TRAVEL NEWS
Saturday, May 31, 2008
German rail privatisation agreed
A quarter of Germany's state rail firm is to be privatised after the country's politicians gave the go-ahead.
The long-disputed plan will see a 25% stake in Deutsche Bahn's passenger and freight services arm sold to investors, raising between 5bn and 8bn euros.
news.bbc.co.uk
The long-disputed plan will see a 25% stake in Deutsche Bahn's passenger and freight services arm sold to investors, raising between 5bn and 8bn euros.
news.bbc.co.uk
Survey: Americans make 41 million fewer air trips
WASHINGTON (AP) - Nearly half of American air travelers would fly more if it were easier, and more than one fourth said they skipped at least one air trip in the past 12 months because of the hassles involved, according to an industry survey.
The Travel Industry Association, which commissioned the survey released Thursday, estimated that the 41 million forgone trips cost the travel industry $18.1 billion - including $9.4 billion to airlines, $5.6 billion to hotels and $3.1 billion - and it cost federal, state and local authorities $4.2 billion in taxes in the past 12 months.
When 28 percent of air travelers avoided an average of 1.3 trips each, that resulted in 29 million leisure trips and 12 million business trips not being taken, the researchers estimated.
The survey results did not address whether travelers chose alternate transportation to pursue any of the journeys they didn't take by plane. The association estimated overall travel industry revenue at $740 billion.
Roger Dow, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C. based association, said the research "should be a wake up call to America's policy leaders that the time for meaningful air system reform is now."
"The air travel crisis has hit a tipping point - more than 100,000 travelers each day are voting with their wallets by choosing to avoid trips," Dow said in a statement.
That's a big blow to airlines, many of which are losing money as the industry struggles with soaring fuel costs. Carriers have raised fares, added fees, cut capacity and scaled back expansion plans, and some small airlines have declared bankruptcy, while Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. announced plans to combine in an effort to reduce costs.
In all, 44 percent of the 1,003 air travelers surveyed by phone from May 6 to May 13 said they would take more air trips each year if airport hassles could be reduced or eliminated. The survey, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates Inc. and The Winston Group, had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
People who flew more than five times in the past 12 months were more likely to describe air travel as frustrating, at 52 percent, compared with 33 percent of infrequent travelers, defined as people who flew one or two round trips in 12 months, according to the survey.
More than half of respondents said either efficiency or reliability is getting worse, 60 percent said the system is deteriorating, and 56 percent said flying is the "bad" or "worst" part of travel - though 62 percent said air travel security is improving.
Source: news.google.com
The Travel Industry Association, which commissioned the survey released Thursday, estimated that the 41 million forgone trips cost the travel industry $18.1 billion - including $9.4 billion to airlines, $5.6 billion to hotels and $3.1 billion - and it cost federal, state and local authorities $4.2 billion in taxes in the past 12 months.
When 28 percent of air travelers avoided an average of 1.3 trips each, that resulted in 29 million leisure trips and 12 million business trips not being taken, the researchers estimated.
The survey results did not address whether travelers chose alternate transportation to pursue any of the journeys they didn't take by plane. The association estimated overall travel industry revenue at $740 billion.
Roger Dow, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C. based association, said the research "should be a wake up call to America's policy leaders that the time for meaningful air system reform is now."
"The air travel crisis has hit a tipping point - more than 100,000 travelers each day are voting with their wallets by choosing to avoid trips," Dow said in a statement.
That's a big blow to airlines, many of which are losing money as the industry struggles with soaring fuel costs. Carriers have raised fares, added fees, cut capacity and scaled back expansion plans, and some small airlines have declared bankruptcy, while Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. announced plans to combine in an effort to reduce costs.
In all, 44 percent of the 1,003 air travelers surveyed by phone from May 6 to May 13 said they would take more air trips each year if airport hassles could be reduced or eliminated. The survey, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates Inc. and The Winston Group, had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
People who flew more than five times in the past 12 months were more likely to describe air travel as frustrating, at 52 percent, compared with 33 percent of infrequent travelers, defined as people who flew one or two round trips in 12 months, according to the survey.
More than half of respondents said either efficiency or reliability is getting worse, 60 percent said the system is deteriorating, and 56 percent said flying is the "bad" or "worst" part of travel - though 62 percent said air travel security is improving.
Source: news.google.com
Labels: air travel, USA
Indonesia travel warning still on
Canberra is unlikely to follow Washington's lead and immediately lift its official travel advice cautioning Australians against visiting Indonesia.
The hard line taken by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on travel to Indonesia remains one of the few irritants in the otherwise good bilateral relationship between Jakarta and Canberra.
With the number of Australians visiting Indonesia steadily climbing the issue is likely to be raised again by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when he meets Kevin Rudd in Jakarta next month.
DFAT's latest travel advisory on Indonesia urges Australians to "reconsider your need to travel to Indonesia, including Bali, at this time due to the very high threat of terrorist attack".
"We continue to receive reports indicating that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including Western interests and places frequented by foreigners."
The US on Sunday lifted its travel alert on Indonesia, prompting presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal to say late yesterday he hoped the action would be followed "by other countries". "Everyone can see that Indonesia is a safe place to be," he said.
DFAT is reviewing its Indonesia travel warning and Australian security officials in Indonesia have recently submitted updated threat assessments on travel to the eastern parts of the archipelago.
Yesterday Mr Djalal declined to confirm whether Mr Rudd and Dr Yudhoyono would be discussing the alert during their June 13 meeting, but emphasised that "people-to-people contacts is an issue that will be discussed; on our side, that's always an important thing".
Indonesia has long resented the DFAT advice, which was put in place after the first Bali bombing in 2002. A Senate inquiry in 2004 revealed that five ASIO assessments had found that Australians were terrorist targets in their own right in Bali, something Mr Rudd as Opposition foreign affairs spokesman said should have been included in DFAT travel advisories.
Mr Djalal said yesterday there had not been a major terrorist attack in Indonesia since 2005.
"We've been very successful in that regard, knock on wood," he said. "Certainly Indonesia is a safe place for Australians to visit."
Britain and New Zealand continue to have security alerts on travelling to Indonesia.
DFAT's current travel notice advises Australians not to travel to Maluku (particular Ambon) and Central Sulawesi due to the "unstable security situation and risk of terrorist attack".
The advisory also warns against other parts of Sulawesi, Aceh, Papua, Kalimantan and West Timor where, it says, "additional security risks exist".
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has ongoing restrictions on foreigners travelling to Papua, Ambon and Poso.
Last year 313,881 Australians visited Indonesia up from 226,981 the previous year.
Source: theaustralian.news.com.au
The hard line taken by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on travel to Indonesia remains one of the few irritants in the otherwise good bilateral relationship between Jakarta and Canberra.
With the number of Australians visiting Indonesia steadily climbing the issue is likely to be raised again by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when he meets Kevin Rudd in Jakarta next month.
DFAT's latest travel advisory on Indonesia urges Australians to "reconsider your need to travel to Indonesia, including Bali, at this time due to the very high threat of terrorist attack".
"We continue to receive reports indicating that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including Western interests and places frequented by foreigners."
The US on Sunday lifted its travel alert on Indonesia, prompting presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal to say late yesterday he hoped the action would be followed "by other countries". "Everyone can see that Indonesia is a safe place to be," he said.
DFAT is reviewing its Indonesia travel warning and Australian security officials in Indonesia have recently submitted updated threat assessments on travel to the eastern parts of the archipelago.
Yesterday Mr Djalal declined to confirm whether Mr Rudd and Dr Yudhoyono would be discussing the alert during their June 13 meeting, but emphasised that "people-to-people contacts is an issue that will be discussed; on our side, that's always an important thing".
Indonesia has long resented the DFAT advice, which was put in place after the first Bali bombing in 2002. A Senate inquiry in 2004 revealed that five ASIO assessments had found that Australians were terrorist targets in their own right in Bali, something Mr Rudd as Opposition foreign affairs spokesman said should have been included in DFAT travel advisories.
Mr Djalal said yesterday there had not been a major terrorist attack in Indonesia since 2005.
"We've been very successful in that regard, knock on wood," he said. "Certainly Indonesia is a safe place for Australians to visit."
Britain and New Zealand continue to have security alerts on travelling to Indonesia.
DFAT's current travel notice advises Australians not to travel to Maluku (particular Ambon) and Central Sulawesi due to the "unstable security situation and risk of terrorist attack".
The advisory also warns against other parts of Sulawesi, Aceh, Papua, Kalimantan and West Timor where, it says, "additional security risks exist".
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has ongoing restrictions on foreigners travelling to Papua, Ambon and Poso.
Last year 313,881 Australians visited Indonesia up from 226,981 the previous year.
Source: theaustralian.news.com.au
Labels: Indonesia, travel warning
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
US lifts travel warning imposed on Indonesia following terrorist attacks
The United States lifted a travel warning placed on Indonesia following a string of deadly terrorist attacks, saying the security situation in the world's most populous Muslim nation had improved.
iht.com
iht.com
Labels: Indonesia, travel warning, United States
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Gasoline Near $4 Shortens Trips for U.S. Memorial Day
U.S. travelers are shortening their Memorial Day weekend trips or staying home as rising gasoline prices, costlier air fares and a weaker economy sap their confidence and bank accounts.
Restaurant manager Nirmal Acharya scrapped his plan to drive 300 miles (483 kilometers) to Chicago from Troy, Michigan, to see friends and family. Based on U.S. mileage estimates and gasoline costs, his Chrysler LLC Pacifica sport-utility vehicle would use about $135 in fuel, 19 percent more than last year.
"Gas prices play a big role when it comes to traveling five or six hundred miles," said Acharya, 27. He and his wife and 3 year old daughter will celebrate the holiday in Troy.
His experience puts him among the 23 percent of Americans who pared or abandoned their weekend travel plans because of record gasoline prices, a survey by consulting firm Deloitte & Touche found. Among families with children under 13, 35 percent said they'd altered their travel.
"People are starting to have a little bit more concern about how much money they have," said Adam Weissenberg, the tourism, hospitality and leisure leader for New York-based Deloitte. "People are opting for closer to home, and that probably will continue as the gas prices stay high."
Driving Season
About 37.9 million people will journey at least 50 miles from home from today through May 26, according to AAA, the largest U.S. motorist group. The Memorial Day holiday, which honors the nation's war dead, unofficially heralds the start of the U.S. summer driving season.
While the traveler total is the second-highest ever, it's also 1 percent fewer than last year and marks the first drop since 2002, after the Sept. 11 attacks the previous year damped travel, AAA said. The Federal Highway Administration said today that U.S. motorists cut their driving by 4.3 percent in March, the biggest monthly drop ever.
Acharya said he would have made his Chicago trip had gasoline been selling for less than $3 a gallon. The U.S. average hasn't been that low since Feb. 15, according to Heathrow, Florida-based AAA. Since then, the price has risen 29 percent to a record $3.88 yesterday.
Surging fuel is adding to the strain on American households from job losses and the U.S. housing recession. The Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment fell May 16 to the lowest level in 28 years.
Higher Prices
Gasoline and diesel-fuel costs also are being passed on in the form of higher prices for groceries and other goods, further burdening Americans' wallets. Food and fuel helped lead a 3.9 percent annual gain in consumer prices through April 30, half again as much as a year earlier, the Labor Department says.
"The retail outlets are standing in the way of you spending your money on travel," said David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Washington based Air Transport Association, the trade group for major U.S. airlines.
Jim Wagner, 44, a physician from the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, said rising gasoline prices won't stop him from driving 240 miles with his wife and two sons to the family's vacation cottage in Gaylord, Michigan.
"We may end up cutting back on how much time we spend out on the boat, though," he said.
To save money, Wagner said he planned to fill extra fuel tanks at a service station for his boat to avoid higher charges at the marina. "We're more choosy when we buy groceries and gas, and we don't eat out much," he said.
U.S. travelers are still likely to face congested roads and airports over the Memorial Day weekend.
"People are still going to be traveling in spite of these economic conditions," AAA spokesman Troy Green said. "Americans still want to enjoy their vacations. This is the unofficial start of summer."
Crowded Planes
Air travelers probably won't see much relief from crowded jets and more expensive tickets. Even with domestic demand little changed through April 30 compared with a year earlier, airlines are boosting fares and fees to counter a 94 percent surge in jet fuel in the past 12 months.
Flight delays of more than 45 minutes were reported at New York's LaGuardia and Kennedy airports and New Jersey's Newark Liberty as of 3:16 p.m., according to a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Web site. Delays of 16 to 45 minutes were reported in Las Vegas and Phoenix.
The six largest full-fare airlines have raised prices 11 times since Dec. 20, according to discount-travel Web site Bestfares.com. They may not be able to do much more without risking a drop in traffic.
The Air Transport Association expects 1.3 percent fewer passengers to fly this summer as carriers reduce capacity 2 percent on U.S. routes. AMR Corp.'s American Airlines said this week it will cut domestic seating by 12 percent.
"Some people will opt not to travel or travel shorter trips," said David Swierenga, president of consulting firm Aeroecon in Round Rock, Texas. "That will happen to the airlines and travel by cars."
Source: bloomberg.com
Restaurant manager Nirmal Acharya scrapped his plan to drive 300 miles (483 kilometers) to Chicago from Troy, Michigan, to see friends and family. Based on U.S. mileage estimates and gasoline costs, his Chrysler LLC Pacifica sport-utility vehicle would use about $135 in fuel, 19 percent more than last year.
"Gas prices play a big role when it comes to traveling five or six hundred miles," said Acharya, 27. He and his wife and 3 year old daughter will celebrate the holiday in Troy.
His experience puts him among the 23 percent of Americans who pared or abandoned their weekend travel plans because of record gasoline prices, a survey by consulting firm Deloitte & Touche found. Among families with children under 13, 35 percent said they'd altered their travel.
"People are starting to have a little bit more concern about how much money they have," said Adam Weissenberg, the tourism, hospitality and leisure leader for New York-based Deloitte. "People are opting for closer to home, and that probably will continue as the gas prices stay high."
Driving Season
About 37.9 million people will journey at least 50 miles from home from today through May 26, according to AAA, the largest U.S. motorist group. The Memorial Day holiday, which honors the nation's war dead, unofficially heralds the start of the U.S. summer driving season.
While the traveler total is the second-highest ever, it's also 1 percent fewer than last year and marks the first drop since 2002, after the Sept. 11 attacks the previous year damped travel, AAA said. The Federal Highway Administration said today that U.S. motorists cut their driving by 4.3 percent in March, the biggest monthly drop ever.
Acharya said he would have made his Chicago trip had gasoline been selling for less than $3 a gallon. The U.S. average hasn't been that low since Feb. 15, according to Heathrow, Florida-based AAA. Since then, the price has risen 29 percent to a record $3.88 yesterday.
Surging fuel is adding to the strain on American households from job losses and the U.S. housing recession. The Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment fell May 16 to the lowest level in 28 years.
Higher Prices
Gasoline and diesel-fuel costs also are being passed on in the form of higher prices for groceries and other goods, further burdening Americans' wallets. Food and fuel helped lead a 3.9 percent annual gain in consumer prices through April 30, half again as much as a year earlier, the Labor Department says.
"The retail outlets are standing in the way of you spending your money on travel," said David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Washington based Air Transport Association, the trade group for major U.S. airlines.
Jim Wagner, 44, a physician from the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, said rising gasoline prices won't stop him from driving 240 miles with his wife and two sons to the family's vacation cottage in Gaylord, Michigan.
"We may end up cutting back on how much time we spend out on the boat, though," he said.
To save money, Wagner said he planned to fill extra fuel tanks at a service station for his boat to avoid higher charges at the marina. "We're more choosy when we buy groceries and gas, and we don't eat out much," he said.
U.S. travelers are still likely to face congested roads and airports over the Memorial Day weekend.
"People are still going to be traveling in spite of these economic conditions," AAA spokesman Troy Green said. "Americans still want to enjoy their vacations. This is the unofficial start of summer."
Crowded Planes
Air travelers probably won't see much relief from crowded jets and more expensive tickets. Even with domestic demand little changed through April 30 compared with a year earlier, airlines are boosting fares and fees to counter a 94 percent surge in jet fuel in the past 12 months.
Flight delays of more than 45 minutes were reported at New York's LaGuardia and Kennedy airports and New Jersey's Newark Liberty as of 3:16 p.m., according to a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Web site. Delays of 16 to 45 minutes were reported in Las Vegas and Phoenix.
The six largest full-fare airlines have raised prices 11 times since Dec. 20, according to discount-travel Web site Bestfares.com. They may not be able to do much more without risking a drop in traffic.
The Air Transport Association expects 1.3 percent fewer passengers to fly this summer as carriers reduce capacity 2 percent on U.S. routes. AMR Corp.'s American Airlines said this week it will cut domestic seating by 12 percent.
"Some people will opt not to travel or travel shorter trips," said David Swierenga, president of consulting firm Aeroecon in Round Rock, Texas. "That will happen to the airlines and travel by cars."
Source: bloomberg.com
Labels: gas prices, holiday travel
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Thinking the unthinkable: visa-free travel between India and Pakistan
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is pushing for visa-free travel with India, and has gone to the extent of saying Islamabad might do it unilaterally if New Delhi is not prepared to go the distance.
As ideas go, visa-free travel in a globalised world isn't anything remarkable. In the context of the tortured India-Pakistan relationship this, however, would be nothing short of a political masterstroke.
Source: blogs.reuters.com
As ideas go, visa-free travel in a globalised world isn't anything remarkable. In the context of the tortured India-Pakistan relationship this, however, would be nothing short of a political masterstroke.
Source: blogs.reuters.com
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Seven bombs kill 80 in Indian tourist city
Seven near-simultaneous bomb blasts tore through crowded markets in the Indian tourist city of Jaipur today, killing at least 80 people and wounding 150 in what police said was a terror attack.
theage.com.au
theage.com.au
Monday, May 12, 2008
Venice bans pigeon feeding in St. Mark's Square
All it takes is a handful of birdseed to transform any tourist visiting Venice's historic St. Mark's Square into a human perch for a fluttering mass of pushy pigeons.
But a Venetian pigeon's life may now be for the birds: A municipal ordinance banning people from feeding them in the square went into effect May 1.
iht.com
But a Venetian pigeon's life may now be for the birds: A municipal ordinance banning people from feeding them in the square went into effect May 1.
iht.com
Labels: Venice
