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 !