customer demand for its private jet ownership, leasing and on-demand solutions. XOJET will leverage the additional capital to grow its operations and expand its fleet to serve an expanding customer base. XOJET funding raised to date now totals $542 million.
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