THE ENEMY WITHIN

17 MAY 2012:  Commercial air travel is at risk from terrorists who quietly get jobs at airports so that they can attack from within sensitive areas, a senior Homeland Security Department official told US lawmakers on Wednesday. Read more...

COME ON DOWN

17 MAY 2012: Just when you thought Vegas had pulled out all the bunnies from its top hat, it come up with another surprise. Room occupancy numbers are skyrocketing at 150,000 at last count. So we gotta ask, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?” Read more...

SOLD TO SUNWING

17 MAY 2012:  Further to the March 29, announcement of the impending sale of the Breezes Trelawny Resort and Spa, SuperClubs confirmed yesterday that the transaction has been successfully completed.  The purchaser of the property is Blue Diamond Hotels and Resorts, a division of leisure travel company, Sunwing Travel Group. Read more...

CHEERS

17 MAY 2012:  VisitBritain, says that if the 13.8 million overseas visitors (45% of the inbound market share) who visited a pub in 2011 were to buy just one pint, then those international guests would contribute at least £40 million annually to the till behind the bar. Hey! I try to do my bit whenever I’m there.  But from now on – I will try harder. Read more...

BUSY BUSY

17 MAY 2012: The new $1.4 billion international terminal at the world's busiest airport has opened in Atlanta. The sleek launching pad for millions of passengers is designed to help Atlanta grab a growing share of the lucrative market for global travellers. Read more...

LOW COST CARRIERS

17 MAY 2012: Okay – sides will be taken. Sit down. Calm down. Here’s the story.  Philippines low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific, the country’s largest airline, is under fire for an incident that saw a passenger who was a “bilateral leg amputee” (that means both legs amputated) crawl down an airplane ramp rather than pay the cost of a wheelchair lift. Read more...

SAVE AND SPLURGE

17 MAY 2012: I must confess that my visits to California have been too few and far between. However, a recent invitation to spend a few days at the Grand del Mar, near La Jolla in the San Diego region, certainly whetted my appetite for the good life in “La La” land. La Jolla  (pronounced La  Hoya) means “the jewel” in Spanish. Who can argue? Read more...

GPS

17 MAY 2012: Temperatures may have been hovering around 20 degrees but the last two weekends have seen me attending three-day spring hockey tournaments with my boys. This weekend we were in the sprawling suburbs of Boston and the week prior (with a different son) it was the backwoods of Burlington Vermont. Read more...

SILVER LINING

16 MAY 2012:   At a reception in Toronto yesterday, Air Transat marked its 25th anniversary by unveiling its first Airbus A330 featuring a new, fully redesigned cabin interior. Media and guests mingled below the wings of the huge aircraft before heading up to check the new interior complete with mood lighting. Read more...

PAY UP

16 MAY 2012: It’s not final yet, but it’s a setback.  A top European court official says UK airlines should compensate passengers whose flights are delayed by three hours or more.  The European Court of Justice ruled in 2009 that passengers who experience lengthy delays should be entitled to the same compensation as those whose flights are cancelled. Read more...

HOW SUITE IT IS

16 MAY 2012:  While the excitement settles (just a little) from the dual christening of The Avalon Visionary and Avalon Vista, it’s well worth taking a look at the ships themselves which more than live up to Avalon’s reputation for service, comfort and innovation. Read more...

SPLIT DECISION

16 MAY 2012:  American Airlines ground workers split over the company's final contract offer that would spare some jobs targeted for elimination. The Transport Workers Union said Tuesday that five work groups accepted the company's offer but the biggest, aircraft mechanics, rejected it. Read more...

NO RECENT THREATS

16 MAY 2012: A blaze last month that scorched the offices of a Cuba travel agency in Miami was deliberately set, fire investigators say, one of the first acts of violence in years against a company arranging visits to the island. Read more...

WHY THE LONG WAIT

16 MAY 2012: Witnesses at a British parliamentary committee hearing offered a variety of reasons for the long waits some arriving passengers endure at immigration checks at London's Heathrow airport. Among the possible reasons cited –government cutbacks, airline schedules and the wind. Read more...

THEY SAID IT

16 MAY 2012: A new Zagat survey shows renters like Hertz best for business travel, leisure travel, counter staff, kiosk experience, loyalty program, "green" options, airport rentals, car return experience, shuttle service and website. Can’t do much better than that. Read more...

SAIL PAST

16 MAY 2012: The lawyer for a Panamanian man who watched two companions die while surviving at sea for 28 days in their small disabled boat says he's suing a US cruise line because one of its ships failed to help. Read more...

A WELL KEPT SECRET

16 MAY 2012: People, who travel with you regularly to sun destinations, probably didn’t know they could explore Europe, often for the same price, as a 4-star resort. And if they want to spend a little extra, Club Class on Air Transat, is pampering at its best!  The flight attendants couldn’t have been more helpful or attentive. There was so much food, I couldn’t begin to tell you about it all. And yes, the seats were comfy enough to dose off. Read more...