Expedia and AA Back in Bed

A memorandum of understanding was signed between AA and Expedia, allowing the ailing airline to get back on Expedia owned channel's.

American Airlines listings are back on Expedia and Hotwire.


As predicted, neither can survive without the other. I'll continue with my prediction that by June AA will strike a deal to get back on Orbitz. Take a look at how their stock has slide since their first confrontation with TravelPort. November was the initial salvo, then early January was the effective pull back from Expedia/Sabre. The markets seemed to award this disruption in distribution, but over time, as the numbers softened so did the stock valuation.

WN/Air Tran Deal

I love to hear the so-called business pundits from national news sources report on the outcomes of the potential merger. The best I heard was a 20 something reporter who stated that if the merger goes through, the combined airline would have the largest lift out of ATL, but better yet that the average fare would drop by $200. When will it be discovered that WN is NOT a LCC?

Have the Airlines Done a True Cost Analysis?

I have posed this questions to a few contemporaries without much response. My question is, have the airlines really done a full-loaded cost/income analysis on the concept of charging fees for bags? They certainly have spent a good bit of time, pounding their chests at quarters end when they tell investors how much income these fees have earned, but have they look at the non-direct costs? I have status with most of the carriers, and so when I do check a bag in, it's at no cost to me.

As a heavy-frequent traveler, I can attest the following;
1) It now takes a lot longer to board a plane than it used to. Most leisure travelers are busy cramming their "carry-ons" into the overhead bins because this is free, which results in 20-40 mins to now board a plane. How much does it cost to keep an 100MM aircraft on the ground for an extra 20 mins per cycle? Now multiply that by the number of cycle each aircraft does per day, multiplied by the fleet number. Would this extra ground stoppage be there if people didnt' have to pay for bags? Does the actual cost to haul the bags change? Do they think fuel efficiency increases because the bags are stored in the overhead bin rather than the hold below?

2) Customer dissatisfaction. There is something to be said for pissing people off, and each new fee ingrates more annoyance than before. It really isn't pleasant to fly anymore, a lot of this has to do with the needed additional security. But anything to further exacerbate the process seems self defeating. Are the mega-rollup airlines immune to care of customers? Have they become so callous that true customer service is not so important, as a result of so few brand choices now?

This a nice sunset from my tripod deer hunting

A great cold day deer hunting in (ironically enough) Putnam county Oklahoma. Today is the next to last day of the season for Oklahoma

in reference to: MobileMe Gallery - Sunrise in OK (view on Google Sidewiki)

How Hotels Can Skew Trip Advisor Results

Here is a nifty strategy that allows leverage to trip advisor ratings for hoteliers.
I checked out of this hotel Tues and they gave me a comment card to fill out while they were checking me out. It was fairly short, but asked for my email.
The result is below. So what it appears these sneaky little operators do is; they cherry-pick the good comments and send out this email that ask you to add comments to trip-advisor and conveniently supply you with the trip advisor link to their hotel. This should positively skew their results.

_____________________________________________________________________


Dear Mr. James,

Greeting from XXXX Hotel!

Thank you for your feedback with regard to your stay at the XXXX Hotel.

We are so happy you had a positive experience with us at the Hotel. The concerns mentioned in your guest comment have been taken up with the department for due correction and improvement.

Your appreciation to the concerned staff has been duly conveyed.

We would be grateful to you if you have time to post this feedback at the Trip Advisor site. Please find below the link for the same.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Search?q=XXXXXX(intentionally masked)%2C+Dubai&sub-search=Go

We look forward to seeing you again soon here at Flora Grand Hotel.

Thank you,

Warm Regards,


XXXX Hotel

Dubai, U.A.E.






Caribbean Suffers From Drop in US Arrivals

According to a report in the U.S.A. Today arrivals to the Caribbean from it's largest market is down, "

Americans who flocked to the islands in record numbers until recently are finding new destinations or staying home, leading to declines of more than 10% this year in islands including Jamaica, St. Lucia and Grenada.

Governments have aimed marketing pitches at Canada and Europe to compensate for slippage in the American market, which accounts for about 60% of the region's vital tourism business.

"The trickle-down effect is huge," said Richard Kahn, a spokesman for the Caribbean Tourism Organization. "In the long run, this could mean the loss of jobs throughout the Caribbean."

A new passport rule has discouraged some travelers. Americans returning by air from the Caribbean were required to present the document beginning earlier this year, although the U.S. is temporarily accepting proof of application because of a backlog."

Is this the beginning of the much ballyhooed American international tourism as a result of the new passport requirements? Or is it just sign of indifference to the extra hassle involved with vacation travel?

10Best Travel Guides: Best Travel Guides,

10Best Travel Guides: Best Travel Guides, Discount Hotels - Vacation Packages, Cruise Packages

This is a great site to help you plan your travel. City specific info on restaraunts, night-life and events and breaks down to sub-categories such as Tex-Mex or Italian food. The best part is that there is a balance between what the editors say, and also reviews from consumers.

Interesting, Relevant Travel Information

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