Lost Luggage Rate Drops By

& TRAVEL NewsTRAVEL • MANUFACTURERNotes • RETAIL Demand Increases for Human Travel Agents Lost Luggage Rate ccording to the American Society of Travel Agents, human travel A agents are in higher demand Drops By 60% than they have been for several years. Hate it when you lose your lug- Travel agencies are hiring more employ- gage? So do airlines. They’ve ees and paying better than they have been working diligently the last in five years, and according to a recent study the increased demand for human few years to stop losing your help may signal growing discomfort luggage – and it seems to be with an increasingly crowded market- working. The lost luggage rate place of online booking sites. Some has dropped by 60% worldwide travelers are again looking for an expe- rienced professional to help make sense in seven years, from 19 bags of the vast array of travel options pre- per thousand in 2007 to just sented by any online ticketing search. seven bags per thousand last year. The decline comes during a time SOURCE: LOS ANGELES TIMES when the number of passengers increased by 40%, according to a report by airline IT vendor SITA. There are several reasons for the improve- ment. The introduction of baggage fees increased reliance on carry-on luggage, which has cut down on the opportunity for luggage to go missing. Luggage tracking technology can help track down missing luggage before it’s gone too far, and some airlines have introduced self-service airport kiosks and smartphone apps that allow travelers to report missing luggage. In general, investment into baggage processing and man- agement systems was one of the top spending priorities for airports in 2014. SOURCES: FORBES, LOS ANGELES TIMES Hip Hotels Target Tech-Savvy Millennials illennials are really special! That’s the message market- Are Ridiculously Low Airfares for Real? M ers continue to send as they arlier this year, Irish low-cost ed the acquisition of its 69th plane with cater to the specific tastes of young carrier Ryanair announced £10 $69 round-trip airfares available in April Americans. Hotel giants Marriott E (about $15) transatlantic air- and May. Based in Florida, Spirit is International and Hilton Worldwide are fares to the United States. But in truth, known for low fares combined with fees launching brands such as Moxy, AC, according to The Independent, Ryanair’s for almost everything else – from carry- Edition, CitizenM and Canopy, targeted low prices are more PR stunt than real on baggage to seat location to bottled precisely at travelers ages 18 to 34. Even world pricing. “It is conceivable that water. Another airline to experiment Sir Richard Branson’s new Virgin Hotels such loss leaders may be offered in tiny with bottom-dollar pricings is AirAsia, chain was made for Millennials. Young quantities to launch the airline or offload which announced new “unlimited flight” travelers want smaller rooms, Ikea-style seats in the lowest of seasons,” writes passes that offer travel to 10 countries furniture, fast and free Wi-Fi connectiv- Simon Calder, travel correspondent for in Southeast Asia. The ASEAN pass ity and power outlets and USB ports The Independent, “but in practice, the is available in two versions: the $160 throughout the rooms. Millennials say minimum fare is likely to be £100 each option offers 10 travel credits that must they don’t want frills, but they do want way covering the taxes and fees Ryanair be used within 30 days, and a $290 pass connection – both real and virtual, must pay for each passenger. The aver- provides 20 credits and a 60-day travel via high-speed Internet, social gather- age is likely to be around £200 each window. Destinations include Malaysia, ing spaces and walkable hotel loca- way.” While Ryanair’s ultralow fares Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambo- tions. According to a Harris Poll survey, may be a publicity stunt, Spirit Airlines dia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Burma, American Millennials will spend about actually implemented several dirt-cheap Laos and Brunei. SOURCE: $226 billion in travel this year. tickets this year. The company celebrat- THE INDEPENDENT, CNN, CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER SOURCE: LOS ANGELES TIMES Travel Goods SHOWCASE Summer 2015 11 News &Notes How to Book the Cheapest Flight Possible hrifty Nomads, a travel blog that coupon codes), Azair (for booking offers suggestions for saving in Europe and the Middle East) and money while traveling, recently WhichBudget (which includes the bud- TRAVEL T published advice for booking the least get airlines that many booking sites do expensive flight possible. First, use not). Using budget airlines is a good private browser settings to prevent way to save money, of course, and cookies from tracking visits, which befriending those airlines on social can trigger increased prices designed media can keep travelers abreast of Ranking America’s Most to urge travelers to buy quickly. Next, discounts and sales. Consider separat- Frustrating Airports use Skyscanner to determine which ing multi-leg journeys into multiple loomberg has published the dates in a given month will provide smaller trips with separate ticketed Airport Frustration Index, which the lowest fares, then be sure to avoid fares, and don’t forget about local air- B factors in things like long lines, sites such as Expedia, which mark lines and points programs that could crowded terminals and bad food to up fares and take a cut, and opt for deliver deep discounts. Finally, con- determine which North American air- sites such as Skyscanner, Chipmunk, sider running your itinerary by a travel ports travelers wish they could avoid. Google Flights, Liligo, Cheapticket, agent on the chance they’re able to The survey of more than 3,000 frequent Cheapoair (which frequently offers meet or beat a fare. SOURCE: THRIFTY NOMADS flyers determined the worst places to board a plane in the U.S. and Canada, A Million More People Will Cruise This Year and the overall loser is New York’s ccording to a February report from the Cruise Lines International Association, LaGuardia Airport, which was called about 23 million passengers will cruise in 2015, with the majority departing out for its slow security and dirty rest- A from North American ports. That number is up from 22 million in 2014, rooms, as well as frequent delays, over- thanks in large part to improvements in the U.S. economy and a strengthening priced food and poor shopping options. dollar. Bigger and better vessels also entice travelers with more amenities, unique New York travelers aren’t in much routes and specialty cruises. Royal Caribbean’s 4,180-passenger Anthem of the Seas luck elsewhere as John F. Kennedy debuted in April, and Norwegian Cruise Line’s 4,300-passenger Norwegian Escape is and Newark’s Liberty International also set to sail from Port Miami in November. More than one third of all available cruise made the bottom five, rounded out by beds are deployed in the Caribbean market, with 20% in the Mediterranean, 11% in Washington Dulles and Chicago O’Hare. Europe, 6% in Australia/New Zealand and 6% in Asia. The best, least frustrating airports over- SOURCE: ETURBONEWS all? Those are Vancouver International, Portland Oregon International, Austin- Bergstrom, Calgary International and Phoenix Sky Harbor. Each airport was ranked based on the time it takes to get there, how easy it is to clear security, the quality of terminals, restrooms and amenities and how often flights take off on time. SOURCE: BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK The Luxury Cruise Ship of the Future Delta Guarantees Luggage in t used to be that cruise ships were 20 Minutes or Less very environmentally unfriendly. But fuel efficiency. An arlier this year, Delta Air Lines I as travelers’ priorities have changed, onboard desalinization system provides tested a promise to deliver trav- cruise lines have taken notice. The new- clean, potable water straight from the E elers’ luggage to the baggage est generation of luxury ocean liners, ocean, eliminating the need for wasteful claim carousel within 20 minutes of such as Royal Caribbean’s Quantum water bottles and stored water – both a domestic flight’s arrival. Customer class of ships, represents a revised, clean- of which also add weight and hamper response was so positive that the airline er, slightly more sustainable future for fuel efficiency. Quantum’s onboard recy- is making the guarantee permanent. cruising. According to Royal Caribbean, cling center sorts waste from dozens SkyMiles members whose luggage is its $1 billion Quantum of the Seas is of onboard restaurants and bars, with not delivered within 20 minutes will built to be the most energy-efficient and glass and plastic stored until the ship receive 2,500 bonus miles if they sub- environmentally conscious cruise ship docks and onboard incinerators burning mit an online request within three days in the world. This is accomplished with the remaining material and passenger of travel. The fine print stipulates that traditional technologies, like exhaust waste into high grade ash that is eventu- lost luggage is exempt, as are over- scrubbers, as well as decidedly modern ally shipped to concrete factories for use size and overweight bags and special ones – such as “air lubrication,” which in road surfacing. According to Royal items such as wheelchairs, car seats uses a steady stream of bubbles emitted Caribbean, of the tons of supplies that and skis. Alaska Airlines offers a similar by jets below the waterline to coat the are loaded onto the ship prior to depar- 2,500-mile/20-minute guarantee. bow and allow the hull to slide through ture, nothing will end up in a landfill. SOURCE: YAHOO NEWS the water more easily for maximum SOURCE: THE ATLANTIC 12 Summer 2015 Travel Goods SHOWCASE News &Notes MANUFACTURER Eagle Creek Celebrates 40 Years, Garners Outside Acclaim Travelon Contest dventure travel gear maker Eagle Creek celebrates its 40th anniver- Winners sary in 2015.

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