Facebook for InterlineRates.com

We added our mark on the facebook website. You can search for us on Facebook under InterlineRates.com or just follow the link: InterlineRates.com facebook page.

We've added pictures and links on the facebook.com page. So join in our new Social Network page for airline employees and other nonrev travelers. Chime in Interliners and I look forward to meeting you.

Pleasantly Surprise with NWA

I just wanted to add a personal note regarding NWA. I recently became a Silver Elite member with NWA just because I fly to Asia in a full fare business class ticket.

I have to admit, it was one of the best service I've ever had going to Asia. I had always flown Asian Carriers and I have to say NWA give them a run for their money. This brings me to my personal note. I hope with the impending merger with Delta we do not lose what made NWA special.

Have I under appreciated NWA all these years? Delta has announced the Northwest Brand will disappear by 2010. I have flown NWA twice since January and both times I've had the most incredible service, even when I was in coach. The service have been outstanding from checkin to baggage claim.

Once again, good luck with the merger. Traditionally, Delta has always done well with mergers, let's not forget that NWA was a wonderful carrier! We will miss you.

Stopher Wong

US Air Crew on Letterman

I just finished watching the US Airways Crew from flight 1549 on David Letterman. I must say they represented the Airline industry well. They were funny, articulate, and very professional. They made our industry proud.

I felt for the entire flight crew. They did a great job and lets hope we don't forget about them over time and continue to support them in their recovery.

Good job!

New Southwest Ad - check bags

The check bags fees have gotten to be stupid. I never understand why the airlines can't just add a few more dollars to the fare instead of jerking the public around with these fees. People, learn to run a business.

I love the new Southwest Airline ads regarding the baggage fees.

Carnival Broke Guinness World Record

Carnival Cruise Line broke open the world's largest pinata in Philadelphia yesterday. CCL donated the contents to Charity - all 8,000 pounds of candy. Glad everyone had a good time. View the video on you-tube.

10th annual President's Cruise 2008

Day 1 - Barcelona
cannot believe how fast time has passed. We arrived the first day in Barcelona and the gang scattered all over. Some guest visited the Gaudi architectural buildings and some visited Museums. Leonard and I visited the town of Sitges, just outside of Barcelona. A sleepy little seaside town that was not only quaint, the locals were friendly and helpful. If anyone has a chance to visit Sitges, they should.

Day 2 - At Sea
Everyone was out enjoying the open spaces. NCL has some wonderful places to hang out and enjoy the sea life. For me I spent the day in the spa. Some people spent it playing cards and others enjoyed family time.

Day 3 - Malta
This series of Islands were a surprise to me. The arrival into the port of Valletta is probably one of the most beautiful in all of Europe. I have never been to this unique little port. A lot of the clients took the jeep safari tour around the island, they saw breathtaking view including the site where Popeye, the movie was filmed. Cute and very quaint. We spent the day hiking into of the town and fort. In general, we had a relaxing and great time.

Day 4 - Naples
One of the largest cities in southern Italy. The ship pulled right into town with the train station, ferry service, and taxi right in the front door. From here you can visit, Pompei, Mt. Vesuvius, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, and Capri. A lot to pack into one day. In general, we suggested the guest pick their favorites but not to over do it ALL. Our group went only to Capri since have been to Pompei and Sorrento before. We hiked to the top of Capri island, wander around had lunch, had Gelato, and had more Gelato.. you get the idea

Day 5 - Rome ( Civitavecchia )
This is the gateway to the great city of Rome. The Eternal City is hard to do all in one day, even though many will try! Between the Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain; many will return exhausted. The day started at 7am and many are just returning now at 6:30pm. Leonard and I opted to take a biking trip through the Italian Countryside. We climbed and coasted through the street of Tarquinia & Clementina followed by visiting the main Palazzo in town and the we finished with a visit at a typical farmhouse for wine tasting and a sampling of local olives and Jams.

Day 6 - Livorno
Livorno is the gateway to Tucany and the cities of Florence and Pisa. Florence is the home of some the world's greatest Italian treasures. Almost everyone got off the ship early and visited both Pisa and/or Florence. Florence has one of the largest collections of art by Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli. Or coarse one should never forget about the Duomo or the David by Michelangelo.

Since Leonard & I had visited Florence before we decided to take a shore excursion to Cinque Terre, The Five Villages. It was one of the most memorable trips we have ever taken. The day was rainy and crappy but it didn't bother us at all. The well preserved century old villages with their footpaths winding high above the sea, leading through olive groves and vineyards was a sight to behold. it is something that I will remember forever.

Day 7 - Villefranche
This small quaint little town is just east of Nice and Cannes and west of Monaco. it is the perfect place to port. Everyone had an agenda. As early as 7am people were off the ship visiting Nice, Cannes or Monte Carlo. Many of the clients took guided tours but many also walked into town and caught the trains into the different cities.

We took the day just relaxing in Villefranche and ended the day sitting in a cafe by the water, people watching. It goes to show you, no matter what you want to do, a cruise is a perfect vacation.

Tomorrow is the end of the 10th President's Cruise and we hope everyone had a great time. It is back Barcelona and back to work. We have set the date ffor next year's President's Cruise and if you are interested, please give us a call. 800.298.8688

Carnival Interline Sale

Pack your bags and Go.... and bring up to 3 additional cabins at these amazing low rates!!

Great news!!! We've extended this Carnival offer on virtually ALL ships and sailings now through September 29th, 2008, ONLY. Book your Interline reservations now and receive up to THREE additional cabins for your family and friends at the same Interline rate.

Carnival is featuring exclusive low rates for our interline guests. Check the website for interline discounted rates but you must book your friends and family rates with an Interline Agent. Call today for the best rates and availability. 800.298. 8688

Bad Day at O'Hare

Todd, an interliner sent me this picture of a bad day at O'Hare and he said "I'm thinking brake overheats were not a problem on this day"

Disney Annouced Meal Plans

Disney just annouced that you can now combine your Interline Discounted room rates with Disney Dinning and Wine Plan. These Plans are available as an add-on while staying at Disneyland or Walt Disney World Resorts. Advance reservations required and minimum length of stay requirements may apply for Friday or Saturday arrival. Call InterlineRates.com for details 800 298 8688

Alitalia Gives Union Deadline to Accept Cuts

ROME -- Italian government officials gave Alitalia SpA's labor unions a one-week deadline to accept deep job cuts, a key step in the turnaround of the troubled airline.

The Italian government has been touting the plan, which calls for a merger between Alitalia and smaller rival Air One SpA, as the only way to save the struggling carrier. People at a meeting with unions and government officials said Italy's labor minister, Maurizio Sacconi.

Latest Airline to Add Baggage fee

Continental Airlines Inc. became the latest airline to charge for the first checked bag on domestic flights in an effort to return to profit.

Rising fuel costs have forced airlines to charge for a range of services once considered part of the ticket price and to look for new ways to extract revenue from passengers.

Continental Unveil new Biz Class Seat

HOUSTON (AP) -- Continental Airlines Inc. on Monday showed off new fully reclining seats that it will put in business class of some jets beginning next year.
The airline said that the seats would go into Boeing 777 aircraft used mostly on trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific routes beginning in fall 2009, and later on Boeing 757 and 787 jets.

Continental unveiled the seats at a travel convention in Los Angeles. Airlines have been sprucing up their first- and business-class cabins, especially on international routes, to compete for lucrative business travelers.

Hole in Qantas 747

A Qantas 747 flying from Hong Kong to Melbourne made an emergency landing in Manila after a large hole appeared in the side of the plane.

Passengers heard a loud bang and heard wind swirling around the plane, but reportedly remained calm as the plane quickly lowered its altitude. No passengers or crew were injured.

Naked Man Subdued on Flight

Members of a Major League Soccer team helped subdue a naked man as he tried to open an emergency exit door while inflight.

The American Airlines flight from Boston to Los Angeles was diverted to Oklahoma City on Friday after a passenger stripped nude and later tried to open an emergency exit door before being subdued by members of a professional soccer team and others, the FBI said.

Craig Tornberg, the soccer team’s general manager, said he confronted the man as soon as he saw him emerge naked from one of the plane’s restrooms.

“I said he should get back into the bathroom and put on his clothes,” Tornberg said after the plane landed in Los Angeles. “He said something strange to me. He said, ‘I don’t hear you. I don’t see you.’

Full Interline Story

Charge it: Alaska No Longer Take Cash

Alaska Airlines become the latest carrier to go cashless. Beginning August 5, Alaska Airlines will become the latest to not accept cash onboard fro in-flight services.

Others that have gone cashless include Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, AirTran, Virgin American and Midwest Airlines.

United Cut 950 Pilots

More trouble in the airline industry - The second-largest U.S. carrier has already announced 1,600 upcoming layoffs - United Airlines said Monday it plans to eliminate about 950 pilot jobs beginning this summer in addition to an already announced plan to cut 1,600 salaried positions and reduce its fleet.

The second-largest U.S. carrier told its pilots union about the cuts Monday and said it’s still working out the reductions with the group. Dave Kelly, a spokesman for the United branch of the Air Line Pilots Association, declined to comment.

The initial furlough notices will go out in mid-July and take effect in September, United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said. The cuts will continue into next year, she said.

More interline News

Continental Joins Star Alliance

Continental & United has announced a "extensive cooperation" linking global networks and eliminating route duplication.

"The planned trans-Atlantic joint venture, in which Continental, United, Lufthansa and Air Canada will pool revenue, will permit the carriers to compete more effectively with the proposed joint venture involving certain SkyTeam members that was recently granted antitrust immunity.

The trans-Atlantic joint venture will combine the strength of the carriers to create a more efficient and comprehensive trans-Atlantic network for the carriers' customers."

It will be interesting to see where this will lead the two U.S. Carriers.

Delta & NWA Merger

Delta & Northwest Airlines have made it official. They are merging to created the largest airline in the world.

Does this mean higher fares in the horizon?

According to Delta & Northwest, you'd think it is a done deal but in reality the "Deal" is already facing chanllenges.

Skybus Files for Bankruptcy

Another one bits the dust...

Skybus know for their $10 fares has decided to call it quits after one year of service. I guess it it was too good to be true... $10 fares?

ATA Files Bankruptcy

A few days after Aloha files for Bankruptcy, ATA also files for bankruptcy protection. Indianapolis based airlines says it can't maintain its business without a key miltary charter contract.

"The decision to shut down was just totally unexpected and happened very quickly," ATA spokesman Michael Freitag said.

United Grounds 11% of Fleet

UAL temporarily grounded 11% of her fleet and cancelled 31 flights on Wednesday, so they can test the Cargo suppression system on their 777s.

United carried out unscheduled maintenance on seven of its Boeing 747 jets last month but found no safety-related issues.

The Federal Aviation Administration has been checking maintenance records at all domestic airlines after revelations surfaced about missed safety inspections at Southwest Airlines Co.

Aloha Air Quits after 60 yrs

After 60 years of being in business, Aloha Air will end passenger service March 30, 2008. The writing has been on the wall. With the increase in fuel cost and inter-island fares of $19 meant their end was inevitable. Their air cargo unit will continue to operate while under bankruptcy.

The 1,900 employees who are affected, we are sorry. Aloha Air you will be missed.

Nipple Ring NO NO NO

A Texas Woman was forced to remove her nipple ring with a pair of pliers before she was allowed to board a plane. Ouch ...

I cannot believe these stories with TSA... Oh wait, yes I can !

Carnival's Circle C

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES is also continuing its push for the family market by introducing an onboard program targeting the 12- to 14-year-old set called Circle C, which fills the age gap in Carnival's youth-oriented programming (Camp Carnival is for younger kids and Club O2 is for 15- to 17-year-olds). Circle C, which is overseen by a trained staff, includes facilities with a dance floor, movies and music videos screens and gaming pods with video games; activities will include basketball, ping-pong, water games and nighttime pool parties. Facilities are in place on the Carnival Legend, Pride, Victory and Valor, and the rest of the fleet will be outfitted in stages by 2010.

Continue Shakeup at Carnival

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES saw a continued shakeup in its top ranks. Maurice Zarmati, a 36-year veteran of sales at Carnival Cruise Lines, was named president and CEO of Costa Cruise Lines North America, another Carnival Corp.-owned company. Zarmati assumes his new role at Costa on March 31, where he will be responsible for sales and marketing efforts for Costa's North and Central American regions. The Costa role was most recently held by Lynn Torrent, who left Costa to join Carnival Cruise Lines as its senior vice president of sales and customer service. Roberto Martinoli, Carnival's executive vice president of operations, meanwhile told the line he would leave on March 7. Martinoli is moving back to Monaco and returning to the consulting business.

CARNIVAL CORP. is also losing an executive: Jack Anderson, vice president of marketing for Carnival Corp. and the executive director of the World's Leading Cruise Lines, a marketing identity for Carnival's North American cruise brands, is retiring at the end of March. He has been with Carnival Corp. since 1999; prior to that he spent 25 years with Carnival Corp. brand Holland America Line.

Southwest: too pretty or too bitchy?

Two Coeds from University of South Florida claims they were discriminated because they were young and too pretty... give me a break.

"I think they were just discriminating against [us] because we were young decent-looking girls," Williams told TampaBays10.com. "I mean, nobody else on the plane looked like us except us. [The flight attendants] were like older ladies. We were younger. Who knows, they could have been just jealous of us because we were younger.”

Flight Attendant Sues After being Slapped

A Singapore Airlines flight attendant is suing after a passenger slapped her on a flight between Singapore and Tokyo last September. The Passenger was the wife of CEO Venture Corp, Wong Ngit Liong, one of Singapore's richest men.

Ms Then Jiamin, SIA flight attendant, is suing for "general damages and damages for consequential loss and emotional and mental distress" she suffered as a result of the "wrongful assault and battery". She is also claiming damages for defamation.

The wife, Madom Tan Siew Hoon, allegedly slapping Ms Then and saying loadly: "Why are you talking to my husband!"

Can we say insecure...

Delta Merge with Northwest

The NY Times is reporting that Delta and Northwest Airlines are close to a merger and supposedly it will follow with a merger between Continental and United. Yikes !

As I had myself gone through two mergers with Continental and let me tell you... DON"T. Mergers are never easy for the employees and seldom benefits the consumers. I guess only time will tell as to what will really happen.

Hang on tight it's going to be a bumping ride !

USA Today | CNN | MSNBC

Bye Bye Pride of Hawaii

The Pride of Hawaii, owned by NCL, sailed its final cruise from Honolulu last week, a 5-night trip to Los Angeles, where it entered a 6 day wet dock to transform her into the Norwegian Jade. NCL America's Pride of Hawaii left the Hawaiian waters and gave up it's U.S.-flag status in hope of better yields in the European cruise market this coming summer. The newly named Norwegian Jade is slated to arrive in Barcelona on March 13 and will undergo another wet dock, where NCL said it would add a casino to the ship and she begins her first Europe cruise March 30.

Is Fuel Surcharges Legal?

THE FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL is investigating the legality of cruise line fuel surcharges, after more than 150 consumer complaints were filed with the attorney general's office since November. The office is reviewing whether the charges were properly and legally administered, and if cruise lines can retroactively impose a fuel surcharge on passengers. The cruise lines cited record-high fuel costs before instituting the charges in November; Carnival Corp.'s six North American brands added a charge of $5 per person, per day, on all sailings departing after Feb. 1, and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and NCL Corp. shortly followed suit, each with different policies.

New Celebrity Solstice

THE CELEBRITY SOLSTICE will boast 10 restaurants when it debuts in November. Some of the eateries will be designed by Adam Tihany, who created some of New York's best known restaurants, including Per Se, Jean Georges and Le Cirque. Tihany designed the Solstice's two-level Grand Epernay dining room with a two-story wine tower; the Tuscan Grille steakhouse; and the casual Oceanview Cafe and Grill on the ship's lido deck. The ship's menus, meanwhile, were created by Celebrity's Vice President of Food and Beverage Jacques Van Staden, who previously headed kitchens in Las Vegas and Washington. Van Staden is also redesigning the menus on the rest of the Celebrity fleet.

Independence Being Scaped

THE INDEPENDENCE made its final departure from a U.S. port last week: The 57-year-old ocean liner left its berth in San Francisco en route to a scrap yard in Asia. Norwegian Cruise Line, which bought the vessel for a reported $4 million in 2003, sold it to an interim purchaser, which has renamed the ship the Oceanic and is sending the ship to Singapore to be sold for scrap. NCL bought the Independence along with the United States, another U.S.-flagged ocean liner, in 2003, but the Independence was said to be in worse shape than the United States. The Independence is a sister ship to the Constitution, an ocean liner that sank while being towed to Asia to be scrapped in 1997; that ship had also been renamed the Oceanic.

Princess New Disembakation

PRINCESS CRUISES said it streamlined its disembarkation system by giving passengers a letter the day before the end of the cruise telling them where and when to meet depending on their return air arrangements. A crew member will wait with them in their assigned room until it is time to escort them to the gangway. In some ports, passengers can opt for express disembarkation if they choose to carry their own luggage off the ship as part of the first group to leave. The new disembarkation process complements Princess' early embarkation program, the line said.

Carnival Names Sr. VP of Sales

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES named Costa Cruises executive Lynn Torrent as its senior vice president of sales and guest services. Torrent replaces Vicki Freed, who resigned from the post at Carnival after almost 30 years with the line to take the top sales position at Royal Caribbean International. Torrent is currently president and CEO North America for Costa. She previously served as vice president of marketing for Carnival Corp., the parent company of Carnival Cruise Lines and Costa, where she worked with Gerry Cahill, who was Carnival Corp.'s CFO before becoming CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines last year. Torrent starts in her new role March 3.

MSC Double Caribbean Presence

MSC CRUISES will double its presence in the Caribbean next winter when it brings the MSC Orchestra to the region in January 2009. The 2,550-passenger, 92,400-ton Orchestra is currently the line's newest and largest vessel; it will operate seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Fort Lauderdale between Jan. 2 and April 25, 2009. The MSC Lirica will continue to operate 10-day trips to the southern Caribbean. Richard Sasso, president and CEO of MSC Cruises USA, said that the Orchestra's arrival in the Caribbean market would be the beginning of MSC's "real presence" in North America.

You know what that means... More Interline Discounts for the Caribbean with MSC Cruises.

China Warns Airline - Don't be late !

China has warned the airlines not to be late for the up coming Beijing Olympics. Airlines that fails to keep up with the standards being set will not be allowed to expand their services for two years.. oouch ! I have a feeling China's General Administration of Civil Aviation, Li Jiaxiang is not kidding around.

Hmm, I wonder if our Head of US Aviation has that kind of pull to try to straight out some of our problems.

Windstar Cruise Sale

InterlineRates.com has several Windstar sailing available at an interline discount of $1000 per person. Check out the details.

Wind Surf
7 Night Exotic Caribbean
Roundtrip - Barbados (Northbound)
Ports Include: St. Kitts - Nevis - St. Martin - St. Barthelemy - Guadaloupe - Iles des Saintes - St. Lucia
2/3, 2/17 & 2/24, 3/16 & 3/30/08
$1000 - Ocean View

Wind Surf
7 Night Exotic Caribbean
Roundtrip - Barbados (Southbound)
Ports Include: Grenadines (Bequia) - Dominica - St. Lucia - Grenadines (Mayreau) - Grenada - Tobago
2/10, 2/24 & 3/23/08
$1000 - Ocean View

Wind Spirit
7 Night Exotic Caribbean
Roundtrip - St. Thomas
Ports Include: St. John - St. Martin - St. Barthelemy - Tortola - Jost van Dyke - Virgin Gorda
2/9 & 2/16/08
$1000 - Ocean View

Call Cruise Vacations for details and booking 800 298 8688

Delta Merger Talks

As many have speculated and now acknowleged, Delta is now seeking a merger with Northwest or United.

Yet another committee has been formed and yet another talk of reducing capacity...

You be the judge. I lived through two mergers when I worked for Continental and I can tell you, it is NOT easy. Airlines seldom share, technology, way of doing business, labor force etc. It will not be easy no matter what.

Princess expands Chef's Table Program

PRINCESS CRUISES will expand its Chef's Table dining program to most of its fleet over the next few months, citing positive reception on the Emerald Princess, the Crown Princess and the Caribbean Princess, where it is currently available. The $75 per person meal offers guests a dining event that begins with appetizers and cocktails in the ship's galley and then continues with a custom-designed, multi-course tasting dinner paired with wine in the main dining room with the ship's executive chef. The meal can be reserved by up to 10 passengers per night. It will debut aboard most vessels in the fleet in early 2008, with the exception of the line's smaller ships, the Tahitian Princess, the Pacific Princess and the Royal Princess.

Lufthansa buys 19% of JetBlue

A few days ago Lufthansa opted to invest in 19% of JetBlue. It is never what it seems. I have a feeling this is Lufthansa's way of controlling the JFK market. Since the deregulation of the European routes between the U.S. and Europe, don't be too surprise if the landing slots at JFK trade between Lufthansa and JetBlue.

I remember this had happened years ago when United needed landing slots in ORD and bought Air Wisconsin. Then only to turn around and sell the airline after striping them of their ORD landing slots.

I do not think this is the end of this story, just you wait...

Delta Creates Planeguage

Delta has created a series of animated short videos and I think the are hilarious. Now that is a unique way of addressing some of the issues we see in the air everyday.

It's good when we can laugh at ourselves... Enjoy the videos

Your Jetiquette Needs

This article from USA today features Gailen David, a twenty-year American Airlines flight attendant, answers some of your 'jetiquette' questions and answers.

After years of flying, I would say some of these Q&A are obvious, but then who am I to say what's obvious..

Interline Story

12 nts Exotic Cruise on Azamara

Interlinerates.com has a 12 nts Exotic Caribbean Cruise on Azamara Cruises. Azamara is a cruise line which was recently created. It is not well known right now and thus there are some incredible last minute interline discounts on this.

The Cruise is on the Azamara Quest - November 12 - visiting the ports of Grand Turk/Bahamas, Samana, Mayaguez, St. John, Gustavia, Cabrits, Basse-Terre City, Virgin Gorda, and back to Miami.

If you have the time, don't miss this cruise -
Call Interline Rates for more details or check out their website, http://www.Interlinerates.com, it is listed in Eastern Caribbean under Celebrity Cruises

Luggage Falls from Sky

You think you've got a lost luggage story, well think again. As far as I know, no luggage has ever fallen from the sky, blue ice... maybe but luggage?

The NY Times reports that two pieces of luggage fell from an Atlantic Southeast Airlines flight between Chicago & Atlanta. The Express Carrier apparently had not secure the Cargo door and was having problems pressurizing the plane after take off. When the plane safely returned, they discovered two pieces of luggage were missing.

Now for the amazing part of the story.. someone found one of bags a mile away.

Pilot Accused of Prank Calls

A Singapore Airlines pilot was accused of making prank calls to fast-food outlets for food delivery to a fellow pilot. Under Singapore laws anyone who transmits a false message by phone can be fined up to $10,000 Singapore dollars and jailed for up to three years. Ouch !!

Disney Continues Million Dreams Promo

Throughout 2007, Disney guests experienced the magic of The Year of a Million Dreams. Now, Disney Parks have decided to extend their "Million Dreams" promotion until December 31, 2008.

Leonard & I just returned from the Disney Conference and we got a tour of the Cinderella Castle Suite, along with some of their new attractions.

The Dreams promotional giveaways are fun and cannot be beat. In addition to current giveaways, Disney will grant even more one-of-a-kind, money-can't buy experiences including:

• The chance to stay, on the night awarded, in the park overnight inside the Disneyland® Dream Suite in New Orleans Square at Disneyland® Resort or in the Cinderella Castle Suite in the heart of Walt Disney World® Resort.
  
• DREAM FASTPASS badge
  
• Ultimate Character Meet & Greet
  
• In-Park Shopping Spree

So go visit Disney Parks & keep Dreaming

Cunard's Queen Victoria

Eight more weeks before Cunard Line launch their newest ship, Queen Victoria on December 10, 2007, in Southampton, England. The ship will have a special two storey Library, distinguished by a spiral staircase and rich wood paneling.

The Library will be the 2nd largest at sea, next to the library aboard the sister ship, Queen Mary 2.

Here are some early pictures of the Library...

Boy Survives in Wheel Well

A 15 year old Russian boy survived a two hour flight after hiding in the wheel well of a 737. The boy had ran away from home and ended up in Perm. The boy was so frozen that initially they could not removed his clothing.

The Russian airport authorities did not confirm the report (of course they didn't)

Mesa CFO Deleting Porn

Mesa Says CFO mistakenly deleted computer files related to the case between Hawaiian Airlines and Mesa Air, as he was attempting to purge pornography from his computer.

Seriously, that were porn not legal documents, I swear...

Celebrity Cruises Revamp Dining

Celebrity Cruises is revamping its dining fleetwide by the end of January. Overseeing the menu redesign is the Celebrity's new vice president of food and beverage, Jacques Van Staden, who joined the line after working with Blau & Associates, a top restaurant consultant in Las Vegas. Blau is also consulting with Celebrity on the new menus. The cuisine will be revamped in all restaurants on all seven ships except for the specialty restaurants, she said. Specialty restaurants will be reviewed in a second phase once the new menus are in place.

Queen Victoria Christen

Cunard Line announced today that the 90,000-ton Queen Victoria will be Christen by the Duchess of Cornwall - also known by us commoners as Camilla Parker-Bowles, the wife of Princess Charles. The Ceremony will be December 10 in Southhamton, England and the Prince is expected to attend.

The President Carol Marlow of Cunard said " We are most honored that Her Royal Highness will name our newest Cunarder. Every one of our Cunard Queens has been named by a member of the Royal Family and we are therefore delighted that Queen Victoria will follow in that tradition."

How Short is Too Short?

Kyla Ebbert was thrown off a Southwest Airline flight for wearing an outfit that was too bare for the air.

Well you be the judge, Miss Ebbert is after all a Hooters Waitress so keep that in mind. She has had quite a lot of press from the Today Show to Ellen

Check out some of SWA commercials from the past and you be the judge, How short is too short?

Goat Sacrificed to fix Jet

Napal Airlines has confirmed that they sacrificed two goats to appease the Hindu god, since they were have problems with maintenence of the 757.

Remind me again, which century are we living in?

Carnival's Adult only Retreat

Carnival Cruise Line announced their new, "Serenity Adult Retreat". This area is design to be an oecan-going oasis for relaxation, tranquility and comfort. The new "Serenity" areas are part of Carnival’s $250 million "Evolutions of Fun" ship enhancement initiative which is resulting in a dramatic transformation of the line’s eight "Fantasy-class" vessels. The Carnival Inspiration will be the first Carnival ship to feature this when she emerges from a month long dry dock in early October. Digital renderings of the new "Serenity" adults-only area, along with images of various other "Evolutions of Fun" initiatives, including the "Carnival WaterWorks" aqua parks and redesigned pool areas, can be viewed at www.evolutionsoffun.com

737-800 explodes in Okinawa

Last week a Boeing 737-800 caught on fire in Okinawa. China Airline (Taiwan) flight 120 from Taipei to Naha with 165 passengers and crew onboard landed safely and then the aircraft caught on fire while taxiing. All crew and passengers evacuated safely before the plane was engulfed in flames. Check out the video. It is amazing that everyone got safely.

Costa Maya Port Damaged

As Hurricane Dean came through on Tuesday morning, Costa Maya, one of Mexico's fastest growing destination, was seriously damaged. The port's infrastructure was estimated to be 50% distroyed, including the cruise ship pier. An early estimate indicates that the port will remain closed for 6 to 8 months. For more information visit Costa Maya's website And for a complete story on the Hurricane Dean check out the Environment News Service.

Trust the Pilot

A friend, Todd, who is a pilot, forwarded me these photos and his caption was "Times when you Just have to Trust the Pilot". click on the individual pictures to see a large version and when you see how small the runways are, you will see why he titled the email "trust the pilot"

Now my question is, "why is the pilot taking these pictures instead of paying attention to landing the plane?"

NWA Buy Midwest

NWA and a group of investors have bid $16 a share to buy Midwest Airlines. It is a counteract effort to AirTran's hostile takeover bid valued at $15.75 a share.

“The board concluded that the TPG offer presented greater value and certainty for Midwest shareholders than the AirTran offer,” officials at Midwest said in a statement today.

Interline Story

Drunk Attendant arrested

It just wasn't her day. Sarah Mills was arrested before takeoff for drinking. Even though she is her blood alcohol level was .032 - which is lower than Kentucky's legal limit of .08. She still faces a civil review by the FAA on charges of being a crew memeber of airplane while drunk.

She pleaded not guilty, well you be the judge...

2 day Interline Cruise Sale

InterlineRates.com is having a 2 day Interline Cruise Sale with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises. August 15 & 16, 2007

- Deposit Reduced 50%
- Best Available per Super Category
- New Dates for Sale through March 2008
- "ITP" Promo Codes only

Call Interlinerates.com for details. (800) 298 8688


Interline Cruise Sale

Disney Park Tickets Increase

It just got a little bit more expensive to visit Walt Disney World. Disney increased their one-day park pass to $71 from $67. This is the second increase in seven month.

But what choice do you have? If you want play, you got to pay. At least Interliners still get discounts on Disney Resort stays. Check out InterlineRates.com for details.

Walt Disney World Hikes Ticket Prices
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RCI - Genesis Class Ship

Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale may become the homeport for Royal Caribbean's $1.2 billion, 5,400-passenger Ship, when it debut in 2009 and 2010. In order to accommodate these megaships Port Everglades will have to undergo a $37 million expansion of Terminal 18, said Ellen Kennedy, port spokeswoman. The port predicts the ship's year round presence would create 3,800 jobs, producing total income of $172 million.

Alaska Cruise - Holland America - Noordam

Holland America – Noordam – Alaska Cruise (7-29-07)
This week we are leading a group to Alaska onboard Holland America’s Noordam. Our trip is round trip from Seattle and we will visit Glacier Bay, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, & Victoria.

Seattle
We stayed at the Westin Downtown, and I was pleasantly surprised that we were so close to so many of the local attractions. We were able to walk just about everywhere. Pikes Market, the Space Needle, the Mall, and China Town were all within walking distance. One can always catch a cab or the monorail if you wish. An alternative to the Westin might be the Sheraton Hotel, both provide excellent rates ($150 – 250 per night ). Cheaper than the cruise line’s pre stay package. We caught a taxi from the airport for about $30 and then $10 from hotel to pier 32. (A footnote: Free WIFI internet in the lobby of the hotel)

Day at Sea
Today was the first full day at sea and the Noordam has packed the day full of activities – the highlight for us was the galley tour followed by the culinary cooking demonstration. Holland America, and Food & Wine Magazine had built a state of the art Culinary Arts Center in the Queen’s Lounge. Chef John, from the Pinnacle Grill, was our instructor. He was funny and entertaining. Afterwards I spoke to John and he said cooking is suppose to be fun, so you “have fun” and don’t take it so seriously. I like his attitude toward food. The Noordam also offer classes on garnishing, and a personal hands on cooking class (only 24 slots and it fills up fast, so book it the first day - $30)

One change Holland America has made to this Vista Class ship is the newly design Exploration Café. It is like Barns and Noble meets Starbucks meets Internet Café. It is a great place to hang out, have some coffee, read, and surf. I especially like all the travel books available to help you plan your excursions and future trips.

Glacier Bay National Park
This day started early, with the boarding of a naturalist who has been keeping us inform with announcements over the intercom system. It is a great way for us to see the wildlife that might otherwise go unnoticed.

When we entered Glacier Bay, a park ranger and Native American lecturer boarded the ship and they took over telling us all about the National Park and the native habitat and the history of Glacier Bay. They even had an inter-active display in the Vista Lounge where you can touch and feel what the silk from the glacier might be like.

While there at the Marjorie Glacier were were able to witness the power of the glaciers. Massive chunks of ice would fall into the bay, I can see what they call it "White Lightning". The roar of the thunder which followed was amazing - what a highlight.

Juneau
Juneau is the Capital of Alaska. Hemmed in by Mount Juneau, Mount Roberts and Mendenhall Glacier, there are roads within the borough, but you cannot drive to Juneau from somewhere else. This Capital’s access is strictly by air or sea. Maybe that is why nobody bothers to lock their cars here. Where are you going to go after you steal the car?

There was schedule bus service from the pier to Mendenhall Glacier for $6 each way and very inexpensive trip. Mendenhall Glacier can be fun and the observation building is a great way to get oriented before starting on your trek. There were also a City & Glacier Tours from $25 and a City Trolley Tour from $17. The Gondola ride is also right there, it gives you a bird’s eye view of the town. All the tours were available from Pier side. Holland America docks right in town, Princess was one pier away and NCL was a bit farther.

If you are into something a more expensive, check out the float-plane trip to Taku Lodge. It is a great shore excursion, interline discounts are available. Call us or their office for details. I believe the company is run by an Alaska Airline pilot.

Juneau is also the largest of the towns were visited and there were plenty of Jewelry and t-shirt stores available. One find was a Jewelry store right in town, Majestic Gems, at 108 People’s Wharf. Raj & Jennifer just opened this store this year and they have a promotional “Northern Lights” Topaz pendant for only $20. It is a great find and fantastic gift. Check it out, ask for Judi when you are at the store, she was my sales person.

Sitka
Sitka is known as “Alaska’s Little Russia”, even though at a glance not much about the port looks Russian. Look a little closer, however, and you will find some unmistakably Slavic elements. Check out St. Michael’s Cathedral, a small Russian Orthodox Church, right in the middle of town. You can go in and see some of the art work, such as the silver –bound 19th-century Bible for $2. The Orthodox priest was also there to answer question about the church. We just walked around town and I like going to Castle Hill at the edge of town. The steps to the top are on the side of the Post office. The short climb is rewarded with a sweeping view of Sitka Sound and the ships docked in the bay. We did not do any shore excursion but there were plenty of vendors who are willing to sell you a tour to the nearby sites. There was also a Kayak trip from the harbor. People loved it. It took them from the pier to the Fish Canary, a bit stinky, but you are rewarded with sights of Sea Lions, Bald Eagles and Otters. I walked over and was able to see some Bald Eagles close up and personal. What a majestic animal.

Ketchikan
Alaskan call Ketchikan the “First City”, not because of its size or population but because in the days before air travel it was always the first Alaska port of call for northbound steamship passengers. Despite it’s “untouched” appearance this area is really not “new” to tourism. The Pacific Coast Steamship Company began operating southeast Alaskan excursions in 1884.

Today is a beautiful day here, and we wandered over to "Creek Street". With their small little shops on stilts over the water, this area is a quaint as it gets. We also hiked up on "married man's trail" if you go to the end toward the street side, if you slow down, you can see the salmon jumping. What a great way to end our trip to Alaska

Victoria
We arrived at Victoria at 6pm which does not leave us with much time in Victoria but on this trip our only plan was to see the fireworks at Butchart Garden (only available on Saturdays). We signed up for a shore excursion with Holland America and it was worth the $60.(even though I just found the same trip on Grayline tours for $41). We were able to see part of Victoria by motorcoach and still had time to see some beautiful flowers and gardens before it got dark. FYI, get to the seat early if you want a good view.

Overall, I would say it was a wonderful trip and I look forward to seeing Alaska again in the very near future.

New Pan Am Jet Service

Youtube strikes again... Check out this old commercial from 1958 regarding the "New" Pan Am 707 Jet service. Oh those were the good old days.

Times sure has changed

RCI expands Smoke-Free Areas

Royal Caribbean announced today they will make all staterooms & suite non smoking. So starting January, you will have to step outside on the balcony, designated Bar/lounge areas, or the outer decks.

According to Royal Caribbean, "violations of the smoking policy will result in cleaning charges to the guest's onboard account". WELL... I don't smoke but did you have to state it like that? The defend their policy as part of their new contemporary approach to healthier lifestyles for their guest. And it doesn't hurt that, SURVEY SHOWS ... "Strong support of the new smoking policy"

So there you have it.

Open Seating Test on RCI

Royal Caribbean International has confirmed it will be testing the the open seating dining concept on the Freedom of the Seas from October 14 thru December 16. The flexible dining program is in response to Holland America's "As you Wish" open seaing on their ships. Holland will expand the concept to fleet wide over the next year. Holland America like Princess will still have the traditional seating on some of the restaurants.

I personally think the flexible dining is here to stay. Some people will still prefer traditional set dining hours but there are many people, like myself who like the flexible concept.

United Hires New Pilots

United Airlines Opens Online Application for New Pilots Today - UAL will begin accepting applications for 100 new pilots. It is the first time they have hired since 2001.

“We’re investing in our business; and our expansion in international markets enables us to add to our team of the best, highly skilled professional aviators in the world,” says Captain Hank Krakowski, vice president of Flight Operations. “United’s industry-leading, advanced qualification training program ensures that our pilots are technically proficient and have also mastered the crew-based, collaborative decision making and real-world problem solving that sets United pilots apart.”

The entire rcruitment will be conducted online...
If interested contact United

Carnival's CEO Retires

Carnival Cruise Line's President and CEO, Bob Dickinson announced that he will retire at the end of the year. I was completely surprised by the annoucement. I met Bob in 1995 at a Cruise Convention, that day we had some of the most inspirering conversation which shaped my career in the industry. Bob Dickinson is one of the cruise industry most recognizable and influential executives. We will miss him.

"I have been blessed to have had a long, fun-filled career helping to build Carnival and the cruise industry," Dickinson said. "I'm still having fun so giving all of that up has been a very difficult decision, but I'll be 65 next month and have been pondering this with my family for some time. I look forward to working with Gerry who will inherit what I believe is the most talented and dedicated management team in the cruise industry."

Dickinson's boss for some time, Carnival Corp. Chairman and CEO Micky Arison, said: "Bob has truly achieved legendary status in the travel industry. There is simply no other travel industry executive who is as well known and respected as he." Arison called Dickinson "one of the most influential people in the development of the modern-day cruise industry" who will be missed "not only by everyone here at Carnival, but by travel agents, his competitors and the media who loved his often humorous sound bites."

Gerry Cahill will assume the responsibility of President and CEO immediately "so that there is an ample transtition period," the company said David Bernstein, Carnival Corp.'s vice president and treasurer, will become the company's CFO, also effective immediately.

New FunshipIsland website

Funshipisland.com - I just found this website, designed obviously by Carnival Cruise Line. It is full of Flash and interactive elements to give you an idea of what your experience might be on a cruise. I think it is kind of fun to play and click around.

Go Check it out Funshipisland.com

New Cruise Line - Azamara

Azamara Cruises - is the new deluxe cruise line launched by parent company Royal Caribbean earlier this year. They have two - 710 passengers ships, the Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest. If you get a chance to experience this cruise line you should. Prices for Interliners are reasonable especially right now, since the general public does not have much awareness of this new cruise line.

InterlineRates.com has a Bermuda Cruise from Newark starting at $599, they are going fast though. While I was writing this blog two of them sold out. WOW

Check it out at InterlineRates.com

InterlineRates.com - One Day Sale

http://www.InterlineRates.com has a one day Interline Appreciation Sale on the 4th of July. Check out all the repositioning and Pacific Coastal Cruise for September and October. It must be booked online, sale ends midnight.

HAL launched Culinary Arts

HOLLAND AMERICA LINE launched a Culinary Arts Center program for kids and teens, using the same million-dollar kitchens from the Culinary Arts Center it has on its ships. Starting this summer, the line will offer complimentary, 45-minute classes that will incorporate dishes from breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Richard Meadows, HAL executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs, said, "Learning about the culinary arts and cooking isn't just for adults." Recipes include: Bear Tracks (Alaska-themed cookies), ice cream sandwiches, soft pretzels, granola bars and saltwater taffy. Check out the detail on Holland America's Website

Costa's Newest Homeport

COSTA CRUISES will this winter operate Indian Ocean cruises that depart from Mauritius. The line said it would become the first major cruise line to homeport a ship on Mauritius, an island nation east of Madagascar. Between Dec. 22 and March 1, the 1,000-passenger Costa Marina will run six 14-day cruises departing on Saturdays and calling in Kenya and nearby islands, including Madagascar and Reunion. Costa CEO Pier Luigi Foschi said that judging from the itinerary's advance bookings, it will be a popular itinerary.

Seabourn's New Ship

SEABOURN CRUISE LINE will name its new ship the Seabourn Odyssey and debut the $250 million new-build in Venice in mid-2009. The 225-suite ship is currently under construction at Italy's T. Mariotti shipyard; it will be the first addition to Seabourn's fleet in close to 20 years. The line said that plans for the vessel's maiden voyages are expected to be released by the end of this year. Seabourn President Pamela Conover said that out of hundreds of names the line considered, it wanted a name that would reflect the ship's primary purpose: "to wander the globe, carrying our guests to the world's most exciting ... destinations."

727 For Sale

Someone actually has a 727 aircraft for sale on ebay. It is not as expensive as one might think. The "Buy Now" price is only $100,000. If you wish to bid on this aircaft the current bid is $46,100. What a deal. You are resposible for pickup of the vehicle and it doesn't have any engines. What would one do with a 727 without engines. A very large Lawn ornament?

Flight Attendant 50 yrs of Service

== Over 26 million miles logged in her illustrious 50-year career with the airline ==

Continental Airlines' number one flight attendant on the system seniority list, Norma Heape, will celebrate 50 years of service with the company on a flight between New York and Hong Kong on Wednesday.

Recruited as a flight attendant from the Patricia Stevens Modeling Agency in June 1957, before Continental had jet-powered aircraft in its fleet, Heape now serves as an International Service Manager on board the aircraft. In her illustrious 50-year career with the airline, she has flown over 26 million miles on 27 different aircraft types to nearly all of Continental's more than 100 destinations worldwide.

Drug Dogs Fired for Sexual Harassment

Bangkok, June 11: Two Thai street mutts who became ace sniffer dogs at an airport near the notorious “Golden Triangle” opium-producing region have been fired for urinating on luggage and ‘sexually harassing’ female passengers.

Mok’s former handler Police Lieutenant said, “Mok liked to pee on luggage while searching for drugs inside. He also liked to hold on to women’s legs,” he added.

“Both were just as good as foreign dogs trained for use in drug missions,” he added. “But they were stray dogs, so their manners were not as good as those of foreign breeds.” Interline Story >>

Regent Seven Seas - New Port

REGENT SEVEN SEAS became the first cruise ship to call at Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada's first aboriginal terminal, on June 5. The Seven Seas Mariner docked at Campbell River's Wei Wai Kum Cruise Ship Terminal, located on the northeastern end of Vancouver Island. Regent said the new cruise destination was an initiative of the Campbell River Indian Band, also known as the Wei Wai Kum. The Seven Seas Mariner will be the only ship to call in Campbell River this year, a destination that Regent said was also known as the "Salmon Capital of the World," on seven-night cruises from Seward, Alaska to Vancouver. Upcoming Regent sailings featuring calls to Campbell River depart on June 13, June 27 and July 11; it will also call there on some 2008 cruises

Orient Line - SOLD

MIAMI – June 4, 2007 – NCL Corporation (“NCL”) today announced the sale of Marco Polo, from its Orient Lines brand effective March 23, 2008.

Marco Polo is presently owned by Star Cruises along with two other mid-sized vessels also operated on charter by NCL, Norwegian Dream and Norwegian Majesty.

“Marco Polo has an extremely loyal following and the Orient Lines brand is unique in what it offers,” said Colin Veitch, president and CEO of NCL Corporation. “It has been an important part of our business during the transition from the old NCL to the new NCL with the youngest fleet in the industry by the end of this year.

New Ship on the West Coast

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES launched the Port of San Diego's first year-round cruise program last week when the 2,052-passenger Elation departed on a four-day cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The Elation will operate four- and five-day cruises to Cabo San Lucas departing Thursdays, Mondays and Saturdays. In the winter, the Elation will be joined by the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit, which operates eight-day Mexican Riviera voyages from San Diego between October and April. Combined, the Elation and the Carnival Spirit are expected to carry more than 230,000 passengers annually from the port, the most of any cruise operator.


ALSO HEADING WEST is the Mariner of the Seas, which Royal Caribbean International will send to Los Angeles on Feb. 22, 2009. It will be the largest Royal Caribbean ship, and the first Voyager-class vessel, to be deployed on the West Coast. The vessel will offer 27 seven-day sailings to the Mexican Riviera from its Los Angeles homeport, calling on ports including Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.

Cruise News - 6/02/07

SEABOURN CRUISES released details of the design plan for the first of the two $250 million, 450-passenger ships it commissioned from Italy's T. Mariotti shipyard. Seabourn said the yard recently cut the first steel plates for the ship, which is slated to enter service in June 2009. The ship will have 13 categories of suites, four dining venues and six bars; it was designed to mirror the silhouette of the existing Seabourn ships but contain additional facilities and amenities. At three times the size of current Seabourn vessels but just double the passengers, Seabourn said the ship would have one of the highest space-per-guest ratios in the industry. "We've been careful to incorporate Seabourn's signature features while designing the next generation of ultra luxury ship to satisfy the desires of a new generation of luxury travelers," said Pamela Conover, Seabourn president and CEO, in a statement.

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MSC CRUISES changed the name of one of its two post-Panamax ships under construction from the MSC Serenata to the MSC Splendida. MSC said the name Splendida was chosen because Raphaela Aponte, who is responsible for every ship's interior design details and is the wife of MSC owner Gianluigi Aponte, was so enthusiastic about the ship's architectural designs. The 133,000-ton MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia, the largest ships commissioned by MSC to date, are scheduled to join MSC's fleet in fall 2008 and spring 2009, respectively.

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ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL said 200 of the 3,846 passengers on its newest ship, the Liberty of the Seas, experienced gastrointestinal illness on its seven-day, May 26 sailing from Miami. The next cruise left Miami five hours late on June 2 so that Royal Caribbean could carry out enhanced cleaning procedures and protocols, as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Twelve of the ship's 1,425 crew members were also affected, Royal Caribbean said. It said that all affected passengers and crew responded well to over-the-counter medication administered onboard the ship. The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program said that Royal Caribbean increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, notified oncoming passengers about the illness, delayed the subsequent voyage's embarkation to implement additional cleaning and disinfection procedures and staffed the subsequent voyage with additional crew to clean and disinfect the ship during the voyage.

Virgin Plans All Business Class Flignts

Richard Branson plans business class-only flights with a fleet of up to 15 new planes, in a move which could spell trouble for upstart rivals in the competitive transatlantic market. This could really effect upstarts like MAXJet and Silverjet.

The initial plans are to have flights from New York to Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Milan, Zurich and London.

Mike Figgis: Here to "shoot a pilot"

Mike Figgis: that TSA "shoot a pilot" thing was bogus

Apparently, there were several stories related to Mike Figgis being detained by TSA for saying he was at the airport to "shoot a pilot", was not true.

Here is the real Story of how the events took place

Northwest Exit Bankruptcy

Northwest Airlines is set to exit bankruptch on Thursday, ending a 20 month spell in Chapter 11. This will be the first time in 5 years that none of the major US airline are in bankruptcy. That in itself is a sad commentary...

Cruise News - 5/29/07

CELEBRITY CRUISES placed an order for a fourth Solstice-class cruise ship with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft, with an expected delivery date in fall 2011. The three other 122,000-ton, 2,850-passenger Solstice-class ships are the Celebrity Solstice, the Celebrity Equinox and the Celebrity Eclipse, with slated deliveries every year between 2008 and 2010. Celebrity's fleet would grow to 11 ships with the $798 million new ship-order, a testament "to the demand we've received from travel agent partners and travelers" for Celebrity, said parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises' CEO Richard Fain. All four Solstice-class ships are being constructed by Meyer Werft and will have 90% outside cabins, 85% of those with verandas.



NCL CORP. will offer priority hiring to soldiers in an army employment program for jobs on the line's U.S.-flagged NCL America ships. NCL joined the Army's Partnership for Youth Success program, to help NCL "develop long-term relationships with quality candidates for our NCL America ships in Hawaii," said Colin Veitch, NCL's president and CEO. Under an agreement with the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, interested enlistees agree to interview for one of approximately 50 positions on NCL America ships upon completion of their term of service.


THE FOURS SEASONS WILL FLOAT on a luxury residential cruise ship development slated for a 2010 delivery. BV International Ocean Holdings opened sales for private residences aboard Four Seasons Ocean Residences, a partnership with the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts brand. The 48,600-ton residential vessel will have 112 wholly owned one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom residences, from 800 to more than 7,000 square feet, starting at $3.8 million and will feature a helipad, a putting green and more than 70,000 square feet of public space.


THE PORT OF COPENHAGEN in Denmark will invest $40 million in a new dock for cruise ships, scheduled for completion in 2009. The dock is primarily geared towards cruise ship turnarounds, the port said, and the investment is part of a long-term strategy to attract more cruise ship traffic. "Good facilities play a leading role when cruise lines and passengers choose a destination," said Per Schmidt of the Port of Copenhagen. The port said it would set a new record in terms of cruise ship visits this year, with 290 vessels slated for arrival, carrying 420,000 cruise passengers, a 5% increase compared with 2006.

Baby born on Delta Flight

Two doctors on a Delta Air Lines flight from Germany delivered a baby in the aisle of the plane and resuscitated him when he wasn't breathing, officials said.

Delta Flight 131 to Atlanta was over the Washington area when a woman about 32 to 36 weeks — or nine months — pregnant went into labor Wednesday afternoon, prompting an emergency stop in Charlotte, N.C., about nine hours into the flight.

Apparently Delta does not have a "no fly" rule for women flying in their last month of pregnancy. I bet they will now...

Cruise News - 5/22/07

NCL CORP. said weak pricing on its interisland Hawaii cruises was the main culprit behind the cruise line's $60.8 million loss during the first quarter. NCL reported revenues of $490.8 million, a 15.1% increase over the same period of 2006, on a 23.4% increase in capacity days. Occupancy for the quarter was down from 105.5% to 103.9%. NCL CEO Colin Veitch reiterated that "we remain committed to the Hawaiian market," and that taking the Pride of Hawaii out of the Hawaii and redeploying it to Europe would "allow the company to further capitalize on the growing demand for European cruises."

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DISNEY CRUISE LINE wired the Disney Magic for passengers for passenger cell phone usage in time for its transatlantic voyage to Europe. The ship departed Port Canaveral for the Mediterranean on May 12. Disney said the service will be added on its second ship, the Disney Wonder, this summer. In a statement, the line said that mobile phone service was only available in passengers' cabins while at sea, so "guests who still look for a cruise vacation as a way to escape need not worry." Wireless Maritime Services is proving a service that will support more than 340 cellular providers worldwide, Disney said.

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ACTRESSES, A TRAVEL AGENT, AND A PRINCESS were among the godmothers who named a whopping five cruise ships last week. Culminating the run was Saturday's christening of the Costa Serena in Marseille, France, by French film star Marion Cotillard. The Costa Serena christening was preceded hours before by the naming of Norwegian Coastal Voyage's new ship, the Fram, by Norway's Crown Princess Mette Marit. On Friday, the Liberty of the Seas was named in Miami by travel agent Donnalea Madaley, and last Monday the MSC Orchestra was named in Rome by Italian film icon Sophia Loren. The week kicked off last Sunday in Greece when the Emerald Princess was named in Athen's port of Piraeus by 1970's sitcom stars Florence Henderson, Susan Olsen, Marion Ross and Erin Moran. The five ships range in size from the 12,700-ton Fram to the 158,000-ton Liberty of the Seas.

Carnival Spa Contest

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES is holding a contest to name the 21,000-square-foot spa on its upcoming ship, the Carnival Splendor. The winner will receive a cruise for two in a Carnival Splendor spa suite and complimentary spa services for the entire voyage. The Name Our Most Spectacular Spa Ever contest is asking consumers to help coin a name for the largest spa in the line's fleet, and the second largest at sea. The spa will feature Carnival's first spa staterooms and suites; a thalassotherapy pool; a thermal suite; and Middle Eastern and Asian spa therapies. The 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor will represent a new class of vessel for Carnival, and is slated to debut in July 2008 operating Carnival's first Northern Europe cruise program. To enter the contest, contestants must submit their suggestion via an entry form available on the Carnival Splendor's site, www.carnival.com/splendor. Entries will be accepted through June 15.

IRS more popular than Airlines

Recent survey released said that American like IRS better than their airlines. Ouch !

The airlines' score -- down two points from last year -- was the lowest for the industry since 2001 and reflects growing dissatisfaction with the travel industry. The airlines' long struggle to return to profitability after a prolonged slump following the attacks of September 11, 2001 may have led them to cut costs and service too far.

Interline Story

Ship ran aground in Alaska

206 PASSENGERS on Majestic America Lines' Empress of the North, which ran aground May 14 after hitting a charted reef in Alaska, will receive a full refund for that seven-day cruise plus a credit for a future cruise. The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into how the cruise ship came close enough to the reef to hit the rocks in an area known as a well-marked and lighted fishing spot. David Giersdorf, Majestic Cruise Line's president, said in a statement that "we are actively working to identify the cause of this incident, and will take appropriate action once all the facts are known." The impact damaged the ship's outer hull, forcing it to run aground and take on water; it was still able to float free of the reef and return to Juneau under its own power. Interline Story >>

JetBlue CEO Ousted

Back on February 19th when JetBlue's operational disaster, many people speculated that if Neeleman wasn't the founder, he would have been fired.

Well that is exactly what the board of directors did. So it goes to show, you can start a successful airline and still get fired.

Neeleman will remain as a non-executive chairman of the board. More Interline Story

Liberty of the Seas Inaugural

I’ve just returned from the inaugural celebration aboard Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Liberty of the Seas. Like her sister ship (Freedom of the Seas), these vessels are the largest passenger ships afloat and offer guests unlimited activities, dining options and an abundance of space!

The Royal Promenade, (first introduced on Voyager of the Seas), is larger than a football field and offers everything one would expect to find along a chic boulevard in a trendy town, such as a wine bar, authentic English pub, boutique shops, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream parlor and even a place to get a clean shave for the men. Although this is the social hub of the ship, it is by no means the only place to have fun – and fun is what this ship is all about. Some of the biggest new key features are the H20 Zone waterpark, complete with interactive sculpture fountains, ground geysers and a cascading waterfall; Flowrider – the first ever onboard surf park at sea; cantilevered whirlpools that extend 12 feet beyond the sides of the ship, and a boxing rink!

I personally enjoyed the ships décor and found many areas to be reminiscent of the art-deco period, especially in the Palladium Show Lounge. Entertainment here was incredible and some of the best I’ve seen in a long time.

For those wanting the ultimate in fun and adventure, Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas are the ships for you!

Leonard Ott
President
InterlineRates.com

RCI Launch Azamara Cruises

ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES unveiled a new cruise line member of its family on Friday when RCCL Chairman Richard Fain introduced Azamara Cruises, a "deluxe" brand positioned between the premium and luxury segments. The new line will comprise ships that were bound for the Celebrity Expeditions brand, the Celebrity Journey -- now the Azamara Journey -- and the Celebrity Quest, which will be renamed the Azamara Quest this fall. The new line and the 710-person Journey, which just completed a $19 million refurbishment, were introduced to the public on May 4. The ships will sail the itineraries that have been marketed under the Expeditions banner, the line said, and will offer Asia and world cruise itineraries.

AZAMARA CRUISES is introducing a new, "deluxe" category name to mainstream cruising, and RCCL said Azamara will distinguish itself from premium line Celebrity by offering destination-oriented itineraries in remote places where Celebrity's larger ships can't go, with butler service in every cabin category, no formal nights and a more immersive shore excursion programs. "Because this is a different product, and so distinct, it deserves a category name of its own to represent the fact that we're offering something different," said Fain. Azamara cruises will be priced above Celebrity's but below luxury lines, said Azamara President Dan Hanrahan, who also is president of the Celebrity brand.





THE AZAMARA JOURNEY'S first passengers, who had been booked on the ship when it was called the Celebrity Journey, got to take their cruise for free: The vessel departed from Bayonne, N.J., on its first sailing on May 6, a day late, because refurb work was still being completed onboard. The line gave passengers a full refund.

Introducing ...Miss Pam Ann

My friends forward me this link from youtube.com Miss Pam Ann is the alter ego of Australian comedian Caroline Reid. An emerging icon in gay culture, she portrays the air-hostess Pam Ann, a mixture of drag, camp and glamour, and a pun on the airline Pan Am.

Performance tends to emphasise the vulgarities of air travel, including the identifying quirks of various airlines around the world, mixed with a generous dose of humor and double entrendre.

Miss Pam Ann has a few entries in youtube.com so look around afterwards, you'll laugh like you've never laugh before...

Lilly - Chinese Flight Attendant
Fly Me - Pam Ann
Pam Ann & the Sydney Swans

If you want to know more about Caroline's Tour schedule in the UK and her website.

Holland America 1 Week Sale

Holland America has just put their entire Alaska Season on sale and InterlineRates.com has put an addtional discount on top of the interline savings. Book any Holland America Cruise this week Monday April 16 thru Sunday April 22 and you will receive an additional discount to your already low interline pricing.

Check the details on InterlineRates.com
Alaksa Cruise 5/18, 5/20 $365

BA Crew Delay flight 13 hours

(Reuters) Passengers on a British Airways flight from New Delhi to London faced a 13 hour delay as the pilot felt he was too sleepy after a noisy night in a New Delhi hotel, newspapers reported on Monday.

Angry passengers were offloaded from the plane early Sunday morning after the pilot refused to fly until he caught up with his sleep.

"The crew hadn't had enough rest... the entire crew had a disturbed night," Radhika Raikhy, spokeswoman for BA, was quoted in the Hindustan Times as saying, adding the airline's safety rules do not allow its crew to operate in such conditions.

The Times of India said the flight and cabin crew complained of not getting enough rest as their hotel was too noisy.

The flight, BA 142, finally took off 13 hours later to the fury of passengers who were sent to city hotels to wait out the delay as the crew rested, newspapers reported.

"It was very chaotic," said Sunil Thapar, a passenger. "Due to a shortage of rooms, some people, including me, had to share rooms with strangers," he was quoted in The Times of India as saying.

Cruise News

THE PRIDE OF HAWAII will be renamed the Norwegian Jade, reflagged and redeployed to Europe in 2008, NCL Corp. said. The company said that its 2006 losses were caused by downward pricing pressure in the Hawaii market following the addition of the Pride of Hawaii to the fleet last summer, combined with an increase in foreign-flag competition in the market. The company said the withdrawal would be temporary. "We take this action with regret, but sure in the knowledge that a temporary retrenchment is the right thing to do for the good of the business and the good of Hawaii in the long run," CEO Colin Veitch said.

THE NORWEGIAN JADE will be reflagged into the Bahamas registry during a wetdock in Honolulu, where the ship will be fitted with a casino and new hull artwork. It will sail 12-, 13- and 14-day eastern and western Mediterranean cruises, sailing from Barcelona, Istanbul and Athens; it will then reposition to Southampton, England, for a series of cruises to the Mediterranean, North Cape, Western Europe and the British Isles. The ship will offer a series of sailings designed specifically for the U.K. market, NCL said. The Jade will be joined in Europe by the Norwegian Gem, which will sail western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona, and the Norwegian Jewel, which will sail in the Baltic region from Dover, England.

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FRED. OLSEN CRUISE LINES is planning to lengthen the Norwegian Crown by about 100 feet when it takes possession of the ship in September. The vessel is currently operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. Fred. Olsen said it would lengthen the ship at Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, by adding a section that would increase the ship's public areas and add about 350 berths. The newly expanded vessel will be renamed the Balmoral and be inaugurated in January in Dover.

Mouse Grounds Flight

A small white mouse running around a Boeing 777 delayed a Vietnam Airlines flight to Tokyo for more than fours, newspapers reported on Monday.

A passenger saw the mouse on the aircraft, which had arrived in Hanoi from the central city of Danang at 10 p.m. Saturday and was scheduled to continue to Japan.

"Technicians were sent to seek and kill the mouse on the Boeing and this task lasted for over four hours," according to one report in the online newspaper VietnamNet. The report and others in state-run newspapers said the passengers went to a hotel and luggage was removed during the search for the mouse.


The rodent was found early Sunday and the aircraft took off at 4 a.m. Vietnam Airlines employees said they suspected that a passenger brought the mouse onto the plane and it escaped.

Pilot Curses & was removed

NWA Canceled a flight after the pilot began cursing at passengers while the flight was being prepared for takeoff in Las Vegas.

Actually "he was having a fit, swearing up a storm" a passenger on the flight said. When confronted by the passenger, the pilot became "obscene" and began cursing at the customers, she said "He made a big disturbance".

Northwest then canceled the flight, and showed the customers what a real disturbance was really like. NO Pilots NO Flights !

Continental Flight Attendant Training

WOW, it was 20 years ago when I went through flight attendant training with Continental and seeing this youtube.com video still makes me nastalgic.

The friends I made during those years are still so very special to me. As a matter of fact, a group of us are all getting together for drinks and laughs, tomorrow.

Thanks Brian for the retrospective of your times during the training class in March 2006.

Google Flight Status

My sister told me about this little trick and it is pretty cool. You can get flight status updates by texting the airline and flight number to Google (466453, it spells google). and you will get a reply text back.

You can also do the same for any business + the city . i.e. text Google (466453), then " Cruise Vacations Denver" and you will get a text back of the address with phone number. Pretty Cool

India Crew Scheduling

My friends from Continental forwarded this MP3 file to me and I think it is really funny and I hope you will find humor in it also. Oh what a company would do to save money...

Ways to save money in contract 02 - Idea #37 - Outsource Crew Scheduling to India

Harmony Airways Ends

Fledgling Canadian airline Harmony Airways said on Tuesday it will end scheduled passenger service next month, blaming rising costs and competition from larger rivals.

United's Dirty Plane

A few of my airline friends have started to send me news worthy email and I must say... "THANK YOU"

This article on the Comsumerist about a United Airlines flight from Hawaii to Chicago is just gross. Apparently, the plane was never cleaned prior to departure and I guess it was a "little" dirty.

Being an ex-Flight Attendant, these pictures did not surprise me. People can be real pigs after a long flight. Now, why United decided to board customers onto a dirty plane for another long haul flight is beyond my comprehension.

Adventure by Disney

Disney has a new product named "Adventure by Disney". The concept is a Tour product laced with all the Disney touches. i.e. Special behind the scene tours etc.

The product is high end but well worth the extra dollars. Go Visit, North America in SW Splendors, or Sol de Espana in Spain, Viva Italia, or Taste of Tuscany in Italy.

Now the good news, 25% off retail rates for all qualifying interliners.

A380 Lands in JFK & LAX

NEW YORK, March 19 (Reuters) - The world's largest passenger plane makes its debut in the United States on Monday, as two of Airbus' A380 superjumbos head for simultaneous landings in New York and Los Angeles.

The first trans-Atlantic flights for the 555-seat, double-decker plane are part of exercises to ensure that it is compatible with two major U.S. airports, which have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrades to accommodate the giant plane.

New Princess' Godmothers

PRINCESS CRUISES appointed two mother-daughter stars of 1970's TV sitcom shows as the godmothers of the line's two newest ships, to be named in a dual ceremony on May 12 in Santorini, Greece, during Mother's Day weekend. Florence Henderson, who played Carol Brady on "The Brady Bunch," and Marion Ross, who played Marion Cunningham on "Happy Days," will name the Emerald Princess. Their TV daughters, Susan Olsen, aka Cindy Brady, and Erin Moran, aka Joanie Cunningham, will christen the Royal Princess. Princess is also looking for a real mother-daughter duo to join it in Greece for the festivities. Contestants may enter the sweepstakes, called "The Ultimate Mother and Daughter Mediterranean Escape,"

Spirit Makes Changes Quietly

It seems that Spirit Air has quietly made some changes in hopes that nobody would notice. No More First Class Service, they are now called "BIG FRONT SEATS", and now we charge you for your bags you check.

March 6th, they announced they will be lowering fares by as much as 40% and has now called themselves ULCC (Ultra Low Cost Carrier)

Here's a quote: "Our customers have called for even lower fares and we have listened," said Barry Biffle, Spirit's Chief Marketing Officer. "We can offer incredibly low fares by enabling customers to pay for only those options they want. As customers have told us over and over, it's all about the fare!"

Now Sodas, Drink and Snacks are extra (I can understand that) and checked bags are $5 each. Wait a minute, the last time I remembered, they wanted me to check my bags because my shampoo was an airport security threat !

Here's their list of "optional Service":
BIG FRONT SEAT, Hotels, Cars, Vacation Packages & Cruises, Event Tickets, Golf Tee Times & Tours, Travel Insurance, Onboard beverages and snacks, Discounted Airport Parking, Checked baggage, Personal Cargo.

I don't know about you, but I do not remember EVER asking an airline to book my Golf Tee Times.

New Carnival Freedom

THE CARNIVAL FREEDOM was officially named March 4 in Venice by its godmother, supermodel Kathy Ireland. The 110,000-ton, 2,794-passenger megaship, which was delivered to Carnival Cruise Lines on Feb. 28 by Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri, is the 22nd vessel in the Carnival fleet. The Freedom departed Feb. 5 on its maiden voyage, a nine-day Mediterranean cruise. The ship will offer 12-day cruises in the Mediterranean and Greek isles through October and will begin a Caribbean program from Miami on Nov. 17.

Don't Swear in the Airport

A PhD student has filed a first amendment lawsuit after she was charged with disorderly conduct at John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

Why was she charged? She was saying goodbye to a friend at the airport and, in the course of that goodbye, swore rather loudly. A sheriff's deputy asked her to keep her swearing to a minimum because there were children around. The swearer replied, "Is it against the [bleeping] law to say [bleep]?" ("bleeps" added by NY Times, not me). Said the deputy, "yes it is," then cited her for disorderly conduct.

An expert quoted in the story said that charges against her will likely be dropped. Damn.

New Disney Ships

DISNEY CRUISE LINE will more than double its capacity with the order of two megaships from German shipbuilder Meyer Werft. The line signed a letter of intent with the yard to build two 122,000-ton ships with expected deliveries in 2011 and 2012. The vessels would be two decks taller than the company's existing 83,000-ton ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. The new builds, like the existing ships, would be designed for family cruising, with a look that is a "modern interpretation of classic ocean liners of the 1930s," Disney Cruise Line said. The additional tonnage would allow Disney to expand its itineraries, which currently consist of predominately Caribbean sailings and some highly successful summer sojourns to the West Coast and the Mediterranean.

http://www.InterlineRates.com has new Disney Interline Cruise Rates. Call for details - (800) 298 8666

3 Night Bahamas from $379*
4 Night Bahamas from $459*
7 Night Caribbean from $629*
14 Night Trans-Atlantic from $599*
11 Night Mediterranean from $699*

Windstar Sold

CARNIVAL CORP. will sell its Windstar Cruises brand to Ambassadors International for $100 million. Seattle-based Windstar Cruises is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Holland America Line, a unit of Carnival Corp., and it operates three sailing vessels with a total lower-berth capacity of 772. Carnival CEO Micky Arison praised the Windstar product but said that it did not fit into the company's future growth strategy, which is now focused on expanding "core growth brands and opening new markets." The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2007.

13 dots spook fliers

13 dots spook superstitious fliers

Brussels Airlines recently found itself in some unexpected turbluence when superstitious passengers complained about its spiffing logo.

The airline's stylised 'b' ruffled a few feathers since it comprised 13 dots.

The company said it was "taken aback by the strength of feeling", the BBC reports. Spokesman Geert Sciot admitted: "They [passengers] said they were not pleased with an aircraft with a logo with 13 balls because they think it brings them bad luck. We are never surprised by reactions - but that it was that bad? It really took us aback."

Accordingly, Brussels Airlines has now added a fourteenth dot to its b, as you can see. Expect favourable flying weather for the foreseeable future. ®

Majesty Refurbished

THE MAJESTY OF THE SEAS reentered service this week following a refurbishment during a drydock in the Bahamas. The Royal Caribbean International ship will resume its year-round, three- and four-day schedule of Bahamas cruises from Miami. During the 28-day drydock the ship received several new dining and entertainment options, and overhauls were done on cabins, the Majesty Day Spa and ShipShape Fitness Center, conference rooms, the pool deck, the theater, the casino and the Adventure Ocean youth area, which has a new, teen-focused nightclub and lounge. The Majesty, constructed in 1992, is the third ship in the Sovereign class to be refurbished; the Monarch of the Seas was refurbished in 2003 and the Sovereign of the Seas in 2004.

Carnival Triumph Postponed

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES said it would postpone sending the Carnival Triumph to New Orleans in August to operate weekly, year-round cruises there. Carnival CEO Bob Dickinson said that "lingering misconceptions by the vacationing public as to the recovery of New Orleans' tourism infrastructure... has necessitated a reevaluation of our timeline for adding a second ship to that port." The Triumph will instead stay in Miami at least through April 2008, Carnival said, and offer week-long Caribbean itineraries that Dickinson said have "received a tremendous amount of enthusiasm from consumers and travel agents." Carnival reintroduced its cruise program from New Orleans in October with the launch of four- and five-day cruises on the Fantasy, and it had planned to make the Triumph the only year-round ship sailing out of New Orleans beginning in late August.

AIDA Cruises Add New Ship

AIDA CRUISES will call the second of four vessels it has on order the AidaBella. Currently being built by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft at a cost of about $409 million, the 68,500-ton ship is scheduled to enter service in spring 2008. Its sister ship, the AidaDiva, will be the first of the four newbuilds to enter service when it is inaugurated in Hamburg, Germany, on April 20. Aida Cruises is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp. and currently has a fleet of four ships: the AidaCara, AidaVita, AidaAura and AidaBlu.

Norwegian Pearl

I just got back from the Norwegian Pearl on a 9 nt Caribbean Cruise, and what a fantastic trip we had.

We visited the ports of Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua and Tortola. We went with a group of Airline Friends & Family. I ate, I bowled & I partied. The restaurants were great and the spa relaxing! The staff, one of the very best I've experienced.

I am not sure where to begin. You just have to see it for yourself.
Given a chance, you should check out this ship. There is an inexpensive Pacific Coastal Cruise on this ship, May 6. 5 nts from Los Angeles to Vancouver BC starting at $229.

Interline Cruise Specials at InterlineRates.com (make sure you qualify b4 booking)

Well Did She or Didn't She?

The Qantas stewardess who claimed she rejected an amorous Ralph Fiennes on a flight to India has admitted having sex with him in an aircraft lavatory.

Lisa Robertson told friends she was a big fan of the British actor and found herself luring him to the cubicle.

But they apparently shared more than a 15-minute fling at 35,000ft. Interline Story

One Day Cruise Sale

InterlineRates.com has a Valentine's Day Sale you wouldn't want to miss.

Just for the day, you can book a cruise on Carnival, Holland America, Princess and NCl and receive additional discounts. Here's the catch, it must be booked online & by midnite February 14, 2007. Make sure you qualify for interline pricing (airline employment verification required) otherwise, you could be shocked when the price adjust.

Fired for having Sex with Actor

A Qantas flight attendant may be fired for having an alleged sexual encounter with Ralph Fiennes in a first class bathroom while she was working. The flight attendant disputes the charge, saying she went to the bathroom after having a conversation with Fiennes and that he followed her in. The odd (well, another odd) part of this is that Fiennes was on his way to India to promote safe sex practices. Perhaps he was practicing. Interline Story

Man Held After Security Strip

A German man who was so angered by airport security in the Philippines that he took off his trousers has been arrested for lasciviousness.

Hans Jurgen Oskar von Naguschewski, 66, performed the impromptu strip after being asked to go through the X-ray machine twice at Manila airport.

Instead of boarding his flight to Frankfurt, he was detained by police and is due in court on Monday. He could face a sentence of between six months and six years in jail.

We all feel kind of vialated when going through security sometimes. I guess this will stop me from wanting to do the same thing. Full Interline Story

Last Minute Costa Cruise

Costa Cruises is trying to fill their ships on Feb 4 2007. Two Caribbean Sailing from Ft. Lauderdale, one to Eastern and the other Western.

Inside from $299. Price is also good for friends & family. For details contact http://www.InterlineRates.com at 800.298.8688

New passport requirements

New passport requirements in effect today
Effective Jan. 23, 2007, all passengers traveling by air to or from the U.S must hold a valid passport. This new requirement applies to everyone, including U.S. citizens traveling to and from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.

But if you are driving or Cruising you have until 2008, but why wait til the last minute. GET IT NOW !

Disney Cruise from California

DISNEY CRUISE LINE is sending the Disney Magic back to Los Angeles during the summer of 2008 to operate eight-day Mexican Riviera sailings. The ship ran a similar itinerary from Los Angeles during the summer of 2005 for six weeks in a tie-in with Disneyland's 50th anniversary, and according to Disney Cruise Line President Tom McAlpin, "the guest reaction to the itinerary was tremendous." Beginning on May 25, 2008, the Magic is scheduled to sail 12 eight-day cruises from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. The ship will spend this summer sailing 11- and 12-day Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona. Interline rates available from http://www.InterlineRates.com

BA Flight Crew Strikes

The union confirmed yesterday that it called on its BA flight attendant members to conduct a three-day strike Jan. 29-31. It also warned of two additional three-day stoppages starting Feb. 5 and Feb. 12 unless there is a deal. About 11,000 of BA's 14,000 cabin crew are T&G members.

UAL Miles Expires

United Airlines revised its frequent flyer program policies over the weekend so miles now expire after 18 months. Worse, this is retroactive to July 1, 2006.

CAL Pilot Dies Mid Flight

The pilot of a Continental Airlines flight became ill after takeoff and was later pronounced dead after the plane made an emergency landing, a company spokeswoman said.

The 210 passengers on Saturday's flight, which departed from Houston, were never in danger and the co-pilot landed the plane safely, Continental spokeswoman Macky Osorio said.

The airline said only that the pilot suffered a "serious medical problem." Continental believes the pilot died of natural causes, Osorio said. The pilot's name was not released.

The flight, bound for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, took off from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport and was diverted to McAllen-Miller International Airport. The flight continued to Mexico with a new crew, Osorio said.

Airbus CEO Dropped Pants

Airbus' CEO dropped his pants in front of US Airways' former chairman Stephen Wolf to help seal an aircraft deal.

Jean Pierson, the colorful Frenchman who built Airbus into Boeing Co.'s (BA.N: Quote, Profile , Research) biggest competitor, dropped his trousers to seal a key U.S. plane order in 1997, according to a book to be published on Tuesday.

Delta & Northwest Talks?

Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines are in talks on a possible link-up, according to a newspaper report on Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal, which cited sources "familiar with the matter", said representatives of the two carriers, which are numbers 3 and 5 in the United States respectively, have met regularly for weeks discussing a possible link-up after they both emerge from bankruptcy.

NWA files reorganization plans

By JOSHUA FREED AP Business Writer

MINNEAPOLIS Jan 12, 2007 (AP)— Northwest Airlines Corp. has filed a bankruptcy reorganization plan that is 66 pages long, but short on details about what the airline will look like once it finishes its layover in Chapter 11.

The plan filed on Friday was silent on the largest question surrounding Northwest right now: Whether it will merge with another carrier.