US-Visit, a part of the US Department of Homeland Security, is planning tests of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology at the US land border. The technology will be tested at a simulated port this spring.US-Visit, a part of the US Department of Homeland Security Noun 1. Department of Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States , is planning tests of radio frequency identification See RFID. (RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) A data collection technology that uses electronic tags for storing data. The tag, also known as an "electronic label," "transponder" or "code plate," is made up of an RFID chip attached to an antenna. ) technology at the US land border. The technology will be tested at a simulated port this spring. By July 31 2005, the testing will begin at the ports of Nogales Nogales (nōgä`lās), city (1990 pop. 19,489), Santa Cruz co., S Ariz. on the Mexican border with its adjacent city, Nogales (1990 pop. 105,873), Sonora, NW Mexico. There are copper, silver, and lead mines. East and Nogales West in Arizona; Alexandria Bay in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of ; and Pacific Highway and Peace Arch The Peace Arch is a gateway-type monument situated on the Canada-United States border between the communities of Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia. The Peace Arch, standing 20.5 meters (67.2 ft. in Washington. The testing or "proof of concept" phase is expected to continue through the spring of 2006. The optimal technology will allow for a unique and automatic identifier to be issued to pedestrians and visitors crossing in vehicles. http://www.dhs.gov/us- visit Jan 31, 2005 The Business Travel Coalition called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to immediately abandon its drive to raise aviation system security taxes by $1.5 billion dollars annually, or by more than 50%. The domestic U.S. commercial air transportation industry is in a state of deepening crisis and is entering its fifth straight year of multi billion dollar losses. A critical infrastructure is at growing risk of collapse. Jan 30, 2005 TSA TSA See tax-sheltered annuity (TSA). considers optional toll program to speed airport security checks. The TSA is considering a program that would allow passengers to pay a fee in exchange for getting through airport security checkpoints faster. An Orlando, Fla., pilot project would be open to all travelers. The fee of up to $100 a year will cover the extensive technology used in the program. Jan 30, 2005 Fresh data from a leading hotel industry source confirms earlier indications that the lodging recovery that began tentatively at the end of 2003 gained momentum in gateway cities The Gateway Cities of Southern California are those located in southeastern Los Angeles County. There is some cross-over between these cities and those composing South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, the South Bay, and the San Gabriel Valley. through 2004. Occupancy in 2004 for U.S. hotels jumped to 61.3 percent, a 3.7 percent increase over 2003, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. final year-end figures released yesterday by Smith Travel Research, a Henderson, Tenn.-based firm that tracks lodging industry performance. Average room rates increased 4 percent, while revenue per available room, which combines occupancy and ADR ADR - Astra Digital Radio into a key industry productivity measure, gained 7.8 percent. Jan 28, 2005 President Bush seeks higher airline security fees. A tax imposed after 9/11 and charged to airline passengers to help pay for airport security would more than double under President Bush's spending proposal for the Department of Homeland Security, according to portions of the department's budget obtained yesterday by The Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. . Under the proposal, the security tax, which is collected by the airlines from their customers, would climb from $2.50 to $5.50 per flight segment. The increase would generate $1.5 billion. Jan 28, 2005 International travelers to America continued to visit the USA last year, according to new statistics from the US Department of Commerce. In the first ten months of 2004, 32.2 million international travelers visited the US, an increase of 12% from the same period a year earlier. The Department says the figures are not skewed skewed curve of a usually unimodal distribution with one tail drawn out more than the other and the median will lie above or below the mean. skewed Epidemiology adjective Referring to an asymmetrical distribution of a population or of data by a one-off surge in any particular month. US arrivals experienced growth in visitation for 13 consecutive months. Overseas arrivals through ports were up 15% for the ten months of 2004. Arrivals through the 15 ports of entry represented 85% of all overseas arrivals through the period. The three ports of entry (New York-JFK, Miami and Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. ) accounted for 36% of all overseas arrivals. New York remained the leading port of entry. Newark jumped from seventh to fifth place, ahead of Chicago and San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden . Sanford moved up from thirteenth to twelfth, ahead of Boston. Detroit and Houston remained in fourteenth and fifteenth spots, respectively. http://www.commerce.gov Jan 22, 2005 Top chefs and Olympic athletes to announce New York City's annual Winter Restaurant Week, and a special hospitality industry effort for Tsunami Relief, as they present gold medals and specially prepared meals to Red Cross volunteers and staff, Monday, January 24, 10:30 am, New York Red Cross Headquarters, 150 Amsterdam Ave., between 66th and 67th Streets. During Winter Restaurant Week, January 24-28 and January 31-February 4, nearly 200 restaurants throughout the city are offering dining selections priced at $20.12 in support of the city's efforts to host the 2012 Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. . Jan 21, 2005 In a groundbreaking deal that defuses tension, China and Taiwan have agreed to direct flights between the two countries for the first time in five decades. The accord allows 48 roundtrip charter flights to carry Taiwanese workers in China home and back during the Lunar New Year Lunar New Year may refer to the beginning of the year in several calendars. It is commonly assumed that they are all based on a lunar calendar. However, this is not the case. holiday. The flights will be operated from Jan. 29 to Feb. 20 2005 between the Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan. However, they will not fly a direct route but will transit Hong Kong Hong Kong (hŏng kŏng), Mandarin Xianggang, special administrative region of China, formerly a British crown colony (2005 est. pop. 6,899,000), land area 422 sq mi (1,092 sq km), adjacent to Guangdong prov. airspace. Analysts are mixed in their assessment of the implications of the decision, but most are impressed by the speed at which the agreement was reached. Jan 19, 2005 China still remains a "no no" as far as direct flights to and from Taiwan are concerned. For 50 years it has been impossible to fly non- stop between the two, all flights going via Hong Kong, the arrangement staying in place even with the establishment of the Special Administrative Region A special administrative region may be:
Jan 14, 2005 The Aviator Nearly one thousand miles north of its spiritual home at Long Beach, two hundred miles south of Seattle and 40 miles from the city of Portland
adjective equivalent to, the same as, identical to, similar to, identified with, equal to, tantamount to, interchangeable with, one and the same as that most strange of human beings, Howard Hughes, The Aviator. Spruce Goose is big, very big. Compare its size with the Airbus A380. The Hughes H4 (its official title) has a wing span of 320 ft, a height of just over 79 ft and a length of 218.5 ft. The A380 comes in at 261 ft x 79 ft x 238.5 ft. It is resident at the Evergreen Aviation Museum The Evergreen Aviation Museum is an aviation museum which displays a number of military and civilian aircraft, most notably, the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose". The museum is located in McMinnville, Oregon near the headquarters of Evergreen International Aviation. instigated by Del Smith, founder of one of the world's largest helicopter companies and air freight air freight n → flete m por avión air freight n → fret aérien air freight air n → Luftfracht f operators in memory of his son US Air Force Captain Michael King Michael King, OBE (December 15, 1945 – March 30, 2004) was a widely respected New Zealand popular historian, author and biographer. Life Educated at Sacred Heart College in Auckland and St Patrick's College at Silverstream (Wellington), he went on to study history Smith tragically killed in a car accident in 1995. And if you didn't know that The Aviator had been released in a surge of hype (certainly) in the UK, you had obviously been away somewhere off the map for the Christmas holidays. It's a film not to be missed that can be missed. Far too long it slowly builds up to a crescendo. The sequence showing Hughes near fatal crash in the first of only two XF-11 in the Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. suburb of Los Angles is terrific and probably worth the admission money alone. What the picture does not show is that less than a year later Hughes successfully flew a second prototype of a fine aircraft that never went into production (see left). But that's Hollywood! Providing you know the basic outline story the battle between Hughes Trans World Airlines Trans World Airlines, commonly known as TWA, was a major American airline company that was acquired by American Airlines in April 2001. For many years it was headquartered at the Kansas City Downtown Airport, as well as midtown Manhattan in New York City. (TWA TWA Time-weighted average, see there ) and Juan Trippe Juan Terry Trippe (June 27 1899 – April 3 1981) was a U.S. airline entrepreneur and pioneer, and the founder of Pan American World Airways. Trippe graduated from The Hill School in 1917, and then Yale in 1921. He began working on Wall Street, but soon became bored. of Pan American Airways to break Pan Am's overseas monopoly as the only US carrier allowed to serve overseas destinations is well done. Sadly the final outcome does not feature. TWA struggled on for ten years after Pam Am finally went under in 1991, although today there is another operator who uses the Trippe title. Howard Hughes can be described as a weirdo with a developing paranoia for anything dirty. He never drank or smoked and after finally selling TWA became a recluse in a Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. hotel he owned dying actually in the air in 1976 whilst being moved between hospitals. He was aged 71, but unrecognisable the authorities using 20 year old fingerprints to formally identify him. A sad end for a brilliant man, a sequence of events not revealed in the film dominated by Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11 1974[1]) is a three-time Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor who garnered world wide fame for his role as Jack Dawson in Titanic. who through its 169 minutes degenerates in much the way Hughes must have done. Hughes, a true aviation man, would be proud of his lasting legacy. The Hughes Space and Communications company Communications Company is a communications unit of the United States Marine Corps. They are part of Combat Logistics Regiment 37 , 3rd Marine Logistics Group (3MLG) and III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF). The unit is based out of the Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. is the world's largest manufacturer of commercial satellites. Hughes Electronics is owned by General Motors and Hughes Aircraft Hughes Aircraft Company was a major aerospace and defense company founded by Howard Hughes. The group was based near Ballona Creek, in Culver City, California, USA, on the Pacific Coast. Hughes Aircraft was acquired by General Motors in 1985. merged with Raytheon Company in 1998 and is now called Raytheon Systems Co. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute Howard Hughes Medical Institute, (HHMI), nonprofit medical research organization founded in 1953 by Howard Hughes and largly funded from proceeds of the 1984–85 sale of Hughes Aircraft. Headquartered in Chevy Chase, Md. has become the US's second largest philanthropic organisation (after the Bill & Melinda Gates' Foundation), with an endowment of $11bn and annual spending of about $450m. As for the film forget the opening sequence which shows a young Hughes with his mother. The movie really begins in the late 1920's with the young Hughes spending $4m of family money in the silent film, Hell's Angels Hell's Angels npl → Hell's Angels pl . It's WWI WWI abbr. World War I WWI World War One with a 75 aircraft private air force battling it out in the California sunshine
California Sunshine are Har-el Prussky and DJ Miko, a psychedelic trance project from Israel. . Three pilots were killed in the original filming. With Hell's Angels nearly complete Jolson comes along with the first talkie talk·ie n. Informal A movie with a sound track. talkie Noun Informal an early film with a soundtrack Noun 1. , the Jazz Singer. The obsessive Hughes shoots Hell's Angels again as a talkie. The Outlaw and countless other films follow but it is aviation that is the real interest of Hughes although he does find time to pursue Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett (born May 14, 1969), better known as Cate Blanchett, is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress. She has also won various awards, most notably including two SAGs and two BAFTAs, making her one of a few actors who won all in what is said to be a very lifelike performance), Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale as a rather luscious nun like figure) and Jean Harlow (played by Gwen Stefani looking very blond and dim). But Hughes (see here at the controls of Spruce Goose) wasn't just a ladies' man, he was also transfixed by aeroplanes, an obsession that very nearly cost him his life. Hughes finally takes Spruce Goose into the air. But forget about how the film depicts it. The real aircraft only just gets out of the water and 'flies' for little over half a mile. He did get airborne. So will the Airbus A380 in not many weeks from now. Jan 7, 2005 A number of airlines have stepped up to help with relief efforts for those affected by the devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. tsunami that hit several countries in Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, region of Asia (1990 est. pop. 442,500,000), c.1,740,000 sq mi (4,506,600 sq km), bounded roughly by the Indian subcontinent on the west, China on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the east. last week. Air Canada, Northwest Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . , Qatar Airways Qatar Airways (Arabic: القطرية) is an airline based in Doha, Qatar. It operates a hub and spoke network based in Doha, linking 81 international destinations. and Emirates are just a few that have agreed to operate special flights to transport supplies to the region. SAS (1) (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, www.sas.com) A software company that specializes in data warehousing and decision support software based on the SAS System. Founded in 1976, SAS is one of the world's largest privately held software companies. See SAS System. has opened up an airlift between Scandinavia and Thailand and Qantas also operated several special flights to bring travelers home Travelers Home is an Italian Villa style and Queen Anne style home in Sheridan, Oregon.[1] It was built in 1892, and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 8, 1982. to Australia. In addition, several carriers, including Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (HKSE: 0293 ) is an airline based in Hong Kong, operating scheduled passenger and cargo services to over 104 destinations worldwide. It is the flag carrier of Hong Kong with its main base at the Hong Kong International Airport. [1]. , SAS, SIA Sia (sī`ə) or Siaha (sī`əhə), in the Bible, family returned from the Exile. SIA - Serial Interface Adaptor , AC, Delta Air Lines and Wizz Air Wizz Air is a Polish/Hungarian low-cost airline focusing on the markets of Central Europe. Its main base is Katowice International Airport (Poland). It also has bases at Budapest Ferihegy International Airport (Hungary) , Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport (Poland), Gdańsk Lech , have donated funds to the relief efforts. Jan 4, 2005 American Airlines American Airlines matches Delta's SimpliFares in many markets. In a move that makes it significantly more likely that Delta Air Lines' new SimpliFares structure will hold, American Airlines yesterday said it had "broadly matched" the fares put in place by its Atlanta-based rival. In the Dallas/Ft. Worth-Reagan Washington National market, the lowest one- way coach fare offered by AA is now $499, reduced 43.3% from $880 previously. Between DFW DFW Dallas/Ft Worth, TX, USA - Dallas Ft Worth International (Airport Code) DFW Department of Fish and Wildlife DFW David Foster Wallace DFW Drug-Free Workplace DFW Down For Whatever (song by Pretty Young Things) and Seattle the lowest last-minute fare is now $499, lowered from $1,109. AA also said Saturday-night stay requirements were eliminated "in most markets" and it has reduced the number of fare levels. However, it has not capped its one-way economy fares at $499 or first-class fares at $599 as has Delta. The changes, while not as broad as Delta's, give the new structure traction. Network carriers such as Continental and Northwest have matched Delta's fares, but only in competing markets. With two of the Big Three onboard, others may fall in line rather than risking a fare war that could do even further damage to airline revenues this year. Meanwhile, AirTran, which competes heavily with Delta at Atlanta and across Florida, said its fares remain lower than SimpliFares. "After checking all of our fares in the 713 markets we serve, we did not have to change any of our fares to match Delta. In fact, we would have to raise our fares to match them," said VP-Planning, Pricing and Sales Kevin Healy. Jan 7, 2005 American Express American Express announced net income of $896 million for the fourth quarter, a 17 percent jump from one year ago-as net income for the full year spiked 15 percent to $3.4 billion. The travel giant's earnings reflect a rebound in corporate travel spending and passenger volumes in the fourth quarter. American Express's Travel Related Services sector, which includes both its card and agency business, contributed to the company's record net income with its own 20 percent rise last quarter. On the travel side, U.S. airline-related volume rose 3 percent, yet "transaction volume growth was suppressed by a lower average airline charge," the company said in its earning report. Meanwhile, worldwide air volumes increased 11 percent. While consumer spending surged with the holidays and gave an 18 percent lift to Amex's non-T&E volumes last quarter, T&E charge card volumes also felt a boost, rising 9 percent. Jan 25, 2005 ANA ANA said it will add a surcharge to all international fares beginning Feb. 1 as a result of rising fuel prices. On flights to Europe, North America and South America, it will add a [yen]2,500 ($24) surcharge per sector; to Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia a [yen]1,800 surcharge per sector; to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Guam a [yen]1,000 surcharge per sector, and to Korea a [yen]500 surcharge per sector. Jan 6, 2005 Austrian Airlines Austrian Airlines announced that it will reduce its current fuel surcharge on its trans-Atlantic flight segments between the United States and Vienna, today, effective immediately. The previously existing fuel surcharge of US$33.00 (thirty-three dollars) each way will be reduced to US$25.00 (twenty-five dollars) each way as of today. Therefore, Austrian's trans-Atlantic ticket prices, each way, will also be reduced by this amount effective Jan. 18 2004. Austrian Airlines offers non-stop trans-Atlantic service to Vienna from New York/JFK and Washington, DC/Dulles. Jan 18, 2005 Cendant Travel Distribution Services Cendant Travel Distribution Services has acquired all of the assets of The Away Network, an online special interest travel firm. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Away Network operates three sites, including Away.com, GORP.com (Great Outdoor Recreation Pages) and Outside Online, the website of Outside Magazine. Combined, these sites averaged nearly 2m unique visitors a month in 2004, according to Comscore Media Metrix. Away Network sites offer more than 50,000 pages of travel content, including destination and activity guides and maps, gear reviews and feature articles published by Outside Magazine. The buy further demonstrates the GDSs' need to spread their interests across the distribution chain. According to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA (1) (Telecommunications Industry Association, Arlington, VA, www.tiaonline.org) A membership organization founded in 1988 that sets telecommunications standards worldwide. It was originally an EIA working group that was spun off and merged with the U.S. ), more than one-third of leisure trips are family vacations, while outdoor recreation is the primary purpose of about 13% of all leisure trips. Good news for Cendant is The Away Network recently received Forbes 'Best of the Web' awards in family vacations, adventure travel, nature tours, romantic travel and road trips. http://www.cendant.com Jan 22, 2005 Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines sprung a surprise last week with dramatic news that it was cutting domestic fares by as much as 50% and reducing sharply the price of last minute bookings, a move aimed primarily at the business travel market. The airline wants customers to book via the net. Keeping in line with the rest of the industry, tickets purchased over the telephone from Delta Reservations will now cost $5 more per ticket and $10 more if purchased at Delta ticketing locations, including at the airport. Not always noted for its speed in these matters the airline industry has been quick to respond with American Airlines, the nation's largest carrier, imitating Delta Air Lines' decision. Rivals, Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines, which also are under assault by rapidly expanding low-cost carriers, took a United Airlines and US Airways more limited approach, matching Delta's cuts only in some markets where they compete head-to-head. http://www.delta.com Jan 7, 2005 Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines' new simpler fare structure introduced on Jan. 5 2005 was applauded by some analysts, while others worried about the competitive response and the effect it will have on revenue this year. As expected, Delta expanded its SimpliFares pricing structure beyond its Cincinnati hub to its entire US domestic route network excluding Alaska and Hawaii. It has capped one-way economy fares at $499 and one-way first-class fares at $599. Roundtrip purchase is required for some fares, but the Saturday-night stay requirement has been eliminated from all categories (some fares do require a one-night stay). Additionally, it has cut the ticket change fee in half to $50. The leaner structure has just six basic fare categories in coach (three one-way, three roundtrip) and two in first class. Jan 6, 2005 Eurostar Eurostar saw record passenger numbers, punctuality Punctuality Fogg, Phileas completes world circuit at exact minute he wagered he would. [Fr. Lit.: Around the World in Eighty Days] Gilbreths disciplined family brought up to abide by strict, punctual standards. [Am. Lit. and sales figures in 2004. The performance was boosted by the company's busiest ever Christmas and New Year period, in which 250,000 passengers were carried. 7,276,675 passengers travelled on Eurostar in 2004, up 15% on 2003. Eurostar says that its highest monthly market share in 2004 was 68% on the London - Paris and 63% on the London - Brussels air/rail routes. The air competition was further reduced by British Airways decision to drop its Gatwick - Charles de Gaulle route, the sole remaining service between the two airports. However, with competing Waterloo replaced by St Pancras (left) in 2007, another carrier, perhaps easyJet, might yet return on the route. Eurostar says that punctuality in 2004 was 89.2%, up 10.9% on the same period last year (78.3%) and the best-ever annual figure recorded by the train operator Eurostar and points out this is far better than the figures airline competitors operating on the London - Paris - Brussels routes although VLM 1. (architecture) VLM - Very Large Memory. 2. (networking) VLM - Virtual Loadable Module. will challenge that with its 92% record on Brussels - London City. http://www.eurostar.com Jan 7, 2005 Hotels.com Hotels.com owns and is powering a new consumer Web site that allows users to instantly book vacation rental properties, such as suites, villas and homes. Called VacationSpot.com, the site has thousands of rentals around the world. It is giving away 100 weeklong stays during the first 100 days of being in business. The offers pictures, ratings and descriptions and low-price guarantees, says Dan Proctor, vice president of vacation rentals. Jan 24, 2005 Intercontiental Hotels Intercontiental Hotel Group is moving ahead with a whole series of new properties. Opened just before Christmas, on the other side of Atlanta to Hartfield International Airport, the 21-storey hotel InterContinental Buckhead offers 401 guest rooms and 21 suites. In Europe March will see the introduction of Aphrodite Aphrodite (ăfrədī`tē), in Greek religion and mythology, goddess of fertility, love, and beauty. Homer designated her the child of Zeus and Dione. Hills Resort Hotel in Cyprus. Overlooking the blue Mediterranean at the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, the hotel is located in the heart of the award winning Aphrodite Hills Resort amongst an 18-hole championship golf course, luxury retreat spa and tennis academy. Germany too has a pair of "Intercons" scheduled for 2005, the Berchtesgaden mountain resort in the spring and a city centre property in Dusseldorf scheduled for the summer. http://www.ichotelsgroup.com Jan 14, 2005 Las Vegas Las Vegas McCarran Airport has become a free wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) facility. Travelers with Wi-Fi-enabled computers and personal digital assistants now have high-speed connections from almost all public areas in the airport. The airport also will benefit by using the wireless technology to operate more efficiently and support internal business applications. Jan 6, 2005 London Heathrow Airport “Heathrow” redirects here. For Heathrow, the village, see Heathrow, London. “LHR” redirects here. For other uses, see LHR (disambiguation). London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL London[sup.1]s Heathrow airport wants to remind passengers that the Piccadilly station at T4 is now closed and will remain so until August/September 2006 whilst the T5 connection is finished. Passengers from London should get off at Hatton Cross where a bus service is provided and should also allow for an extra ten minutes journey time. An alternative for those with restricted walking (Hatton Cross does not have lifts) is to go to the central area and take the Heathrow Express. http://www.baa.com Jan 7, 2005 NYC NYC abbr. New York City NYC New York City & Company Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and NYC & Company Chairman Jonathan M. Tisch and President & CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Cristyne L. Nicholas announced a record-breaking city tourism forecast for 2004 that showed the total number of visitors jumping 4.6% over 2003 to 39.6 million with growth in all major categories. This includes a double-digit increase of 10.2% in the lucrative international visitor segment, which is the first time these numbers have risen since September 11th. The strength of New York City's tourism industry is reflected in a direct spending projection of $15.1 billion and $220 million in hotel tax revenue in 2004. The Mayor made the announcement at the Bronx Zoo, where he kicked-off Paint the Town, NYC & Company's annual winter travel savings program which runs through February 28th. During the announcement, the Mayor and NYC & Company also outlined a hospitality community tsunami relief effort. Jan 14, 2005 Southwest Airlines Southwest will suspend service to George Bush Intercontinental Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IATA: IAH, ICAO: KIAH, FAA LID: IAH)[2] is an international airport in the city of Houston, Texas, United States serving the Greater Houston area. on April 2 2005 for financial reasons. It will continue to operate as normal at Houston Hobby Airport. The airline will begin contacting passengers who hold tickets from April 3 through June 6 to re- accommodate them. Gary Kelly, vice chairman and CEO, said, "We cannot continue to serve two airports in Houston and realize the losses we have generated for years" at the airport. "We are making an enormous commitment to Houston Hobby Airport, making it the focal point focal point n. See focus. of our future growth." Hobby currently is Southwest's fifth busiest airport. Jan 27, 2005 Swiss International For the third year in a row, German-language "Business Traveller" magazine has named Swiss International the winner of its Business Traveller Award 2004 for the best airline serving North and South America. Swiss International was also rated top in the category Cabin Comfort for flights within Germany or Europe. Jan 19, 2005 Swiss International Swiss International is participating in the collective effort organized by Swiss Solidarity for the benefit of the victims of the Asian tsunami. From tomorrow, January 5, through until Sunday, January 9 2005, Swiss International will donate CHF CHF In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Swiss Franc. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. 10 for every booking received via http://www.swiss.com. In addition, 10 per cent of the January revenue from duty-free sales on board Swiss International flights will go to Swiss Solidarity. The undersea quake and subsequent sea surge in Asia have prompted an unprecedented global relief effort. Swiss International expresses its solidarity with the victims and actively supports the relief work by donating funds to Swiss Solidarity. From January 5 to 9 Swiss International will donate CHF 10 to the relief fund for every flight booked over http://www.swiss.com. Until the end of January, 10 per cent of all revenue from duty-free sales on board Swiss International flights will go to Swiss Solidarity. Swiss International will also make cargo space available free of charge in the short term for organizations such as the Red Cross and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is Switzerland’s international cooperation agency within the Swiss Foreign Ministry. Together with other federal offices, SDC is responsible for overall coordination of international development activities and cooperation . Jan 4, 2005 Travelocity Travelocity is poised to take a majority share in Zuji, a leading Asia- Pacific online travel company. Travelocity, a subsidiary of Sabre, signaled its intention to grow internationally with the October 2003 purchase of the Travelocity Europe joint venture, which had excluded the operations in Germany. Zuji was formed in 2002 as a joint venture between Travelocity and 15 Asia-Pacific airlines. Zuji is present in Australia, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong and utilizes Travelocity technology in the Asia Pacific region as Zuji.com. http://www.travelocity.com Jan 31, 2005 Travelocity Travelocity's new Fight Navigator tool tells consumers when there are only three or fewer seats left at the quoted price. Users can also compare options such as traveling from different airports on different dates to save money. It also gives fare notes-detailed flight, airline and deal information-seat maps, a more extensive flight grid showing more airlines and prices, and a bar that tells them where they are during the shopping process. Jan 25, 2005 United Airlines United Airlines announced several initiatives to assist with the tsunami relief effort in Asia, including the donation of available cargo space to ship relief supplies to southern Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other coastal areas on the Indian Ocean. Jan 5, 2005 US Airways US Airways is seeing record sales as it implements short-term fare sales as the rest of the industry continues to debate the impact of the systemwide, permanent restructuring of pricing begun by Delta several weeks ago. US Airways domestic tickets, which were as low as $49 each way, could only be purchased last week. But low fares to Latin America are available until Feb. 7 2005. The major airlines complained last week of overcapacity in the system and low yields, even though the majors have matched Delta's lower fares in many markets. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said challenges would continue into the first quarter of this year due to "the glut of airline seats." Southwest so far is the only major to make a profit in 2004, when it reaped $313 million in net income. American, which lost $761 million for the year, also complained of too much capacity. Delta lost $5.2 billion for the year, compared with a loss last year of $773 million. Continental lost $363 million for the year, compared with a gain in 2003 of $38 million. Jan 20, 2005 Visit Britain Visit Britain says that the official number of visitors to the UK during the first 11 months of 2004 has already exceeded the total made in the whole of 2003. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 25.24m international visits were made to Britain between January 1 - 30 November 2004, 11% more than in the year earlier period. The expected full year figure of 26m plus will exceed 1998 record numbers. Visitors from North America rose by 10% to 4.09m in the 11 months, from western Europe by 9% to 16.11m and from the rest of the world by 20% to 5.04m. Windsor remains one of the most popular attractions. http://www.visitbritain.com Jan 14, 2005 Copyright (c) 2005 Pyramid Media Group, Inc. / AirguideOnline.com. All rights reserved. |
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