| December 5, 2008 | News for travel agents |
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| Business and Industry Watch |  |  |
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- MAST president offers agencies advice for weathering downturn
John Werner, president and chief operating officer of MAST Travel Network, said agencies should use marketing and public relations to remain visible to their clients during the economic downturn. "Sell confidence and call clients because they may not call you," Werner said. He praised agencies that take a proactive approach when sales slow. Travel Agent Central
(12/4)      
- Southwest cleared for 14 slots at LaGuardia
Southwest Airlines will be allowed to purchase 14 slots at New York's LaGuardia Airport, a judge ruled Tuesday in the bankruptcy case of ATA Airlines. The deal, valued at $7.5 million, will allow the discount carrier to operate seven daily flights, pending a decision by the Port Authority on Southwest's request for a single gate at the busy airport. CEO Gary Kelly hinted at further growth in the future. "If we decide to grow in the future beyond the 14 slots, I'm reasonably comfortable we can get more facilities," he said. Forbes/The Associated Press
(12/2), The Dallas Morning News (free registration)
(12/2), Bloomberg
(12/2)
| Energy Observer | | |
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- Carnival drops fuel surcharges for cruises
For cruises departing on or after Dec. 17, Carnival Corp. will refund the fuel supplement -- which is as much as $15 per person per day -- in the form of an onboard credit. "As the price of oil has dropped to $46 per barrel, it has now reached a level where we are able to suspend the fuel supplement," said Bill Harber, director of marketing at Carnival. However, if the price of oil rebounds, Carnival said, it may reinstate the surcharge. Forbes/The Associated Press
(12/4)
| Trends and Technology | | |
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- Online hotel group booking tools evolve
Hotels and third-party intermediaries have improved their tools that allow travel and meeting managers to easily book meetings online. Development of the technology for real-time online bookings has taken time, but now that the technology is available, at least one hotel giant said few travel managers are using the new tools. Marriott International introduced its online booking site QuickGroup in June. "We thought that we would see much more group going online, and it hasn't really happened. With our QuickGroup product that we launched this year, frankly we haven't seen the response that we expected," said Amy McPherson, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Marriott. Management.travel
(12/4)
- Column: Airline changes offer opportunities for agents
Kate Rice, executive editor of TravelPulse.com, discusses how changes in airline policies, such as a la carte pricing, provide opportunities for travel agents. Rice said that for savvy agents, global distribution systems are offering tools to take advantage of the opportunities. "One way agents can keep themselves relevant to their customers -- something that is essential all the time, but even more so during economic downturns -- is to capitalize on navigating the new airline industry using the tools about to land on your desktop," Rice writes. TravelPulse
(12/5)
| Consumer Travel News | | |
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- Zermatt, Switzerland, exudes class and glamour
For class and understatement, snow bunnies can't do much better than Zermatt, Switzerland. The town is often defined by the deadly climbing accident that put an end to the first successful ascent of the Matterhorn, but there's more to this ski haven. However, enjoying the skiing, the cuisine and the ambience comes at a price. NYTimes.com
(12/7)
| Regulatory and Legislative | | |
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- Agent groups oppose bid by American, British Airways
ASTA and the Interactive Travel Services Association are urging the Department of Transportation to gather additional information from American Airlines, British Airways and their Oneworld partners regarding how antitrust immunity will affect those in the distribution channel. "As with other grants of antitrust immunity, travel agents could be harmed by the combined market power of the joint applicants, with less airline revenues to travel agents resulting in higher fees to consumers, or degraded participation in OTAs [online travel agencies] leading to lessened independence and transparency in fare search venues," the groups said in a joint petition to the DOT. Travel Weekly
(12/4)
- Canadian airlines question "1-person, 1-fare" policy
Canadian carriers have until Jan. 10 to comply with the "one-person, one-fare" policy that mandates passengers with disabilities who can only fly with the help of an attendant must only be charged one fare. The ruling also requires that a complimentary second seat be given to passengers "determined to be functionally disabled by obesity." The mandate from the Canadian Transportation Agency has raised a number of questions and concerns. MSNBC
(12/4)
| Best Practices | | |
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- Developing e-mail campaigns that succeed
Marketers can deliver productive, intelligent e-mail campaigns by simply taking advantage of information that is already available to them. A list of six strategies includes sending e-mails reminding customers of items they may have placed in an online shopping cart but then removed, and thanking loyal customers who have sent merchandise information to their friends. MarketingProfs (free registration)
(12/2)
| ASTA Spotlight | | |
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SUPPLIERS: Meet hundreds of qualified agents at IDE South Africa!
Have you reserved your exhibition stand to meet hundreds of qualified agents? Act now to exhibit at the 2009 International Destination Expo taking place March 8 to 11 in South Africa. Reserve your stand at the only show dedicated to training outbound U.S. travel agents to become destination specialists in South Africa. Reserve at www.asta.org/exhibit or e-mail kstake@asta.org today!
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This holiday season, give back to our planet and become GREEN!
As an ASTA member for only $49, receive a copy of the Educational ASTA Green Report. Promote your commitment to green with the ASTA Green Member logo, and stay up-to-date with our monthly Green eTips newsletter. With this new benefit to help you promote your new designation as a green agency, you will receive a customizable press release to distribute to your local media and community. "There is no better time to become an ASTA Green Member. In this economy, now is the perfect moment to assess your internal operations and make environmentally friendly changes to your operations that can positively impact your bottom line," said Chris Russo, ASTA President and CEO. For more information and to sign up, visit www.ASTA.org/Green.
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