MLT Vacations Assumes Management of Continental Airlines Vacations November 1
Well-known tour operator adds Continental Airlines Vacations to its packaged vacation offerings.
EDINA, Minn., November 3, 2008 — MLT Vacations confirmed that the company officially began managing the Continental Airlines Vacations brand on November 1.
"We are honored to have been selected by Continental Airlines to manage their packaged vacation business and thrilled to be working with the travel agent community to offer vacation packages to their customers", said Ken Pomerantz, President and Chief Marketing Officer for MLT Vacations. "Continental Airlines Vacations will combine the best of one of the world’s leading airlines, outstanding global destinations, and the great service that MLT has delivered over the last 36 years."
The news of the transition was met with excitement and enthusiasm from travel agents when it was announced earlier this month at the company's annual travel agent conference, MLT University. "We are excited to sell Continental Airlines Vacations to our customers," said Bob Reichert of Sunshine Vacations in Oklahoma City. "People love Continental Airlines and we know that with MLT servicing the packages, our customers will be very satisfied with their experience."
MLT Vacations is offering travel agents 15% commission on the entire land portion of all Continental Airlines Vacations packages. In addition, the tour operator is offering a special commission of 10% on the air portion of any vacation package to Europe.
Continental Airlines Vacations packages are available exclusively through MLT Vacations and can be booked via WorldAgent Direct, the company’s travel agent-only website that offers an easy, convenient one-stop vacation planning and booking experience, or by calling 1-800-727-1111. WorldAgent Direct gives travel agents access to in-depth destination and product information, exclusive marketing tools, travel agent specials, and more.
Current WorldAgent Direct users can log on with their current user ID and password to start selling Continental Airlines Vacations packages immediately. New WorldAgent Direct users should go to www.worldagentdirect.com and click on "Register your agency now". Travel agents with questions can contact Sales Support at 1-800-283-7268.
About Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,500 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 134 domestic and 131 international destinations. More than 675 additional points are served via alliance partners. With more than 43,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with Continental Express, carries approximately 69 million passengers per year.
Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. For the fifth consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 World’s Most Admired Airline on its 2008 list of World’s Most Admired Companies. For more company information, go to continental.com.
About MLT Vacations
MLT Vacations is one of the largest providers of vacation packages in the United States. The company manages multiple packaged vacation brands, including: NWA WorldVacations, Worry-Free Vacations, and Continental Airlines Vacations. NWA WorldVacations offers vacation packages via scheduled air service on Northwest Airlines and airline partners, with convenient connections from many US cities, to destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia, including luxury vacation packages and destination weddings and honeymoons. Worry-Free Vacations offers charter vacation packages from several U.S. cities to destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. Continental Airlines Vacations offers vacation packages via scheduled air service on Continental Airlines with convenient connections from many US cities, to destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.worldagentdirect.com.
Holiday travel expected to remain steady, industry report says
Despite the economic downturn, a survey shows most Americans will keep their holiday travel plans so they can maintain tradition with family and friends, the Travel Industry Assn. said today.
"Even though there are many apparent reasons to stay home this year, Americans really value travel and will stick to it as much as they can," said Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research at the association, a Washington, D.C.- based trade organization that represents the $740-billion U.S. travel industry.
"Most people traveling during the holidays feel the time and money they spend is a small price to pay to be with the people they love," Cook said.
The industry association based its conclusions on an online survey of 2,256 people last week by Harris Interactive, Rochester, N.Y.-based market research firm.
Holiday travel costs are up 25% to 30% from last year, said Drew Patterson, vice president of marketing for Kayak.com, , a leading travel search engine.
Still, 73% of people surveyed said they will continue with travel plans this holiday season, according to an October survey by Kayak.com.
But travelers are looking for other ways to save, including booking flights with longer layovers, planning shorter trips, and staying with relatives or friends instead of a hotel.
Falling gas prices may also stimulate more driving this holiday season.
"Now that gas prices are down, that certainly gives people a lot more options," said Marie Montgomery, spokeswoman for AAA. "Maybe they can go a little farther, maybe they can spend another day ... they have that many more options when gas prices are lower."
Gas prices in Los Angeles fell nearly 30 cents last week to their lowest levels of the year, according to AAA’s gas watch. The average price of gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area was $2.73 a gallon on Friday -- 29 cents less than the previous week and 81 cents less than last month.
As you are aware, Carnival Cruise Lines has undertaken an extensive stateroom recategorization effort with [22] ships reclassified under the new system since August.
Effective Friday, November 14, 2008, staterooms on the remaining 2,052-passenger Fantasy Class Ships - Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Elation and Carnival Fantasy - will be recategorized.
In addition to the Fantasy Class recategorization, the obstructed, ocean view staterooms (category 5A) on the Spirit Class Ships – Carnival Spirit, Carnival Pride, Carnival Legend and Carnival Miracle – will be recategorized to interior staterooms.
The stateroom recategorization for the balance of the fleet is scheduled for completion by the end of 2008.
For additional information on this project, we invite you to view a webinar currently available at Carnival’s travel agent portal, www.BookCCL.com. You can also contact Carnival’s reservations department at 1-800-327-9501 (individual) or 1-800-327-5782 (groups).
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT “STEPS” IT UP A NOTCH ON CELEBRITY CRUISES
Whether you swap, rent or rent out, it pays to be safe and crystal clear
By Harriet Baskas
Travel writer
msnbc.com contributor
updated 4:07 p.m. ET,Thurs., Nov. 6, 2008
Harriet Baskas
Travel writer
Airfare costs and the unsteady economy is forcing would-be travelers to get more creative. And chummier.
Some are befriending — or suddenly reconnecting with — folks who own second homes in hopes of securing a weekend invitation. Others are trying to stretch their travel dollars by renting a condo or apartment instead of a hotel room. And then there are the increasing numbers of travel tightwads who spend no money on lodging and instead swap their homes with other travelers.
Does renting, borrowing, or swapping work? It often depends on your comfort zone and your luck, but this is an area where an open mind, research skills and a good set of travel manners really matter.
My family’s recent trip to Lisbon, Portugal, for example, was only affordable once we abandoned the hotel search and rented a small apartment.
The cash deposit was hefty. The directions for finding the place were somewhat mysterious. The house rules we agreed to were extremely explicit. I fretted about what we’d find when we showed up, but the bright, spotless rooms, as-promised view, goodie-filled welcome basket, and owner’s tour of the neighborhood reassured me that we lucked out.
Others haven’t been so fortunate. Although Suzanne Robitaille of New York scrubbed and scoured her apartment before swapping homes with an e-mail buddy from London, she arrived to find a sink filled with dirty dishes, no hot water and a swarm of flies, which, incidentally, management conceded might have something to do with a dead body across the hall.
Folks who rent or loan out their homes have their own horror stories. Carol Irvine owns Pacific Idyll, a large ocean-view home in the upscale beach village of Seabrook, Wash. Despite a rental agreement that clearly states parties are not allowed, one man hosted a huge bash, trashed the house, and wore just his underwear to greet the manager who showed up to confront him the next morning. Another guest was burning candles in the shower stall and set the custom-made fabric shower curtain on fire.
When Patricia Lorenz rented out her family’s Florida condo, she discovered that while her guests did wash the sheets and towels before leaving, they’d hurriedly squished sixteen still-wet towels back into the linen closet. “Had I not checked we'd have had very messy, smelly, black [mildewed] towels for sure! Next time I'll check before they leave!”
Make yourself at home — just not too much Renting, loaning or swapping a home works best if house rules are spelled out long before any keys or cash is exchanged.
Anna Post, an author and spokesperson for the Emily Post Institute, offered a few tips. For example, make sure your expectations are clear. “You might say: ‘Before you arrive, I’ll be doing this and this. Will you be doing the same?’ Anyone short of a complete blockhead will understand that they need to reciprocate the same preparations.”
Post also urges everyone to be respectful of their host’s private space. Looking through hospital bills and diaries is a no-no, she says, even if the host has left them out. “It’s something you pretend you didn’t see in the first place and don’t dig into. It all comes down to appreciation and being respectful.”
It’s also a good idea to think twice or ask for more details when someone urges you to “just make yourself at home.” Post warns that while it may be OK to adopt a relaxed, flip-flop-wearing beach attitude when renting a beach house, it’s not OK to “try on your host’s clothing or use their beauty products. That would be too much!”
And don’t think you won’t get caught. “You’re borrowing a home, not a lifestyle,” says Tony Abrams of Four Hundred, an invitation-only, lifestyle management/concierge service. “Leave their car, clothes and any valued possessions in their rightful and undisturbed location.” Otherwise, he cautions, you may end up like the guest who took his host’s boat out for a joyride only to discover that he couldn’t figure out how to get the boat back into the slip. “He ended up sleeping on the boat for the night until he could call someone to dock the boat.”
Get down to the nitty-gritty If you’re the one renting a home or swapping with another person, don’t be shy about requesting and checking references, researching the neighborhood and making sure you understand exactly what items in the home are available for use. Are you welcome to use the pool, the pool table or the computer? Will those items be tantalizingly off-limits? Can you live with that, or will you just be too tempted?
And if you’re the one renting, loaning or swapping your home, keep some tips from Kelli Grant in mind. The senior consumer reporter for Smart Money Magazine reminds us that while it’s great to be generous with your home, you must also be savvy:
Lock the filing cabinet. Grant discovered that “a family member, friend or coworker is the perpetrator in about 16 percent of identity theft cases.” So she suggests locking up medical records, credit card statements, birth certificates and any other personal or financial documents.
Check your coverage. While homeowners’ insurance usually covers guests when you’re not at home, Grant says the lines can blur when you’ve received cash and are renting your space.
Write up a contract. Everyone I spoke with agrees with Grant on this one. A contract needn’t be too formal or require a notarized signature, but it should outline the financial responsibility of the guests and mention the quirks of your home.
Who can you call? It’s also important to leave a list of emergency contact numbers so guests can find a plumber or other service provider in an emergency.
When in doubt, spell it out — again The number of a good locksmith might have been useful to the group of men Deb Kleber at VisitingPortugal.com once rented to. Although she and her husband do a pretty thorough check of their renters and turn down anyone they don't feel comfortable with, some ill-mannered travelers get through. This was discovered one morning at 2 a.m. when one of the “executives” who had rented an apartment called asking for someone to come open the door. “[My husband] let the guest in and explained to him — and his prostitute friend — that she couldn't stay because non-guests are prohibited in the rental agreement. The next day we gave them a good but slightly awkward talking-to about appropriate neighborhood behavior — and another copy of the rental agreement.”
Harriet Baskas writes msnbc.com's popular weekly column, The Well-Mannered Traveler. She is the author of the “Stuck at the Airport” blog, a contributor to National Public Radio and a columnist for USATODAY.com.
World’s Largest Airline Plans Trans-Atlantic Service Between Paris and Raleigh-Durham, Pittsburgh
Service made possible through successful Delta-Air France joint venture. Pittsburgh, Raleigh-Durham customers to enjoy connecting opportunities to more than 90 cities in Europe via Paris hub
(November 7, 2008) - Delta Air Lines announced yesterday the start of two additional nonstop flights between France and the United States with the airline’s first-ever nonstop service between Paris-Charles deGaulle International Airport and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. and Pittsburgh. The new routes, enabled by Delta’s successful joint venture with Air France, will offer customers in both cities convenient connections to more than 90 cities in Europe via Air France’s Paris hub.
Delta will make history in Pittsburgh and Raleigh-Durham with its new flights. The new trans-Atlantic route from Pittsburgh will be the only nonstop transatlantic service offered by any airline from the city. The new route from Raleigh-Durham will be Delta’s first-ever nonstop trans-Atlantic flight offered from North Carolina and will be operated from Raleigh’s terminal two, the airport’s newest terminal, which opened Oct. 26.
The new nonstop service from both markets will be launched in June 2009. The routes will be operated by Boeing 757-200 aircraft, with seating for up to 174 passengers, including 16 seats in Delta’s BusinessElite and 158 in economy class. Delta flights between France and both Raleigh-Durham and Pittsburgh are available for booking now online at delta.com. Flight schedules are as follows:
Delta’s new service between Raleigh-Durham and Paris
Flight
Departs
Arrives
Effective
Frequency
204
Raleigh-Durcham at 6:20 p.m.
Paris at 8:35 a.m. (next day)
June 2, 2009
Daily (except Monday and Thursday)
205
Paris at 10:30 a.m.
Raleigh-Durham at 2:15 p.m.
June 4, 2009
Daily (except Wednesday and Saturday)
Delta’s new service between Pittsburgh and Paris
Flight
Departs
Arrives
Effective
Frequency
188
Pittsburgh at 6:15 p.m.
Paris at 8:20 a.m. (next day)
June 3, 2009
Daily (expect Tuesday and Friday)
189
Paris at 10:40 a.m.
Pittsburgh at 1:55 p.m.
June 3, 2009
Daily (expect Tuesday and Friday)
To celebrate the new service Delta is offering a one-way special fare of $599* from Raleigh-Durham to Paris and from Pittsburgh to Paris (based on a round-trip purchase) for travel through June 30, 2009. However, customers should act fast as availability is limited and tickets at these fares must be purchased by Nov. 21, 2008.
*Additional taxes/fees/restrictions/baggage charges may
By DAVID KOENIG, AP Airlines Writer David Koenig, Ap Airlines Writer – Thu Oct 30, 6:07 pm ET
DALLAS – When it comes to holiday travel plans, good things may come to to those who waited.
The major U.S. airlines have cut many fares for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.
The airlines, in the midst of their worst year since at least 2005, may see the price-cutting as necessary in the face of a slumping economy that could cut into both leisure and business travel. Airfare experts say they typically don't see this kind of price-cutting until the last couple of weeks before big holidays.
Northwest Airlines started the rush Tuesday night with a broad holiday fare sale, and most other major carriers matched the prices Wednesday, according to Rick Seaney, chief executive of the travel Web site FareCompare.com.
"It's by far the most broad-based fare sale we've tracked in at least 18 months," Seaney said Thursday, "and this is the earliest I've ever seen one."
Tom Parsons, chief executive of discount travel site Bestfares.com, said in many cases travelers can still find better deals by shopping around and considering alternate airports.
"I've been looking for this sale for two or three weeks," Parsons said. "When I finally saw it, it was kind of a letdown."
Parsons said the cuts ranged up to 25 percent off the previous price for tickets that must be bought 21 or 30 days ahead of travel. He said travelers using secondary airports that typically have higher prices will get the biggest breaks.
But there are cheaper fares available on routes where the big airlines compete with low-cost carriers such as Southwest, JetBlue and AirTran, he said.
Some of the sale fares have blackout dates on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 — the Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving — and Dec. 20. And there are only a handful of "super off-peak" days, as Northwest calls them.
Some of the cuts are dramatic. Delta shaved the cheapest price for an Atlanta-Nashville round trip around Thanksgiving from nearly $500 to $238, Seaney said. The cheapest Minneapolis-Seattle flight is $248.
In most cases, the prices are good until at least late November.
Airlines aggressively raised fares and fuel surcharges last year and early this year but stopped when the economy slowed noticeably. The last broad fare hike was in early July, Seaney said.
Carriers would rather not be cutting prices now, but demand may be slowing faster than airlines can reduce the supply of available seats.
Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said this month that because of the economic slowdown, "the world has changed" and there is no guarantee about future booking trends.
"We know that fares are higher compared to a year ago," Kelly told analysts. "We know the economy is in a complete recession ... we've got to be prepared for a weak economy and weaker demand, which I think is destined to happen."
VACATION EXPRESS TO OFFER NEW ALL CASH BACK INSURANCE PLAN EFFECTIVE BY NOVEMBER 7, 2008
Please Note: We are in the process of adding detailed information about our "cancel for any reason" Comprehensive Insurance Plan. We anticipate the plan to be available on or before November 7, 2008. Thank you for your patience.
In keeping with recent trends in the industry, Vacation Express has decided to add a new option to its current insurance plans, which will go into effect by November 7, 2008.
The new plan will be called "Comprehensive Insurance" and will allow clients to cancel for any reason and receive a full cash refund for the total package price minus the cost of the insurance. Non-refundable scheduled air tickets will also be included in the refund. The cost for this new insurance plan will be $119 for adults and $55 for children. And best of all, unlike other "cancel for any reason" plans, Vacation Express provides an option for the agent to protect his/her commission at no additional charge!
Under this new insurance plan, agents will be able to retain their commission provided the client cancels for a valid reason. Details of what constitutes a "valid reason" will be outlined prior to November 7, but includes the most common circumstances, such as sickness, accidents, etc. In the event the client has no "valid" reason, the agent's commission will still be protected up to $100.
"Even though many agents like the "cancel for any reason" plan for their clients, there are still benefits in selling the traditional PPP plan", stated Mr. Jongmans. "Under the current PPP plan, clients receive a voucher to use within one year from the original travel date, which ensures that the client returns to the original travel agent to book their future trip. At a time when many agents are concerned about losing their clients to the online companies, there is a definite benefit in knowing that your client will have to come back to you."
Effective by November 7, Vacation Express will continue to offer its existing Penalty Protection Plan, which is $49 for 'Land Only' bookings and $69 for 'Air Inclusive' bookings. The $99 PPP+ plan will be discontinued. For any bookings made prior to the new plans activation, which include the PPP or PPP+ plan, agents will have the option to switch to the new Comprehensive Insurance Plan, provided that this change is made no later than five days after activation. Note that bookings paid in full prior to the new plans activation that do NOT include either the PPP or PPP+ cannot be upgraded to the new Comprehensive Insurance Plan.
Details on complete coverage and other components will be made available by November 7, and will be communicated via email and will also be available on the vacationexpress.net site.
Says Rene Jongmans, President of Vacation Express, "In listening to agents talk about the pros and cons of the various "cancel for any reason" plans offered by others, the main disadvantage has always been that the agent's commission is not protected. Therefore, it was very important to me to provide a plan that is not only consumer friendly, but also takes into consideration the efforts put forth by agents. I am convinced that agents will soon realize that this new plan exceeds anything that is currently offered in the market, and I anticipate a strong increase in bookings because of this added option offered by Vacation Express."
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Carnival Cruise Lines! 'Funtastic' Savings! The Pack-and-Go promotion offers last-minute inventory with great pricing! These low rates are updated each Wednesday and are for new bookings only.Will be updated every Tuesday.
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This Weeks Hot Spots! Presented by Continental Airlines Vacations We’ve tracked down these hot deals to our top destinations to make it easy for you to save on your next vacation.
Tyus tours & travel is an Independent Travel Agent for Kenley Konnection Travel, 5773 Emporium Square, Columbus, Ohio 43231, 614-898-9505. A signed agreement is on file for your inspection.
