How to Prevent Luggage Loss
Losing luggage is, as it seems, is an  inseparable part of air travel. Approximately 1% of bags that are checked in at airports worldwide get lost every year.  Nevertheless, airlines are not eager to publicize how much baggage they lost. There are several ways how to avoid or at least minimize the possible loss. First, a traveler should prefer direct flights. It is also advisable to remove all the old airline stickers from the luggage. Travelers should not check their luggage at the last minute and they also should make sure that the handler attached the correct destination sticker on every bag. The luggage should be easily distinguishable from all the other black suits so if it gets lost the search would be easier. Valuables should naturally be carried in a hand luggage. Last but not least there is the insurance. For example some 33% of Australian travelers do not insure their bags because they believe nothing can happen or because they simply do not know how to insure their luggage.
There are also companies that offer services that should prevent baggage loss or make its finding easier. TRACE ME provides extremely durable tags. If the luggage gets lost the authorized baggage handler who finds it can easily, using the unique code from the tag, notify TRACE ME server via the internet. The server than generates automatic message to the owner of the bag. It is safer than putting one’s name all over their luggage.
Other method that prevents loosing a traveler’s baggage and also makes traveling much more convenient is sending the luggage forward.  There are the services like Luggage Forward and Luggage Free. Some travelers are using Postal Service, FedEx Corp. or UPS Inc to get their belongings where they need them.

BRIEFLY:
As the peak travel season is getting closer, we would like to remind our clients of the need to leave ample time to check in at the Airport.
Majority of airlines have their ticket counter open 4 hours prior to departure. In order to avoid disappointment we would suggest that Customers check-in a minimum of 3 hours prior to departure.

LET THE CHATTER BEGIN!
EU approves use of mobile phones on European flights
European Union regulators have opened the way for air travellers to use their cellphones on flights throughout the continent. The EU says its new regulations will set a common Europe-wide standard by which passengers can safely use their mobile phones to talk, text or send e-mails on aircraft. Airlines can now launch onboard mobile services later this year. Here’s a Q&A on how it will work…
Q. How does the technology work?
A. Users of cell phones and other wireless devices using the European GSM technology with roaming capability will be able to make and receive calls, routed through a base station on the plane. The onboard network uses small masts that force all mobile phones to connect to its network, avoiding interference with the plane's navigation system. The onboard network covers the entire plane and sends calls through a satellite to networks on the ground. The same satellite link is already used by the captain and flight crew for communications.
Q. How much will it cost to make an onboard call?
A. Users will be charged by their existing phone companies according to rates set by providers, airlines and network operators. European officials have warned consumers to expect higher fees because of the cost of setting up the onboard networks. Vivianne Reding, the EU's telecommunications commissioner, also warned operators to keep the cost of calls made on aircraft to a reasonable level.
Q. What about safety?
A. European regulators and the airline industry say new technology developed and tested in recent years has made it safe for passengers to use cell phones during flight, but only when the plane climbs above 10,000 feet, or 3,000 metres. That's when other electronic devices, such as portable music players and laptops, are allowed. They say the new onboard cell network does not interfere with communication or navigation systems. Cell phones will not be allowed during takeoff or landing and can be shut off by the captain during turbulence or any other time. There are no plans to lift the ban on US carriers.
Q. What about flights leaving or coming to Europe?
A. It is not yet clear whether airlines will turn off the service once they leave European airspace. When a flight originating in Europe enters international airspace, it's governed by the rules of the country where the airline is registered. Cell phone service could be shut down before a plane enters the airspace of another country.
Q. What about a code of conduct on the use of cell phones onboard?
A. The European Union is recommending that airlines draft etiquette guidelines to control or limit the use of cell phones during flights to avoid in-flight flare-ups between closely confined passengers. For example, airlines could recommend passengers switch their phones to silent mode or limit services to the quieter options of text-messaging or e-mail. Airlines could also ban calls during night flights


FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
WEIGHT WATCHERS: Innovative weight reduction by airlines saves fuel costs   

As jet fuel prices skyrocket, airlines are looking for ways reduce costs by cutting weight and they’ve found some inventive solutions. They’ve removed ovens, taken out magazine racks and trash compactors, and discarded paper manuals in the cockpit - installing electronic maintenance logbooks instead. Last year American Airlines replaced its silverware on business and first class with another set made from a lighter metal.
American tried to cut weight in places that customers wouldn't notice, capping electrical outlets in the washrooms and cutting the power converters from the wall. It took out phones in seat backs and removed the heavy telephone wiring that was inside.
Manufacturers also are using lighter materials in plane construction and no surplus weight is safe, from redundant wing lights to extra wires in the walls. Fuel has outpaced labour as the biggest airline expense. As of September 2007, fuel made up 27% of operating expenses for American carriers, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. US Airways saved $1.7 million a year in fuel costs by replacing meal carts with ones that weigh 12 pounds less - a significant difference when there are six to 35 carts per aircraft depending on size. Last month the ‘lightening’ continued when glassware was banished on domestic flights.
US Airways officials wondered if replacing glass with plastic would bother passengers. The airline will, however, will keep glasses for its premium Envoy class service on trans-Atlantic flights.
JetBlue removed extra trash bins, flight kits, supplies and seats.  That combination lightened its aircraft by over a thousand pounds – a  weight loss that will save the carrier roughly US$16,000 on a three-hour flight.
Many airlines are also trying to fly differently to be more fuel efficient. They carry less water and don’t fill the gas tank if the plane doesn't need it to make the trip. Planes are plugged into ground power as soon as they get to the gates. 
Southwest Airlines cut fuel costs simply by flying more direct routes. Their planes have been equipped with life vests over the past two years, allowing pilots to fly over bodies of water rather than around them resulting in saved mileage. Despite their fuel saving efficiencies, as fuel prices continue to rise, carriers are cutting schedules and packing customers into fewer flights.
John Heimlich, chief economist for the Air Transport Association of America, an industry trade group said, "The place to cut now is simply the quantity of service: The number of flights, the number of seats," he said. "In other words, the only thing left to cut is the amount of supply itself."
However he also noted that “the pressure is immense to cut weight. Every penny more per gallon adds $195 million to the industry's expenses per year”.


NEW ROUTES, NEW SERVICES

AC LAUNCHES TRAVEL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Customers experiencing unexpected delays can get hotel nights & meals when choosing optional ‘On My Way’ program
 Air Canada now offers a comprehensive travel assistance service for customers affected by flight delays or travel disruptions beyond the control of airlines.
The new service, called "On My Way," provides customers with speedy phone access to specially trained Air Canada customer service agents who will provide travel and accommodation solutions for customers whose plans have been disrupted by factors such as adverse weather conditions or airport and air traffic delays. Not only will Air Canada find alternate flights on Air Canada or other airlines but, if required, the airline will provide complimentary hotel accommodations and meals.
Air Canada's 'On My Way' optional assistance service will cost $25 for short-haul flights (up to 1609 km / 1000 miles) or $35 for long haul flights (1610 or more km / 1001 miles), each way ($CAD or $USD).
The carrier's branded fares that allow customers to customize their travel experience from a menu of à-la-carte options have been expanded to include this new travel assistance service. "On My Way" travel assistance is available for all Air Canada and Jazz-operated flights within Canada as well as to and from the United States (including Hawaii and Alaska). Further details are available at aircanada.com/onmyway.
Air Canada customers who opt for "On My Way" travel assistance will receive dedicated phone access around-the-clock to specially trained Air Canada customer service agents who will, in the event of a flight disruption at any time within 48 hours of scheduled departure: rebook the customer on the first available flight on Air Canada, Jazz or another airline, arrange complimentary hotel accommodations, car rental or other ground transportation, and provide for complimentary meals.
In addition, Air Canada will send automatic flight information updates by SMS text and email that include terminal, gate and connecting flight details

Zooming to Rome from Toronto and Montreal
Zoom Airlines is expanding its network with the launch of service to Rome, Italy from Toronto on May 3 and Montreal on May 6. With the addition of Rome, Zoom Airlines now services seven European gateways non-stop from Toronto and three from Montreal. “The addition of Rome to our flight offerings gives Zoom a nice European balance,” says Kris Dolinki, chief executive officer. “Plus, with Zoom’s flexible ticketing, it makes for a great holiday, allowing customers to fly into one great European destination, like Rome, and home from another without additional fees or charges.” Zoom will operate twice weekly flights from Toronto to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. Weekly service will be available from Montreal. Introductory prices start from $249 one way. (www.flyzoom.com)

Star Alliance adds Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines has become the 20th Star Alliance member airline. With the addition of Turkish Airlines as a member carrier, Star Alliance adds a further 31 destinations – mainly in Turkey, Central Asia and the Middle East – to its network. In all, Star Alliance offers its passengers a choice of 18,000 daily flights serving 965 airports in 162 countries. Jaan Albrecht, Star Alliance CEO, commeneted: “With Turkish Airlines we have gained a new member carrier with a strong home market which is also one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Moreover, we can now offer the Star Alliance benefits to a large number of new travellers, while at the same time simplifying travel for our existing customers to many of the new emerging markets in Central Asia and the Middle East.”
The carrier is already one of the fastest growing airlines in Europe, with passenger traffic growth of 23.5 per cent according to the Association of European Airlines and holds a strategic position between Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

EMIRATES TAKES DELIVERY OF A380
The New A380 arrives to Emirates; will be used on flights later this year
Emirates' brand new A380 has arrived! The plane will be ready to fly the skies on long-haul Emirates routes later this year. Emirates is the world's largest A380 customers with 58 of the double-decker aircrafts on order. For the Toronto-Dubai route, launched late last year, Emirates offers 3 flights a week from Pearson International Airport

Northwest Matches $25 Charge for Second Bag
Northwest Airlines has matched United, Delta and US Airways in charging coach-class passengers traveling within North America $25 for a second checked bag. The Northwest policy goes into effect on May 5.

PLACES TO STAY:

Celebrate 105 with the King Eddy
To mark its 105th anniversary, Le Méridien King Edward has introduced a special anniversary offer. Back in 1903, guests staying at the King Eddy paid a room rate of just $1.05. Now every Sunday until August 31, 2008, the opportunity presents itself again; this time for a guestroom with a bath! Equivalent to one penny for each year the hotel has been open, a $1.05 Sunday rate at Le Méridien King Edward is a great way to end a weekend in Toronto. The offer is valid for guests checking in on a Friday and staying for a mandatory three-night consecutive stay. For more information on this anniversary offer, call 1-800-543-4300 or e-mail toronto.reservations@lemeridien.com. On the web, go to www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien/kingedward .

Westin Ottawa earns kudos
The Westin Ottawa is celebrating these days as it recently received the AAA/CAA Four Diamond rating for the year 2008. It marks the 25th consecutive win of the Four Diamond Award as awarded by the CAA/AAA for the hotel. The Westin joins a select group of AAA/CAA Four Diamond Award winners. Just 3.6 per cent of the more than 32,000 AAA Rated lodgings and 2.7 per cent of the nearly 28,000 AAA Rated restaurants were awarded the prestigious AAA Four Diamond designation for 2008. For more, a complete Four Diamond Award lists and other information is available at www.AAA.com/Diamonds .

Halifax Stanfield celebrates
Halifax Stanfield International Airport (HSIA) is celebrating its latest customer service achievement. HSIA has been ranked the world's best airport for overall passenger satisfaction in the under five million passenger category for the fifth straight year, based on passenger surveys conducted for Airports Council International (ACI). In all, HSIA earned three first-place rankings and one second place finish for 2007. Halifax Stanfield ranked first in overall passenger satisfaction for airports worldwide with under five million passengers (HSIA welcomed a record 3,469,062 passengers in 2007); first in the best domestic airport worldwide category; and first once again in the Americas in the category of Airport People Awards. (This regional award recognizes those airports that have cultivated a strong customer service culture among their staff and business partners and have been rated by passengers as having the most courteous and helpful airport, airline and security staff). HSIA was second for overall satisfaction in the Americas. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas was first. Congratulations HSIA.

Crowne Plaza opening in Niagara Falls
InterContinental Hotels reports that the historic Brock Plaza in Niagara Falls will join the Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts portfolio and open later this month following an extensive renovation. Located directly across from Niagara Falls, the Crowne Plaza Fallsview hotel is connected to Casino Niagara and offers meeting space accommodating up to 800 guests. (www.crowneplaza.com)

Radisson expands western presence with first Edmonton hotel
Radisson has expanded its presence in western Canada with the opening of its newest hotel, the 235-room Radisson Hotel Edmonton South. Located on Edmonton’s popular South Side, about 15 minutes from the airport, the hotel is currently undergoing a $5.3 million renovation. Already finished is a complete refurbishing of all guest rooms. Refurbishing of banquet and meeting space, food and beverage outlets, public areas and lobby are underway. Facilities at the property include the Atrium Café, 17 separate function rooms, a Fitness and Racquet Club with saltwater swimming pool, whirlpool and sauna. (www.radisson.com)


Courtyard Quebec City named Marriott’s ‘Hotel of the Year’
 
Marriott International recently acknowledged its top-performing properties with Courtyard by Marriott Quebec City named “Hotel of the Year” for select service brands across North America. Each year, Marriott selects only two hotels out of approximately 800 to be named “Hotel of the Year” for select service brands -- a North American award and an international one, awarded this year to the Courtyard by Marriott Green Community Dubai in the UAE. “Hotel of the Year” award-winning properties are chosen from a short-list of nominees that provided exceptional guest service in the previous year.

Six-Star Hotels – Even in Vietnam
Vietnam is going to join the club of countries that offer six-star hotel accommodation. The Vinpearl Commerce and Tourism Joints stock Company have started the construction of first such hotel in the country. The facility will be located in central Khanh Hoa province. The hotel will have two presidential villas, three super luxury villas and 125 six-star suites. The whole complex will occupy more than 80,000 square meters. There will be a 3,200 square meters swimming-pool and two tennis and golf courses. The facility is scheduled to start its operations in January 2009.
There actually are several six star hotels in the world. The Crown Macau casino, on Taipa Island in the Chinese territory of Macau and the St. Regis Shanghai Hotel in China. America has its only six-star hotel, Setai, on Miami’s South Beach. The Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast in Australia is described as a six-star facility even though Australians do not use this kind of rating.
To some hoteliers, six stars are simply not enough. There are few hotels in the world claiming they offer seven star services. There is for example the Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) in Dubai, in the UAE. This luxury facility is 321 meters high and stands on an artificial island.
There is, however, a problem with these hotel ratings – no real standards. Some countries do have standardized classifications, but others do not. There is also the AAA’s diamond classification. But it is often difficult for tourist to know what level of services does the number of stars really describe. Sometimes the services in a small hotel can be very good, but because the facility lacks (e.g. elevator) they will not reach higher categorization. Other hotels may advertise themselves as e.g. 4 stars facility even though their services do not correspond with the category.


Travel A’la carte
Winning Post for Space Race Set for 2010
A race that is going on for some time – who will be the first company taking customers up into space on the basis of a paid trip. The race seems set to come to an end in 2010, as a Californian company has announced plans to start test trips on their Lynx craft and to start offering customers the opportunity to go up into orbit for a while. Indeed, only extremely rich customers or space fanatics should be prepared to pay something around $100.000 for the privilege of being weightless for 90 seconds. However, it is expected that, as technology improves and these trips become more commonplace, the price should drop.
It is true to say that the British billionaire Richard Branson should be the first man to offer customers such a trip as his Virgin Atlantic company plans to start testing at around the same time. However, Californian Xcor, is set to be the first company not backed by billionaire magnates to introduce ‘out-of-this-world’ trips into its itinerary. Indeed, Xcor have teamed up with the Air Force to create a team capable of realising such a scheme. Xcor have drawn up a contract with the Air Force, thought to be worth some $700.000 to $900.000. As this is not an immense amount, the potential achievements of the Californian company could be well worth remembering.
The Lynx is expected to be the size of a small aeroplane and is not thought to be something resembling a gigantic structure from a Hollywood sci-fi production. The number of seats should be limited to two, making the Lynx the perfect potential venue for wealthy honeymoon couples to enjoy something the tourism industry has so far never seen.