Tag Archives: Spirit Airlines

This Week in Travel & Tourism — 10/22/2012

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INTERNATIONAL

MGM gets approval for Macau casino-hotel

MGM Resorts International received approval from the Macau government to open its second hotel-casino on the China-controlled group of islands. MGM China Holdings, a joint venture between MGM Resorts and Hong Kong billionaire Pansy Ho, will build a $2.5 billion, 1,600-room hotel-casino on Macau’s Cotai Strip. Plans call for 2,500 slot machines and 500 gaming tables.

Airlift priority for Jamaica

The island of Jamaica is in good shape for the upcoming winter season, with advance bookings at many resorts pacing ahead of a year ago at this time.

DOMESTIC

PreCheck will check in at Honolulu airport

Honolulu Airport was expected to launch the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program this week. Not all airlines participate in the program, and passengers must be eligible to go through an initial screening in order to participate.

Orlando, Fla., hotel activity in September was lower than a year ago

The hotel market in Orlando, Fla., declined in September, as 55.2% of rooms were filled compared with 56.2% the previous year, according to Smith Travel Research. The average daily rate decreased 1.4%, to $80.35, as children went back to school and fewer large-scale events took place.

AIRLINE

US Airways Group reports record Q3 profit

US Airways Group posted a record third-quarter net profit of $245 million, up from $76 million a year earlier. Excluding special items totaling $192 million, the result was the second-best third quarter in the company’s history.

Delta posts $1B third-quarter profit

Delta Air Lines reported a third-quarter net profit of just more than $1 billion, aided by $279 million in one-time items. The result compared to a $549 million profit a year earlier.

Southwest will take over AirTran flights in 4 cities next year

Southwest Airlines has announced that starting in April, AirTran service at airports in Flint, Mich.; Portland, Maine; Rochester, N.Y.; and Charlotte, N.C. will be converted into flights under the Southwest brand. Southwest also unveiled new services that will launch also in April, including daily service between Boston and Kansas City, Mo., and between Houston and Pittsburgh.

Spirit: We don’t want you to pay our $100 carry-on fee

Spirit Airlines will be charging a $100 carry-on fee to passengers who do not pre-pay for bags. Some industry experts say it could hurt business, but Spirit says the fee will dissuade passengers from slowing the check-in process with last-minute bags.

This Week in Travel & Tourism — 8/27/2012

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DOMESTIC

Tourism in Hawaii is on pace for record gains

Hawaii’s tourism officials forecast another banner year for the tourism economy as it announced that the number of visitors as well as per-visitor spending from the first half of the year were both on pace to beat 2011 levels. Visitor arrivals were up 9.8%, to 4.7 million, and expenditures rose 20.8%, to $8.4 billion.

AIRLINE

Spirit to add Los Cabos service

Spirit Airlines will launch nonstop daily service between San Diego and Los Cabos, Mexico, on Nov. 8. The flight will be supplemented by a daily connecting flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to San Diego, launching on the same date.
In addition, Spirit will begin nonstop service four times a week between Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Cabos in June 2013.

JetBlue widens markets for upgraded Go Pack offering

JetBlue Airways has reintroduced its Go Pack travel deal, which has been expanded to include 32 markets. The new package offers fliers 10 nonstop one-way flights for a fixed price, and the travel window has been extended to three months.

United will launch 787 Dreamliner service in November

United Airlines plans to inaugurate service aboard its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Nov. 4. The carrier will fly domestic routes on the Dreamliner for a month before launching international service on Dec. 4. United has ordered a total of 50 Boeing 787-8s.
http://www.ausbt.com.au/united-s-boeing-787-dreamliner-flies-from-november-4-on-domestic-usa-routes-international-flights-start-november

Hawaiian Airlines seeks to add route from Big Island to Tokyo

Hawaiian Airlines has applied to the Transportation Department for daily service to Haneda Airport in Tokyo from Hawaii’s Big Island. The airline has proposed a nonstop route between Kona International Airport and Haneda Airport that could begin by March.

CRUISE

Princess Cruises announces start of construction of new ship

Construction has begun on a new Princess Cruises ship, the Regal Princess, the cruise line has announced. Set to launch in spring 2014, the 3,600-passenger vessel will follow the debut of the Royal Princess in June 2013. Both are part of a new class of ships for the cruise line.

Disney Cruise Line, Texas port reach 2-year deal

Disney Cruise Line will be launching voyages aboard the Disney Magic from the Port of Galveston, Texas, for at least two years under a new agreement that includes a one-year renewal option. Disney says it has scheduled 38 cruises from Galveston during its first operating year.

This week in Travel and Tourism — 5/7/2012

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DOMESTIC

New national tourism strategy aims to be boom for industry

The Obama administration’s unveiling of the first-ever National Travel and Tourism Strategy has been met with praise from sectors of the travel and tourism industry. The initiative seeks to enhance coordination between the industry and the federal government regarding policies through a new national travel and tourism office. The strategy also aims to launch various steps that would boost international tourism in order to reach a goal of drawing 100 million foreign visitors to the U.S. each year by 2021.

McCarran menu of int’l flights expanding

The world is coming to Las Vegas, with the help of some major international airlines that will be initiating service in the next couple of months.

INTERNATIONAL

Opening of new Berlin airport delayed indefinitely

Lufthansa and Airberlin are scrambling to rearrange their newly expanded flight schedules after Tuesday’s announcement that the opening of the city’s unified airport, Berlin Brandenburg International, has been postponed indefinitely.

AIRLINE

American Airlines outlines comeback strategy

American Airlines says it plans to increase usage of domestic code-shares and boost international travel to 44% of passenger totals by 2017. AMR Corp., American’s parent, filed for bankruptcy protection last year. American said in a memo to employees that it would also use more regional jets to better fit demand in smaller markets as part of its efforts to boost annual revenue by $1 billion within the next five years.

Airlines scale back programs for unlimited flying

“Lifetime” memberships for unlimited flying have proved too costly for airlines. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average lifespan for an American is 78.5 years. However, some airlines offer flexible flying packages for a limited amount of time, such as months or years.

Spirit new bag charge prompts calls for greater fee transparency

The Consumer Travel Alliance is aiming an appeal for wider airline fee transparency at the Department of Transportation in the wake of a new baggage fee from Spirit Airlines. The group criticized Spirit’s $100 charge for carry-on bags checked at gates, calling it a “wake-up call” for the department.

CRUISE

Costa bolsters safety procedures

Costa Cruises has implemented measures aimed at enhancing passenger safety — a result of the loss of 32 lives following the capsizing of Costa Concordia. At a press conference and interview with Travel Weekly aboard the 3,800-passenger Costa Fascinosa on Monday, Costa President Gianni Onorato said, “We will never forget the victims and those who suffered in his tragedy” when the Concordia ran aground.

OTA

Priceline continues rapid growth

Strong international hotel sales pushed Priceline.com’s profits up 74%, with the online travel agency reporting first-quarter income of $182 million. Priceline said international bookings increased 54%, driven by strong results from European sites Booking.com and Agoda.com, as well as strength from domestic car rentals.

ETC.

TravelWeekly.com debuts hotel and cruise searches

TravelWeekly.com has launched two new search features on TravelWeekly.com: Hotel Search and Cruise Search. The search options integrate information from the Hotel and Travel Index and Official Cruise Guide databases, respectively, and are accessible from any page on TravelWeekly.com via the “Cruises” and “Hotels” tabs on the right-hand section of the main navigation bar.

Microsegmentation allows targeted offerings for consumers

Technology has created new methods for businesses to classify potential clients’ behaviors based on factors as seemingly trivial as their Web browsers and then fashion offerings that would be most appealing, this feature says. This opens up new opportunities for businesses to match their products with consumers’ preferences and offer a consistent level of service at every interaction.

Plans progress on nation’s first in-airport liquor store

McCarran Airport is poised to welcome what is reportedly the first in-airport liquor store located outside of a duty-free area. The 1,350-square-foot Liquor Library will occupy space at the south end of the Terminal 1 baggage claim area. Its principals said they will invest more than a half-million dollars in the project, with plans to be open by early fall.