Sir, I find it intensely humiliating to be asked by airport security staff if I have packed my own bag. This forces one to admit, usually within earshot of others, that I no longer have a manservant to do the chore for me. Gentlemen should be able to answer such questions with a disdainful: "Of course not! Do I look like that sort of person?"

The Best Travel Gadgets of 2009

USA Today - November 6, 2009
American's flight attendants to hold mock strike
FORT WORTH (AP) — Flight attendants at American Airlines say they will hold mock strikes around the country this month and could seek permission for real strikes early next year.

msnbc - November 5, 2009
Pair arrested in thefts of bags at airport
Clothing from nearly 1,000 stolen bags took up entire rooms at the couple's home in Waddell, where police served a search warrant Tuesday. Police also uncovered about 25 guns at the residence, although it was unclear if the weapons were stolen from the luggage, said Sgt. Giogi Chiampo.

Reuters - November 4, 2009
WestJet's loads up in October, Air Canada's slip
CALGARY, Alberta, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Traffic numbers at Canada's major airlines flew in opposite directions last month, with WestJet Airlines Ltd (WJA.TO) boosting its percentage of seats filled and Air Canada (ACa.TO) reporting a slight drop.

Airport Business - October 30, 2009
Airport liquids ban to be in force until 2011
The ban on air passengers carrying liquids in their hand luggage is unlikely to be lifted for at least another 18 months and possibly considerably later, according to aviation security experts.

USA Today - October 30, 2009
Average airfare fell in 2nd quarter nearly to '98 levels
The average domestic fare in the second quarter was nearly identical to ticket prices during that period in 1998, according to statistics released Wednesday.

USA Today - October 30, 2009
Reeling Mexico hopes travel deals bring back the tourists
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — During a visit to San Diego in April, Pratik and Priti Chavda thought they'd slip over the border into Tijuana just to do a little shopping, have a quick meal and say they had made it to Mexico. But upon hearing the plan, staffers at their hotel sounded the alarm.

Telegraph - October 30, 2009
British Air Passenger Duty: What you can do to scrap travel tax
Increases in Air Passenger Duty take effect on November 1. Charles Starmer-Smith reports on the likely impact it will have on travel and outlines why Britons must oppose it.

TravelDailyNews.com - October 30, 2009
U.S. Online Travel Market to decline in 2009
The U.S. online leisure/unmanaged business travel market is significantly outperforming every other distribution channel in 2009, according to travel industry research authority, PhoCusWright Inc., in its soon-to-be-released report, PhoCusWright's U.S. Online Travel Overview Ninth Edition.

Reuters - October 29, 2009
Air travel, freight improving but fragile -IATA
GENEVA, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Airline passenger demand ticked up slightly in September but freight demand continued to fall, the International Air Transport Association said on Thursday.

USA Today - October 29, 2009
US Airways cutting 1,000 jobs, reducing flying
Struggling US Airways said Wednesday it will cut some 1,000 jobs next year, shift nearly all of its flying to its three hubs and Washington, and suspend several international routes.

USA Today - October 26, 2009
Rethinking Flight Safety With Air Bags In Planes
There was a time — maybe 25 years ago — when the idea of putting air bags in planes would have been seen as pointless. For decades, aviation safety focused mainly on avoiding accidents on the theory that if a crash occurred, nobody could survive anyway.

- Delta reports $161 million 3Q loss
- JetBlue makes money in 3Q on lower costs
- US Airways posts 3Q loss, says economy improving

msnbc - October 23, 2009
Mom gives birth on airplane over Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A Malaysian woman who gave premature birth to a boy on board an airplane minutes before it landed will get free flights for life along with her child, an airline official said Friday.

Reuters - October 23, 2009
Air fare hike shows new pricing power
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Major U.S. airlines have launched a $10 round-trip domestic fare increase, marking the fifth industrywide fare hike in 2009 and possibly signaling new pricing power for airlines as they claw their way out of an economic downturn.

USA Today - October 23, 2009
Minneapolis-bound flight overshoots airport by 150 miles
WASHINGTON (AP) — Controllers on the ground, pilots of other planes, even a flight attendant back in the cabin tried to alert the crew as the U.S. passenger airliner flew past Minneapolis at 37,000 feet (11,000 meters). Worried about who was actually at the controls, officials asked the pilots to prove who they were by executing turns after they finally were contacted.

Reuters - October 22, 2009
Mexico airport operator Asur's net drops 27 pct
MEXICO CITY, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Mexican airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste posted a 27 percent year-on- year drop in net profit in the third quarter, as the H1N1 flu outbreak and economic slump led fewer people to travel.

UK Mail On-Line - October 20, 2009
Mexico set to open the world's largest underwater museum in Cancun
Visitors to Cancun will have to don snorkel gear if they want to check out its latest museum.

Economist - October 18, 2009
Capacity cuts hit home
DON'T SAY we didn't warn you. Back in June, Gulliver warned of impending capacity cuts. Last month, Gulliver told you they had arrived. Now they're taking big wads of money out of people's wallets everywhere you look.

TravelDailyNews.com - October 13, 2009
USA; International visitation down six percent in July 2009 spending
The U.S. Department of Commerce announces that 5.1 million international visitors traveled to the United States in July 2009, a decrease of six percent compared to July 2008.

TravelDailyNews.com - October 13, 2009
DOT warns airlines on improperly limiting reimbursements for mishandled baggage
Airlines may not arbitrarily limit compensation for passengers who purchase necessities because their baggage is lost or delayed, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) said in a notice.

TravelDailyNews.com - October 13, 2009
Global airline capacity up 1.04% but growth slowing reports OAG
Global airline capacity for October 2009 is showing positive growth of 1.04% compared to October 2008, down slightly from September’s growth of 1.4%, reports OAG, the world’s leading aviation data business, as it releases its monthly report on trends in the supply of airline flights and seats.

USA-Today - October 12, 2009
Non-radar air-traffic system debuts
Airline flights are being closely tracked and directed without radar for the first time in the nation's history as part of a new system monitoring the skies above the Colorado Rockies.

CNN.com - October 12, 2009
Bright spot for fliers: Holiday fares lower than last year
Domestic holiday fares last week were running up to 15 percent lower than last year, according to Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, a consumer airline ticket research Web site.

Aviation Today - October 12, 2009
Cancun's International Airport Adds a 2nd Runway
CANCUN, Quintana Roo, Mexico, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 10th the Cancun Airport will unveil its $67 million dollar investment, a Second-Runway infrastructure project including the construction of an additional runway, entirely new control tower and taxiway bridge. The airport's capacity will increase to be able to serve some 28 million passengers per year.

msn - October 6, 2009
BA will slash 1,700 cabin crew jobs
British Airways has announced it is to cut 1,700 cabin crew jobs and freeze pay as it continues to slash costs, warning of mounting losses if action is not taken.

TravelDailyNews.com - October 2, 2009
UK holidaymakers hoard nearly £1billion in forgotten currency
UK holidaymakers could be sitting on a pot of cash of over £800 million in forgotten foreign currency, the equivalent of over 350,000 return flights to New York or 1.5 million family holidays to Spain. According to a study, each UK traveller has on average the equivalent of more than £40 in unspent holiday money left over from previous trips.

USA-Today - October 1, 2009
Passenger rights debate on glide path to Congress
You may not have read much about airline passenger rights recently, but there's little doubt the topic will be garnering more attention. Despite its busy legislative calendar, Congress may soon end years of debate by making an Airline Passenger Bill of Rights into law.

USA-Today - October 1, 2009
TSA to expand use of body scanners
WASHINGTON — The Transportation Security Administration plans to install 150 security machines at airport checkpoints that enable screeners to see under passengers' clothes.

USA-Today - September 25, 2009
Fees fatten airline revenue by $3.8 billion
U.S. airlines are raking in more money this year from extra fees, although fewer people are flying.

msnbc - September 25, 2009
Airlines add $10 surcharge over the holidays
MINNEAPOLIS - American and United airlines this week have added $10 surcharges for most of their tickets for travel on three busy days around Thanksgiving and New Year's holidays.

msnbc - September 23, 2009
Pet-friendly airlines instituting insurance guidelines for carriers
Eight of America’s pet-friendly airlines today announced the launch of a new travel program that will put an end to the ongoing problem of travelers and their pets being bumped from flights because the pet carrier does not meet the airline requirements.

Airport Business - September 21, 2009
Flight Ban On Liquids To Be Lifted.... But Not At All Airports
AIR passengers face two years of confusion over how much liquid they can carry in hand luggage.

USA-Today - September 20, 2009
Reader to Hyatt Hotels: "Shame on you" for outsourcing housekeepers
Few of the comments received this weekend about Hyatt Hotels' decision to fire about 100 of its housekeepers at three Boston-area hotels and replace them with outsourced workers expressed empathy for hotel operator. In fact, some readers say they won't stay at Hyatts again because of the move.

Economist - September 19, 2009
How annoying is this?
YOU WON'T believe this one. On a recent flight from Denver to Tucson, Joe Sharkey, the New York Times' "On the Road" columnist, was told that "according to FAA regulations," no one on the plane could place anything in the seat-back pockets.

Reuters - September 18, 2009
U.S. airlines to fare better than global carriers
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. airlines are expected to fare better than most of their foreign counterparts this year because they are trimming unprofitable routes and beefing up balance sheets as the economy begins to rebound.

CNN Travel - September 18, 2009
Stricter punishments for passengers behaving badly
(CNN) -- On a recent Southwest Airlines flight, a man dropped his pants and exposed himself to the female passenger sitting next to him, then punched her, according to an FBI affidavit. The plane was in midair, and the naked man reportedly grew angrier, screaming uncontrollably and shaking his fist in the air.

TravelDailyNews.com - September 14, 2009
U.S. Senate passes ‘Travel Promotion Act’
The U.S. Senate passed S. 1023, the "Travel Promotion Act," with strong bipartisan support, 79 to 19.

Economist - September 14, 2009
Three minutes too late to rent
BE VERY careful if you arrange to pick up a hire car in the evening: arrive even the tiniest bit late and you could get a nasty shock.

Economist - September 4, 2009
Occupancy rates aren't what they were
In Mexico City, more than half of all hotel rooms lie empty. Rio is one of only six cities where hotels are busier. The occupancy rate there has risen to 65%, just above the global average of 63%.

USA-Today - September 4, 2009
As rental car fleets shrink, rates they charge drivers are rising
Rental car rates are climbing, despite sluggish demand resulting from fewer people traveling.

Reuters - September 4, 2009
American Air, FAA dispute may escalate: report
(Reuters) - AMR Corp's American Airlines faces an increasing dispute with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulators over allegedly improper repairs to at least 16 aircraft, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

TravelDailyNews.com - September 4, 2009
Vacation more important than education say 66% of Skyscanner users
Going on holiday has been voted more important than getting educated in a recent poll on travel search site Skyscanner.

USA-Today - September 4, 2009
Mexican tourism mostly dodges Hurricane Jimena
The popular Mexican resort of Los Cabos got a big breather this week, as Hurricane Jimena roared by without causing any significant damage to the southern Baja California towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.

Airport Business - September 3, 2009
Airlines make cuts to survive economic slump
American Airlines is cutting 921 flight attendant jobs and Southwest will temporarily halt non-stop flights on three routes early next year in the latest examples of airlines trying to cope with a steep drop in air travel.

USA Today - September 3, 2009
Hawaiian Airlines latest to charge for first checked bag
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaiian Airlines says it will join its competitors in charging a fee for the first checked bag on interisland flights.

msnbc - September 2, 2009
Mexico lifts ban on using cell phones on planes
MEXICO CITY - Hola from the skies! Mexico no longer bans chatting on cell phones during flights.

Reuters - September 2, 2009
Hurricane Jimena batters western Mexico
SAN CARLOS, Mexico, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Hurricane Jimena smashed flimsy buildings, bent trees and tore fishing boats from their moorings as it collided with Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Wednesday.

Economist - September 1, 2009
Legislation and in-flight phone calls
WHILE finding the idea of a plane full of mobile-phone conversations as noxious as the next person, Gulliver is not convinced that it is government’s role to legislate against it. Peter DeFazio, a Democrat Congressman, believes otherwise, though. He wants to stop passengers on American airlines from talking into their mobile phones, as is now permitted in the European Union, and the legislation he authored recently passed through the House of Representatives.

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