WAV Travel News - Wednesday Edition
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Lufthansa to add surcharge for GDS bookings
The airlines of the Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines) will add a fee of 16 euros (about $17.78 at today’s exchange rate) to every GDS booking, starting Sept. 1.
The airlines will not add the “Distribution Cost Charge” (DCC) to tickets purchased through their own websites or at its service centers and ticket counters at airports.
The company said that travel agents can book tickets without incurring the DCC by using its online agent booking portal.
“We have two strategic targets: to be able to display the content, the price and the product in the channel we think is the most promising for selling our product and services, and to more evenly distribute the cost of services in the travel chain,” he said.
“We believe the market is ready for this change. ... Somebody’s got to do it.” — Lufthansa's Jens Bischof
Bischof said that the GDS channel’s high costs are not commensurate with the value that GDSs offer in the transaction chain. Lufthansa said that the costs for using GDSs are several times higher than for other booking methods, such as its own direct booking portal, and that yearly GDS costs amount to “three-digit million euros.” Lufthansa added that many GDS services “however, are primarily used by other partners in the value chain.”
“Until now, the percentage of revenue generated from the sale of flight tickets by our airlines has continuously decreased,” Bischof said in a statement about the new strategy. “While other service and system partners in the value chain are recording increasing margins and returns, our airlines’ earnings have been compromised over time, even though they are the actual providers of flight services. We want to counteract this trend by refocusing our commercial strategy.”
Lufthansa also said the GDSs have limited booking functionality and that "innovative ancillary services and enhanced price options require suitable sales technology."
"The Lufthansa Group’s airlines are, therefore, in the process of developing a new booking method to enable sales partners to connect to their IT systems directly based on the new IATA data standard NDC (New Distribution Capability). The first NDC pilot project is currently being tested at Swiss and should begin at Lufthansa during the course of this year," Lufthansa said.
In a statement responding to Lufthansa’s strategy, the Amadeus said the new model would make “comparison and transparency more difficult because travelers will now be forced to go to multiple channels to search for the best fares.
“[Lufthansa] has chosen to go in a different direction by introducing charges that will penalize travelers based on the shopping channel they use,” the statement said. “Travelers will either pay more for the same service or, in the case that travel agencies are forced to accept this new commercial strategy by modifying the way they access content just for [Lufthansa], there will be extra IT costs that may ultimately be passed on to the traveler, putting the travel agent, and/or the end consumer, at a disadvantage.
“Ultimately, the industry overall stands to lose from this distribution model,” Amadeus said.
Travelport said in a statement: "We believe this proposed surcharge is not in the interests of either the end traveler or the airline group."
In a statement, Sabre said, "Lufthansa’s proposed 'cost distribution charge' disadvantages consumers and travel agencies. The GDS is the most preferred and efficient channel for consumers and travel agents to shop, book and manage travel, and provides consumers with transparency, choice and the ability to comparison shop. We stand behind the significant value we provide airline customers and agencies around the world, and we expect to find a mutually beneficial solution for both Lufthansa and our agency customers."
Caribbean destinations advised to embrace cultural tourism
NEW YORK — Today’s Caribbean travelers want to do more than sit in the sun and drink rum punch, according to Arnie Weissmann, editor in chief of Travel Weekly.
Weissmann addressed more than 100 agents at a travel agent seminar during the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s annual Caribbean Week event here.
He focused on the opportunities presented by the evolution of consumers’ desires for new and authentic experiences in the areas of Caribbean food, culture and nature.
Back in the day, the goal for most visitors was to stay in as nice a resort as they could afford, and in aggregate, the islands had properties that could accommodate people at any price point, according to Weissmann.
“People were satisfied with local color rather than authenticity — a limbo show often seemed to do the trick,” Weissmann said.
Differentiating what each island brings to the table beyond sun and sand is vital.
“The travel industry at every level must at least offer the opportunity for authentic experiences to travelers,” he said.
He cited the emergence of Cuba as an example of a destination whose culture is different, exotic and mysterious.
Half of the agents in the room indicated they had clients who want to go to Cuba.
“They want the experience of going where others haven’t gone before,” one agent said.
“It’s not been accessible. People are curious about the culture and history there,” another agent said.
Weissmann pointed out that these are the same aspects that other Caribbean islands offer and asked his audience for examples of experiential travel they could offer up in talks with their clients.
Cooking classes in Martinique, Jamaica’s Meet the People program, voluntourism opportunities in local schools, church services, fish fries in Turks & Caicos and Barbados, a tour of a chocolate factory in Grenada, full moon parties in the British Virgin Islands, mud baths in St. Lucia, jazz festivals, Carnival celebrations were cited by agents as well as island tourism representatives in the room.
“Each island has a lot that is unique and sellable. When the Caribbean is marketed, not a lot of emphasis is put on the distinctiveness of individual islands,” Weissmann said.
He suggested that regional destination marketing “has to drill down to point out the unique aspects each island offers to visitors and how it complements its neighbors in the region.”
U.S. Travel proposes aviation tax cut
The U.S. Travel Association has proposed the elimination of five passenger aviation taxes in order to offset an increase to the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC).
The association on Tuesday presented a plan to Congress "to fix the country's struggling air travel infrastructure and promote a healthy, well-functioning passenger aviation system,” as part of the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration bill, which expires in September.
U.S. Travel contends that it is necessary to raise the PFC, a federally regulated tax currently capped by Congress at $4.50 per passenger per flight, in order to finance airport projects.
"We continue to believe that the PFC, as a pure user fee, is the ideal means to address our severe infrastructure challenges,” said U.S. Travel CEO Roger Dow. "But finding the math to be able to include an airfare tax cut is a critical new piece, and has been expressly designed to address the concerns of some who have attacked the PFC approach."
The plan calls to eliminate the Domestic Passenger Ticket Tax; the tax on international arrivals and departures; the Domestic Commercial Fuel Tax; the tax on mileage rewards; and the tax on flights between the continental U.S. and Alaska or Hawaii.
The group said today that the net effect of its plan on the average federal ticket taxes and fees would be a reduction of between $9.50 and $25.50, based on an average roundtrip airfare of $340.
U.S. Travel and airports have been lobbying for an increase in the PFC cap from $4.50 to $8.50 per passenger segment, while airlines, which collect PFCs at the time of the ticket purchase, have lobbied to keep the cap at its current level on the grounds that higher fees would make air travel more expensive.
"This plan would take care of the price sensitivity argument and take it off the table,” said Dow on a conference call on Tuesday with media.
U.S. Travel also said that the tax changes would eliminate airlines' incentive to collect "inordinate amounts of revenue through ancillary fees, such as for bags and ticket changes.”
Dow noted that a 2009 ruling by the IRS that ancillary fees are not subject to taxation “unleashed" the current trend toward fees by airlines.
"Eliminating the Domestic Passenger Ticket Tax would remove the airlines' incentive to shelter mass amounts of revenue in fees,” the statement said.
All Aboard Florida unveils plans for tower beside downtown station
WEST PALM BEACH — All Aboard Florida’s conceptual plan for a rail-side apartment tower would rise 23 floors above Evernia Street, with 275 rentals in a moderate price range.
The project’s broad outlines, revealed in an open house for local residents Tuesday, represent a first step in the development process that remains open to public suggestions and several months away from the required government approvals.
Jose M. Gonzalez, senior vice president, corporate development, for All Aboard parent Florida East Coast Industries, said the company hopes to complete the project by the middle of 2017, about the time that the company’s high-speed rail service between Miami and West Palm Beach would begin. The project still requires Planning and Zoning Board and other approvals in West Palm Beach and Tallahassee. Construction could start by the end of the year.
The downtown rail station will be built just west of Quadrille Boulevard, with the apartment rising just west of the station.
The ground floors would be ringed with “destination retail,” such as coffee shops and restaurants. The building’s 800-car garage would be bookended by apartments for several stories, and veiled on two sides by architectural meshing, “a breathable skin,” for ventilation, he said. The garage rooftop would serve as an “amenity deck,” with a swimming pool, yoga lawn, fitness center, clubhouse and “outdoor living room area” overlooking the city.
There would be separate entries and parking areas for residents and train passengers.
The apartments would range from 600-square-foot studios to 1,100-square-foot, two-bedroom units. A typical renter for the smaller units might be a recent college graduate, looking to live affordably downtown, Gonzalez said. The larger, pricier apartments would be for more-established couples.
The concept recognizes that with the recent spate of condo construction in South Florida, many people have been priced out of downtowns, he said. The company hasn’t yet determined the range of rents, he said, but he added that many of the two dozen or so people who attended the open house Tuesday told him they liked that the units were all rentals and would not be leased at luxury prices.
The tone of the meeting was collegial, with posters set up on easels for people to view preliminary outlines of the project. Several All Aboard Florida officials were on hand to answer questions.
Under a deal city commissioners approved last month, All Aboard Florida got the right to build a bigger residential tower next to its downtown train station and would use adjacent land for a road to link the station with the city’s main shopping drag, Clematis Street.
The rail company, assembling a high-speed link between Miami and Orlando, got approval to buy additional building capacity on the West Palm residential site, where it hopes to build the 345,000-square-foot structure.
House Attempts to Block Cuban Travel Likely To Face Veto
A recent attempt by members of the House of Representatives to block new cruises and flights to Cuba won’t likely get far, according to a recent statement from the White House.
Republican congressmen have attached new Cuba restrictions to a major transportation bill (H.R. 2577), but a statement from the White House indicates that President Obama will wield his veto pen if the bill contains such limitations on travel to Cuba and other inclusions the White House deems objectionable.
Republican Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart introduced legislation to block new flights or cruise departures to Cuba saying that the travel violates the Cuban travel ban, which is based on the broader U.S. embargo of Cuba in place since the early 1960s.
The embargo cannot be removed without an act of Congress. But Obama has begun relaxing relations with Cuba through executive powers he can exercise without congressional action.
Limitations on travel to Cuba were not the only reasons stated for White House opposition to the transportation bill.
According to a statement from the White House released June 1, “…the legislation includes highly objectionable provisions, including provisions that would restrict travel to Cuba, undercut public safety, and limit State and local choices to enhance passenger rail. If the President were presented with H.R. 2577, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.”
Airbus says 3 of 4 engines failed on crashed A400M
Airbus says A400M black boxes show 3 of 4 engines failed before deadly May crash in Spain
PARIS (AP) -- Airbus said Wednesday that three of the four engines on an A400M military plane failed before it crashed near Seville, Spain last month, killing four people.
In a statement, Airbus Defense and Space says the faulty engines were confirmed by Spanish accident investigators after completing their preliminary analysis of the aircraft's digital flight data and cockpit voice recorders.
The crash May 9 killed two pilots and two flight test engineers. The crash remains under investigation.
Three of the hulking gray aircraft's four turboprop engines suffered what it called "power frozen" after lift-off, and failed to respond to the crew's efforts to regain control. A fourth engine responded normally. No other problems have been identified by the preliminary analysis.
Airbus says the A400M's eight-bladed turboprop engines are the most powerful in production. They are built by a consortium made up of Rolls Royce, Snecma, MTU and ITP.
The A400M can carry 116 fully equipped paratroopers or carry up to 37 tons of cargo, including armored vehicles and helicopters.
Last month Airbus sent a so-called Alert Operator Transmission notice to all operators of the giant airlifter, warning them of the need to perform checks of its Electronic Control Units before they are next flown.
Airbus said investigators' latest analysis is consistent with that AOT and doesn't call for any further recommendations.
Four of the five countries that already have A400Ms — Britain, Germany, Malaysia and Turkey — grounded the plane after the crash. France, which has six, says it will only use the aircraft in urgent operations.
The 20 billion euro A400M program saw its first deliveries in 2013. Some 174 aircraft have been ordered by eight countries — including Spain — to replace their aging military transport fleets. Twelve of the aircraft were delivered as of March, with Malaysia's air force being the most recent customer. A further five aircraft were due to be delivered to Germany this year, but Airbus has notified the German government to expect delays.
Serious Injuries Reported After Roller Coaster Collision at England's Alton Towers
Four people have been seriously injured following a collision on the Smiler roller coaster at England's Alton Towers theme park on Tuesday.
According to the BBC, 16 people were on the ride when their carriage collided with another empty carriage that was stopped on the track.
"When the second carriage crashed people were screaming and shouting - even after it stopped.
Everyone around the park ran over," said park goer and witness Ben Richardson via BBC.
"The people looked significantly distressed," he added. "It was almost like a car crash, very full on."
"The resort's fully qualified first responders were on the scene immediately to assist with the evacuation which is ongoing, and the area has been closed to allow for access to emergency services vehicles," said resort operator Merlin Entertainments in a statement via BBC.
The company added that "there will be a full investigation once we have recovered the guests who are our priority."
The Staffordshire Fire department announced on Twitter that crews were on the scene to assist victims of the crash:
Park guests on social media, including Lucy Farrugia, reported that the ride had broken down prior to Tuesday's incident, prompting ride operators to send an empty carriage around the track.
The world's first 14-loop roller coater, the Smiler opened in May 2013 and has already racked up a long list of troubling incidents over the past two years, including some that have left riders injured.
Tourist attacked by bison at popular national park
A tourist has been seriously injured by a bison in the second attack in three weeks at Yellowstone National Park.
The 62-year-old Australian was tossed into the air several times.
He was flown by helicopter to a hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.
Several visitors crowded the bison as it lay on the grass, with one taking photos with an electronic notepad just 3-5 feet away, said a Yellowstone spokesman.
"The bison was already getting agitated," Yellowstone spokesman Amy Bartlett said.
Park officials recommend getting no closer than 25 yards to a bison, which can weigh as much as a small car and run three times faster than a person.
It was the second bison attack in Yellowstone since the beginning of the summer tourist season a month ago when a 16-year-old girl from Taiwan was gored as she posed for a picture near the animal May 16.
Tribe Opening New Casino Says a Competitor’s Site Is Too Close for Comfort
CHITTENANGO, N.Y. — The state’s newest casino opened here on Tuesday, brimming with hundreds of slot machines, scores of smiling employees and four flying-monkey sculptures adorning a “Wizard of Oz” themed gambling floor.
But the bonhomie that surrounds the opening of the Yellow Brick Road Casino belies an increasingly fractious battle between the Oneida Indian Nation, which owns the Yellow Brick Road and the much larger Turning Stone Resort Casino nearby, and Wilmorite, a Rochester developer that intends to open a $425 million casino just 55 miles west of Oneida territory.
Wilmorite’s project, called Lago, is at least a year from opening, but the conflict with the Oneidas has already led to legal saber-rattling, accusations of parasitic business plans and the possibility of a casino war along the Albany-to-Buffalo spur of the New York State Thruway.
Ray Halbritter, the representative of the Oneida Nation and the chief executive of Oneida Nation Enterprises, said he always told fellow members to “conduct ourselves in ways as if there were a casino across the street.” He added, “That day is upon us.”
In a strip mall just east of Syracuse, the Yellow Brick Road Casino has more than 400 slot machines, a 500-seat bingo hall and a Cyclone of Cash (visitors try to grab $1,000 in bills while standing in an enclosed whirlwind), all intended to lock up the affections of gamblers as Wilmorite waits.
Even before the new casino’s sidewalk was painted yellow, the Oneida Nation’s expansion plans were evident elsewhere: Slot machines were installed at tribal convenience stores, and a $25 million night-life complex opened at Turning Stone. There also are plans for a $100 million shopping and entertainment complex there.
The tribe’s competitive strategy extends beyond penny slots, cocktails and affordable buffets. The Washington law firm Williams & Connolly drafted a lengthy letter in April for the Oneidas to the chairman of the State Gaming Commission, Mark D. Gearan, asking that Wilmorite be denied a license. It said a casino so close to theirs could have “a devastating effect” on the tribe.
In particular, the Oneidas say they are troubled by economic projections — made by a firm hired by Wilmorite — that Lago would siphon tens of millions of dollars from Turning Stone. They say that would mean lost jobs, diminished tax revenue to the state and a serious threat to “the shared prosperity that both the Nation and the state have worked so hard to cultivate.”
Indeed, the undercurrent to much of the Oneidas’ maneuvering so far seems to be a none-too-subtle suggestion that the state has not lived up to the tenets of the Upstate New York Gaming Economic Development Act of 2013, which allows up to seven new, nontribal casinos to be built across New York.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, hailed the gaming act, approved by voters and lawmakers, as a way to jump-start the economy in long-suffering regions north of New York City. But it came to fruition only after an agreement the Oneidas and two other tribes made with the state, ending decades of land and legal disputes.
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As part of their deal, the Oneidas, after two decades of not sharing revenue, are paying the state 25 percent of their slot revenues, in return for a 10-county exclusivity zone. The result has been a sizable windfall: Since last spring, the tribe has paid nearly $65 million to the state, which has funneled a portion of that to nearby counties.
But the Wilmorite project — located beyond the Oneidas’ exclusive zone — endangers that, said Mr. Halbritter, who questioned the state’s motives.
“They share the revenue that we’re making, so their revenue is imperiled, too, which in essence impacts the overall intentions of the agreement we made — the very carefully negotiated agreement, very painstakingly negotiated,” Mr. Halbritter said last week. “And I think what the commission did is not consistent with both the agreement and the original intent of the governor and the Legislature.”
The Gaming Commission declined to comment on Mr. Halbritter’s remarks. But Thomas Wilmot Sr., the chairman of Wilmorite, said he had been surprised by the level of annoyance his project had caused his Turning Stone counterpart.
“When we had won the license, he made a public statement that he welcomed the competition,” Mr. Wilmot said of Mr. Halbritter in an interview last week, adding: “And we’re not in any way opposed to the Oneidas’ going forward with the Yellow Brick Road project. We think competition is a good thing.”
The Lago casino was one of three chosen in December by the state’s Gaming Facilities Location Board; the other two are in the Catskills and in Schenectady, about 100 miles to the east of Turning Stone. The state is already home to nine racetrack casinos and five casinos operated by Indian tribes.
The Oneida Nation is not the only group challenging the Lago project, which was also initially opposed by a local group, including several Amish families, in Tyre, a tiny town halfway between Syracuse and Rochester.
In March, the owners of a racetrack casino in Farmington, N.Y., about 35 miles west of Tyre, filed suit against the Gaming Commission and Wilmorite, saying Lago was unlikely to enhance economic development and would cannibalize the market in “a sparsely settled rural region already oversaturated with gaming venues.” Mr. Halbritter said the Oneidas were also considering their legal options.
Such turf battles come at a time of broader concerns in the casino industry as a whole, with revenues already down in many neighboring states and nationwide, and several casinos closing in Atlantic City last year. In New York, annual winnings at the state’s nine racetrack casinos were down for the first time for the fiscal year that ended on March 31.
Lee Park, a spokesman for the Gaming Commission, called the decline “very modest” and spoke of “the slow pace of the economic recovery, which has affected gaming nationwide.” He also cited better results in early 2015.
The Thruway is nevertheless shaping up to be the state’s gambling highway: In addition to Lago and the proposed casino in Schenectady, several racetrack casinos sit on or near the Thruway corridor, including Vernon Downs in Vernon, just south of Turning Stone.
The Seneca Nation of Indians owns three casinos in western New York, including a $130 million casino that opened in Buffalo in 2013. The nation said that it was evaluating the new competition, but that the newer casinos were entering an already saturated market. “The piece of the pie keeps getting smaller and smaller,” said Kevin Seneca, a board member of the Seneca Gaming Corporation.
Wilmorite acknowledged that a large chunk of its potential business at Lago would come from existing in-state competitors. According to an analysis TMG Consulting did for the company, Lago can anticipate drawing about $54.2 million from the racetrack casinos in its first full year of operation and $78.5 million from tribal casinos. That amounts to an estimated 51 percent of Lago’s projected earnings.
But Mr. Wilmot said he anticipated that he would “expand the market very substantially.” Moreover, he noted that Mr. Halbritter and Turning Stone, which opened in 1993, only recently began to pay the state a percentage of the casino’s slot winnings. “He’s basically had a monopoly and not had to pay any gaming taxes,” Mr. Wilmot said. “So he’s had a very good run for a long time.”
Mr. Halbritter did not dispute the Oneidas’ success but said, “We created this opportunity from Day 1,” transforming a dirt-poor group into one that earns an estimated $250 million to $350 million a year at Turning Stone.
And he does not necessarily appreciate someone else trying to take advantage of that, he said.
“If I went to Wilmot and said, ‘I’m going to take from your existing business, that’s my business plan, my business plan isn’t to create anything new, my business plan is simply to go after your business and take money out of your pocket and your community,’ ” Mr. Halbritter said, “I mean, what would be the response?”
Seaquarium trainers will no longer perform in water with Lolita
Nearly a year after being cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for the way trainers interact with Lolita the killer whale, the Miami Seaquarium says that trainers will no longer go into the water during performances.
Last year, the Seaquarium said it would appeal the OSHA decision. Monday, the park announced it had agreed to settle, though "not based on any safety incidents with Lolita."
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has long pushed for Lolita to be freed from her tank, released a statement urging people to boycott the attraction until the whale is sent to a seaside sanctuary.
Stop Uber, Lyft at airport to avoid 'anarchy on the curbs,' aviation director says
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is being swarmed by unlicensed, underground taxi drivers for the companies Uber and Lyft, Broward County's aviation director complained. He wants them stopped.
They're taking up space in the public cellphone waiting lot, refusing to pay county fees and operating without the legally required licenses and permits, said Aviation Director Kent George, who warned that if the situation isn't rectified, "I will have anarchy on the curbs."
A Memorial Day weekend undercover operation at the airport netted dozens of violators; 102 citations were handed out to drivers.
George wants county commissioners this month, before their summer break, to "bring whatever action is necessary'' against Uber and Lyft, "to stop their operations at FLL,'' he wrote to County Administrator Bertha Henry in an internal memo.
George said Monday he'd like to see the county get a court injunction barring the companies from operating in Broward, so that offending drivers could be stopped — maybe even arrested.
"We've attempted in every way, shape or form to come to a resolution,'' George said. "It's not a good situation at all.''
He said he fears if the new-on-the-scene Uber and Lyft drivers are allowed to continue operating outside county laws, taxi drivers will revolt and stop following them, as well.
"Then I will have a safety and security problem on the curbs of the airport,'' he said. "I'll have no control and the customer is going to suffer.''
The smartphone-based ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft entered the South Florida market last fall, spinning the traditional cab industry into turmoil.
While fares for cabs in Broward are set by the county, services like Uber and Lyft, whose drivers use their personal vehicles, charge less.
Traditional cabs pay $3 per fare to operate at the airport, and must wait in line to be dispatched. Uber and Lyft, meanwhile, swoop in to the curb, avoiding the system.
Traditional cab drivers have county chauffeur registrations, and their cars have county permits. Uber and Lyft drivers often lack one or both.
George said his analysis showed the cabs are losing 180 fares a day at the airport to Uber and Lyft. That's out of approximately 2,275 fares there a day, based on figures supplied by Yellow Cab President John Camillo.
County commissioners have talked before of seeking a court injunction against Uber.
The county has issued more than 500 citations to "transportation network company'' drivers since last fall for failing to have the proper permits for driver and vehicle, said Leonard Vialpando, director of the Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department.
In April, the County Commission modernized its taxi laws, recognizing that companies like Uber and Lyft are "transportation network companies,'' or "TNCs,'' and will be treated differently than traditional taxis. Unlike with taxis, TNCs can have unlimited numbers of vehicles, and unregulated fares.
But the law also requires drivers to submit to fingerprint-based FBI criminal background checks, carry insurance consistent with Florida law, which County Attorney Joni Armstrong Coffey said requires around-the-clock commercial coverage, and have their vehicles inspected by a mechanic.
Uber spokesman Bill Gibbons said at the time that its drivers would pull out of Broward.
"We cannot operate in Broward County if such onerous regulations are enforced, and stand ready to re-engage with the Commission to bring more choice and opportunity back to Broward County."
Gibbons said Monday the company stands by that statement.
Lyft spokeswoman Paige Thelen said Monday that the company "welcomes common-sense regulation, but a one-size-fits-all approach does not support new, innovative transportation choices like Lyft. Cities and states across the nation have created new rules for ridesharing that promote safety while allowing this new form of community-powered transportation to thrive. Broward County can do the same. We will continue to work with local officials to explore positive paths forward for Lyft in Broward County.''
A simple tap on the smartphone-based apps for both companies shows drivers surrounding the airport waiting for fares.
Vialpando said some drivers have attempted to follow the law.
But the companies must obtain a license in order for their drivers' vehicles to be permitted. Neither Uber nor Lyft has attempted to obtain a license, he said.
The county has a website with information for TNC drivers, and expects them to be able to apply online for chauffeur registrations starting June 19. Fingerprinting is still pending approval from the FBI, he said, but also is expected to start later this month.
The fee for a driver to obtain a chauffeur registration will range from about $90 to more than $100, he said.
"We're going to try to make it as easy as possible,'' he said.
TEA/AECOM theme park attendance 2014 report: Universal Orlando's visitation spikes, SeaWorld's plunges
Year-over-year attendance at Universal Studios Florida spiked 17 percent in 2014 but dropped 8 percent at SeaWorld Orlando, according to a closely-watched theme park report released Wednesday morning.
The report was released by consulting firm AECOM and the Themed Entertainment Association.
Universal stole market share stole market share not only from SeaWorld but from Walt Disney World's theme parks.
Universal Studios' attendance – 8.3 million - was boosted by the addition of a Harry Potter land last year. However, Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure attendance stayed flat at 8.1 million, the report said. Islands of Adventure was expected to benefit from the Hogwarts Express, a new Harry Potter-themed train that visitors could ride only if they had tickets or passes to both parks.
SeaWorld – with attendance of 4.7 million - has suffered as competitors has opened new attractions, and it also has been fighting negative publicity over its killer whales in captivity.
The theme park companies do not break out attendance for their individual parks, so industry executives consider the TEA/AECOM estimates a leading source on visitation.
The estimates show 72.6 million people visited one of Orlando's big three theme park destinations last year – a 6 percent increase.
Walt Disney World parks all saw increases in attendance, but Universal eroded its market share.
Among Orlando's big three theme park companies, Disney's parks attracted 70.9 percent of visitors – down from 73.3 percent in 2013. Universal's market share is up to 22.6 percent from 19.3 percent the previous year.
SeaWorld has 6.5 percent – down from 7.4 percent in 2013.
Disney's Magic Kingdom experienced a 4 percent jump in attendance to 19.3 million. Its other parks – Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom - increased 2 percent.
Travel convention brings 'all the players you need' to Orlando companies
An estimated $5 billion in U.S. travel deals and sales will be negotiated in the five-day U.S. Travel Association IPW convention.
Central Florida attractions, destinations and companies are doing what they can to capture a fraction of that revenue.
"What's great about this is we have all the players that we need to get a big deal done all together in one place," said Lauren Volcheff, vice president of sales and marketing for Altamonte Springs-headquartered Tourico Holidays. "You have your day-to-day contact, but then you have the revenue manager of the entire Hilton hotel chain; you have all the players you need at one table at one time. You don't have to worry about five different schedules."
Tourico Holidays, which is in its 21st year of operation, is a travel wholesale company that sells a mix of everything in the travel industry.
"We sell the pieces so that our clients can put the packages together," said Volcheff.
This year's IPW drew more than 6,000 of the international travel industry's decision makers. It's considered the Super Bowl of the industry.
This is the seventh year it's being held in Orlando. It was last here in 2010.
"The customers that are here will probably book around $5 billion worth of business during the couple days of the trade show," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. "So it's really a significant piece of economic activity for us."
She said last year the U.S. welcomed 74 million international visitors. They spent nearly $221 billion in goods and services.
Last year, Orlando welcomed a record-breaking 62 million visitors, including both domestic and international tourists.
Area businesses attending IPW wanted the event, held at the Orange County Convention Center, to be a mix of deal making and promotion of the region.
"It's an international marketplace that comes here so we felt it very important to be a part of it," said Michele Jacobs, corporate director of marketing and operations for The Forbes Company. Jacobs' company owns and operates three luxury shopping centers in Florida, including The Mall at Millenia in Orlando.
For Legoland Florida, the convention is as much about selling tickets and packages as it is about spreading into markets they aren't in. More than 500 media members, from all over the world, are attending this week's convention. Legoland Florida hosted 35 of those press members for a tour Sunday, resort spokeswoman Brittany Williams said.
Larger attractions such as Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Orlando Resort, are spending hundreds of thousands by hosting private events for all conventioneers.
Universal Orlando Resort is hosting Wednesday night's event. Dennis Quinn, vice president of Destination Universal for the resort, is glad buyers are able to visit his Orlando parks but is not necessarily concerned about the number of tickets they sell.
"What we try to do is open up a dialogue that will benefit us next year or for years to come," he said. "It's not really about what can we close at this show over these three or four days. It's about growing the business overall."
Northwestern University asks United to apologize to chaplain
The president of Northwestern University has called on United Airlines to formally apologize to the school's Muslim chaplain, whose claim of discrimination on a flight from Chicago has sparked a social media campaign and boycott.
In a letter to United CEO Jeff Smisek, University President Morton Schapiro said he was disappointed at the "outrageous and discriminatory treatment" of Tahera Ahmad, an associate chaplain and the director of interfaith engagement at Northwestern.
Ahmad was flying from Chicago to Washington, D.C., last week on a United flight operated by Shuttle America when a flight attendant brought her an opened can of Diet Coke. Ahmad documented the encounter and its aftermath on Facebook.
According to her posts, when Ahmad requested an unopened can for sanitary reasons, the flight attendant declined, saying the airline didn't serve unopened beverages because they could be used as weapons.
Ahmad, according to her posts, pointed out another passenger's unopened beer and accused the crew member of discriminating against her because she was wearing a headscarf. The flight attendant then abruptly opened the other passenger's beer, according to the posts, while another passenger leaned across the aisle to tell Ahmad that she as a Muslim would use it as a weapon and to be quiet.
Ahmad was heading to the nation's capital to participate in a conference hosted by Kids4Peace, an interfaith youth movement. She recently appeared in a PBS documentary titled "The Calling," which portrays the struggles of Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders. She has led international workshops on cultural awareness for the U.S. State Department and was invited by President Barack Obama to the White House last year for her pioneering work as a Muslim woman.
In 2013 she became the first woman to recite verses from the Quran at the Islamic Society of North America convention in Washington, D.C.
"Tahera Ahmad is the Muslim chaplain at Northwestern, one of the few female Muslim chaplains in the country, and an esteemed leader in our community," Schapiro said. "Yet she was treated with a complete lack of respect. … The extraordinarily unprofessional and humiliating treatment of one of our community members is shockingly disappointing."
Charles Hobart, a spokesman for United, said the airline will respond to Schapiro's letter. He said the airline has had two conversations with Ahmad as well as "in-depth conversations" with the Shuttle America flight crew to "get a better understanding of what occurred from their perspective."
"We're a company that does not discriminate and we don't tolerate discrimination from our employees or our customers," Hobart said. "The president asked that we apologize to Ms. Ahmad and we have done that."
Ahmad said in her posts that the flight attendant and pilot later apologized and escorted her to the United customer service desk inside the Washington airport to file a formal complaint. She since has expressed disappointment that United has reduced the incident to a misunderstanding about a can of Diet Coke.
Indeed, Schapiro said the airline's apologies have not gone far enough.