WAV Travel News - Monday Edition
Bill Vervaeke, CDME
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Why Hotels Can No Longer Ignore Google
There was a time when hoteliers primarily worried about the impact of online travel agencies (OTAs) to direct business.
Now, a new player is changing the hospitality industry: the metamediary.
A metamediary is a company that specializes in metasearch; that is, it acts as a third party, linking consumers to a booking site through a simple web search.
One metamediary that is making a lot of noise lately is Google. An update to flight booking engine Google Flights in February caused a lot of commotion, with Google Flights being praised as even more efficient and helpful than major OTAs such as Expedia and Priceline. Google Hotel Finder acts in a similar manner.
But while Google Flights includes a lot of direct links to airlines’ official booking sites, Google Hotel Finder—at least for now—appears to be different in that it features many more accommodation booking links to OTAs than direct links. This has less to do with Google favoring OTAs and more to do with OTAs paying to be featured among the top links. Naturally, this could hurt hoteliers in a number of ways. Not only are they losing direct business to OTAs, but—given Google Hotel Finder’s prominence in hotel searches—they may have to pay for ad space on the metamediary just to stay competitive.
The article “Running Shoes, Bears, and Revenue Strategy” by Cindy Estis Green notes that are three potential problems the metamediary age can have on hotels. One, if rooms are simply being sold quickly by price through web searches, it can undermine the brand name. Two, the relationships between hoteliers and guests can become watered down and diminished. And third, hoteliers won’t have much leverage when negotiating for ad placement via metamediaries and metasearch engines (with like, say, Google).
Chris Nieberding, an associate with consulting and services organization HVS, recently took a look at the issue in his article, Metamediaries Forcing Hotels to Adapt.
Nieberding writes, “Although the new metamediaries will most likely reduce costs from OTAs due to the increased competition, distribution costs for hotels are expected to increase overall moving forward.”
Hotel profitability, in effect, is indeed declining, according to Nieberding.
“The industry is recovering, but the cost to maintain a presence in a dynamic digital marketplace against new market entrants that hold a strategic position relative to technology and marketing resources is a major struggle,” he writes.
So, what to do?
Well, Sloan Dean, CRME, vice president of revenue optimization for Ashford Hospitality Trust, believes hoteliers need to be more forward-thinking to keep up, for one. “Forward-thinking” in today’s marketplace means being at the forefront of the analytics movement. Currently, OTAs and metasearch engines are far ahead of the hospitality industry in general when it comes to adopting and investing in the technology needed to track and target potential customers.
Simply put, metamediaries have been quicker to identify the importance of technology, data and analytics than hotels, and they have jumped on a lucrative opportunity.
If hoteliers want to avoid getting pushed into the dark ages when it comes to the booking process, they need to get out of the Stone Age and reinvent more than the wheel.
Airline Security Researcher Blocked from Flight After Worrisome Tweets
Prominent security researcher Chris Roberts was stopped from boarding a United flight from Colorado bound for San Francisco late Saturday, in light of a recent social media post where he suggested that an airliner’s onboard systems could be hacked, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
A lawyer representing Roberts told the AP that United gave no details regarding his booting from Saturday’s flight, and said he would be getting a full explanation via letter in two weeks.
Roberts is the founder of One World Labs, an organization that seeks security risks before they can be exploited, and is no stranger to being forbidden from flying. On Wednesday, he was taken off another United flight and questioned by the FBI for four hours after a joking tweet that implied that he could get the plane’s oxygen masks to deploy. His laptop and other electronic devices in his possession were also seized.
"Given Mr. Roberts' claims regarding manipulating aircraft systems, we've decided it's in the best interest of our customers and crew members that he not be allowed to fly United," airline spokesman Rahsaan Johnson said to the AP. "However, we are confident our flight control systems could not be accessed through techniques he described."
According to the AP, Johnson did not respond when asked why Roberts would still be considered a threat if it wasn’t possible for him to compromise United's control systems.
In recent media interviews, Roberts has spoken about the possibility of engines being turned off mid-flight by malicious hackers, and how he was able to acquire crucial aircraft flight data with his own homemade device.
"It is disappointing that United refused to allow him to board, and we hope that United learns that computer security researchers are a vital ally, not a threat," said Nate Cardozo, staff attorney with the San Francisco’s Electronic Frontier Foundation, a representative of Roberts to the AP.
Last week, The Government Accountability Office said some commercial airliners could be vulnerable to hacking over onboard wireless networks. "Modern aircraft are increasingly connected to the Internet. This interconnectedness can potentially provide unauthorized remote access to aircraft avionics systems," the report found.
A small victory for fliers: summer domestic fares fall $2.01
Fliers see cheaper tickets this summer domestically and to Europe; Hawaii 10 percent lower
After years of steadily-rising airfare, travelers this summer can expect a tiny bit of relief — $2.01 in savings to be exact.
The average roundtrip domestic ticket this summer, including taxes, now stands at $454, down less than a percent from last summer. Vacationers to Europe will fare better with the average ticket down 3 percent to $1,619, about $50 less than last summer.
Not all travelers will get to save.
Flights to Hawaii, Florida and New Orleans are cheaper, but travelers heading to New York, Denver and San Francisco can expect to pay more.
Even in Europe, it depends on the destination. Overall fares are down but it will cost more this summer to fly to cities like Amsterdam; London; Budapest, Hungary; Lisbon, Portugal; Frankfurt, Germany or Reykjavik, Iceland.
Prices are coming down because airlines are now saving billions of dollars thanks to lower fuel prices and because more seats have been crammed into planes, spreading out costs over more passengers. European economic troubles are also keeping some seats empty as business travelers stay home.
The generally good news about fares comes in a report released Monday by the Airlines Reporting Corp., which processes ticket transactions for airlines and travel agencies such as Expedia, American Express and Carlson Wagonlit. The study looks at 4.1 million tickets purchased before March 31 this year and last year for travel between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Airfare during the first three months of this year was also lower, down 3.7 percent domestically and 8.9 percent internationally.
Even with the moderate relief this summer, prices are still higher than just a few years ago. The average domestic roundtrip ticket is still $13, or 3 percent, higher than it was in 2012. European trips are $60, or 3.9 percent, more expensive.
Travelers can thank lower oil prices and more seats on planes for keeping this summer's airfare in check.
Airlines at the start of the year paid $2.13 for each gallon of jet fuel, down 30 percent from last year's $3.03, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. With U.S. airlines burning through 42 million gallons of fuel a day, that 90-cent savings adds up quickly: $14.7 billion for the entire year if prices remain at these levels.
Travelers are only seeing a sliver of those savings. The rest of the money is being used to upgrade airplanes and airports, pay employee bonuses and reward shareholders as airlines continue to post record profits.
European economic woes are also keeping some business travelers home, helping lower fares for vacationers. Fares are down to airports in Spain, Italy and France. However, cities in Germany and England, whose economies are stronger, are still higher this summer compared to last year.
Part of the savings is also linked to airlines adding extra seats on certain routes.
One of the best bargains to Europe right now is between New York and Milan, Italy. That's because four airlines fly that traditional business route nonstop each day including Dubai-based Emirates Airline. Starting in June, Emirates will fly the world's largest jet, the Airbus A380, carrying 489 people between the two cities. That's 129 more passengers a day than it currently carries, helping to bring down prices.
The same situation is true for Hawaii.
There are 5 percent more seats between Hawaii and the rest of the country this summer, compared to last. That's helping to lower ticket prices to most airports there by about 10 percent.
NY's Cuomo to be first gov. to visit Cuba as ties reopen
New York's Cuomo to be first gov. to visit Havana in trip to mix trade, history and politics
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is heading to Havana, the first American governor to visit Cuba since the recent thaw in relations with the communist nation. Whether his trade mission generates anything more than headlines, however, remains to be seen.
The formal state visit on Monday and Tuesday is meant to foster greater ties between New York and Cuba. Cuomo will be joined by lawmakers and a group of business leaders for what he has called "a tremendous stepping stone" that will "help open the door to a new market for New York businesses."
Trade experts say New York could profit from improved relations with the Caribbean nation. New York farmers could export apples, powdered milk and other dairy products. Businesses could invest big in Cuba's developing information technology infrastructure. Hoteliers could build resorts to prepare for the increase in American tourists.
Any significant economic relationship with Cuba will take time, according to Joe Schoonmaker, the chairman of the New York District Export Council who works as a trade risk insurance broker. He predicted that tourism would be the first sector of the Cuban economy to open up and that it will be some time before Cuba is engaging in robust trade.
"It's not going to be like opening up China," he said. "As far as hundreds of millions of dollars of products going down to Cuba, I don't see it at this time. They're not going to be buying a lot of stuff."
Critics say Cuomo's visit legitimizes a dictatorship and is more about politics than exports. State Republican Chairman Ed Cox dismissed the trade mission as a political stunt "meant to bolster his national profile."
Republican Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, whose mother is a Cuban exile, said any efforts to normalize relations must be accompanied by significant concessions from the Castro regime.
"I do not understand the purpose of this trade mission or see any concrete benefit for the state of New York," said Malliotakis, who represents portions of Staten Island and Brooklyn.
Cuomo spokeswoman Melissa DeRosa said that greater engagement with Cuba will "do more to support the Cuban people and promote our values" than "continuing a policy of isolation which has failed for the last 50 years."
Those expected to join Cuomo on the trip include Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the CEOs of JetBlue and Chobani Greek Yogurt and executives from Pfizer, biopharmaceutical company Regeneron and a Finger Lakes dairy company.
The U.S. has been exporting limited amounts of food to Cuba for years. If New York does establish closer economic ties with Cuba, its first ambassadors may be two of its biggest farm products: dairy and apples. The state is one of the nation's top producers of both.
"There's potential there," said Steve Ammerman of the New York State Farm Bureau. "Any time we can create another outlet for our farm products and our farmers to make more money, that's a good thing for our entire ag economy in New York state."
As a center of global finance, New York City in particular has even more to gain from Cuba. Columbia University economics professor Graciela Chichilnisky said Cuomo and other U.S. leaders may want to consider financial arrangements to encourage trade and investment in Cuba.
In particular, she identified information technology and biotechnology as two industries that could be ripe for growth.
"They (Cuba) have at least the beginnings of some very promising developments," she said. "But there is nothing wrong with apples. I love apples."
Person arrested after scaling White House fence
A person was arrested after climbing over a fence at the White House on Sunday, the Secret Service said.
Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said the person, whose name and gender have not been released, scaled the fence on the south side of the complex, which faces the Washington Monument, at about 10:25 p.m. Sunday.
He said the person was carrying a package, which was examined and determined to be harmless, the Washington Post reported.
"The individual is in custody and charges are pending," Leary said in a statement.
White House fence jumpers have been a longtime headache for the Secret Service and other security officials. In September, a man climbed a fence and entered the White House itself, while in October, a man jumped the fence but was immediately subdued by Secret Service dogs.
In March, two Secret Service agents allegedly drove a government car into a White House security barricade after drinking at a nearby party.
Officials last week said they may top the bars of the fence with spikes in order to discourage jumpers.
Tree falls, crushes car and kills woman inside
See the video here: http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/2015/04/20/26061309/
'Full steam ahead' as US cruise bookings outpace 2014
If you're not convinced Americans are feeling more confident, try planning a cruise vacation.
Bookings at the three largest US cruise operators are coming in faster so far this year than a year ago. This offers a tangible example of what sentiment gauges measure: Some American consumers are ready and able to spend on discretionary purchases again.
About 23 million people will take an ocean-based trip this year aboard ships operated by members of the Cruise Lines International Association. That's up 4.4 per cent from 2014, when 51 per cent of passengers were Americans, according to the Washington-based trade group.
This industry provides "a very strong, leading economic indicator" because passengers book trips as many as 18 months in advance, said Frank Del Rio, chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. As a result, "there must be a level of confidence" among consumers about their financial situation, as well as the broader US outlook, to make such plans.
Bookings for the third-largest US cruise line are "tracking ahead" of last year, with reservations for 2016 better than they've ever been at this point for the following year, Del Rio said. A more robust economy, marked by declines in unemployment, interest rates and oil prices, have contributed to this strength, he added.
That's encouraging for the Miami-based company after revenue rose almost 22 per cent to $3.1 billion in 2014, as Norwegian introduced a new ship and acquired Prestige Cruises International.
"We're moving full steam ahead," Del Rio said.
Carnival Corp also saw stronger demand than last year during January-March - the so-called wave season that's historically busiest for sales. This suggests "US consumers are feeling good about traveling," and particularly cruising, said Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for the Miami-based company.
The world's largest cruise-line operator is "ahead on bookings," including those at higher prices, as "there certainly appears to be momentum in the marketplace and a growing confidence by consumers," Frizzell said. Another encouraging sign: Onboard passenger spending rose 4.6 per cent from a year ago in the three months ended February 28.
Sentiment measured by the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index rose to an almost eight-year high in the week ended April 5.
The industry is "highly optimistic," largely because vacationers are "placing a greater priority on cruising," said Lorri Christou, a spokeswoman for the trade group. The number of passengers grew 77 per cent between 2003 and 2013, outpacing the 57 per cent increase for land-based trips, she said, citing data from Business Research & Economic Advisors, a market analysis company in Exton, Pennyslvania.
US demand was particularly strong last year for European trips operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises. This reflects "growing affluence" among Americans who want to travel further and are "willing to pay a higher price," Michael Bayley, president of the Miami-based company's international division, said on a January 29 conference call. Similar to its competitors, the company was "in the best booked position" it's ever been in as of January, he said.
As long as the industry continues to offer a product that is highly valued among current and future passengers, we anticipate continued growth.
Lorri Christou
Royal Caribbean declined to comment for this story, citing a quiet period before releasing first-quarter results April 20.
Investors have taken note. Shares of Norwegian have outpaced the Standard & Poor's 500 Index by almost 65 percentage points in the last 12 months, while Royal Caribbean has outperformed the benchmark index by 42 percentage points and Carnival has led by about 15 percentage points.
Traders - and vacationers alike - could be less cheery about cruising if the industry stalls. The three largest US operators have had spotty financial performance, reporting sales in recent quarters that missed analysts' estimates.
Cruise companies also have been plagued in recent years by accidents and outbreaks of illnesses. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said April 13 that passengers aboard two Royal Caribbean ships were sick with gastrointestinal ailments including vomiting and diarrhea. That follows other at-sea incidents, notably when a Carnival ship capsized off the Italian coast in January 2012.
Even so, many consumers remain undeterred. A recent survey showed that 86 per cent of cruisers plan to take a similar vacation in the next three years, said Christou of the trade group. Carnival research indicates that passengers probably will return "several times again," Frizzell said.
As consumer confidence continues to be buoyed by the stronger job market, Americans probably will be more willing to spend. Employers added 3.1 million workers to payrolls last year, the most since 1999.
The cruise operators are responding with new ships, itineraries and amenities, as well as broadening the price points to appeal to more potential customers.
"As long as the industry continues to offer a product that is highly valued among current and future passengers, we anticipate continued growth," Christou said.
AA granted Alaska's Los Angeles-Mexico City route
American Airlines has got the green light to take over the Los Angeles-Mexico City route operated by Alaska Airlines.
The US Department of Transportation gave the go-ahead for Alaska to transfer the route to American despite strong interest from rival Delta Air Lines.
Dallas based American plans to double the current frequency from one to two round trips a day, however the DOT only granted approval for one year, not the minimum of two years American was looking for.
The reasoning behind this is because the Mexican and US aviation authorities have just concluded talks on new aviation deal which could mean 'substantial changes in the market within the next year.'
American will take over the route beginning June 4.
The carrier also operates to Mexico City from Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago and Miami while sister airline US Airways flies to the Mexican capital from Charlotte, N.C., and Phoenix.
Pilots at Allegiant Air Question Safety Standards
For the last decade, Allegiant Air has built a thriving business buying secondhand jets and connecting small cities to leisure destinations like Las Vegas and Honolulu.
By keeping costs low, offering cheap fares, and flying from places that other carriers have neglected, like Fort Wayne, Ind., or Allentown, Pa., Allegiant has grown rapidly. Today, the airline has one of the highest profit margins in the business and among the lowest costs.
But Allegiant’s scrappy success is now being questioned by its pilots, who say they are worried about repeated mechanical problems with the airline’s fleet of older planes, poor maintenance operations and a culture where profits come before safety.
The conflict between the pilots and the airline’s chairman and chief executive, Maurice Gallagher, has become increasingly tense over the last two years, with both sides locked in negotiations over a new contract.
It is not unusual for pilots to bring up safety and maintenance issues in the middle of labor talks. To the airline, the complaints represent scare tactics by the pilots union, driven by demands over benefits and work rules.
Since it was founded in 1997, Allegiant has kept a tight focus on reining in costs. It subcontracts all but the most routine maintenance, for instance. It also buys older planes, which keeps its ownership costs down.
Last year, the company’s operating margin was about 14 percent, second only to Spirit Airlines. Traditional carriers generally post operating profits in the low single digits.
This low-cost model has also led to tensions with the airline’s work force. The dispute with the pilots, for instance, began after the pilots voted for union representation two years ago.
It has since played out in federal court, where pilots contend that the airline has unlawfully scaled back their benefits and tightened work rules and shut them out of voluntary safety programs that are common at other carriers.
Amid this simmering tension, Allegiant pilots said they had identified at least 65 incidents from September to March where flights were forced to divert to another airport, return to the gate or abort their takeoff because of a mechanical or an engine problem.
At least four times, engines shut down in flight, the pilots said. The list of problems also includes planes that lost their communications equipment, hydraulic leaks, engines that failed to deliver sufficient power, inoperative cockpit panel lights, and pressurization problems.
One airplane had repeated problems, including the loss of cockpit automation, before it was taken out of service for repairs.
All the claims were reported by the pilots and compiled by the Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Coalition on behalf of the pilots’ union, the Airline Professionals Association Teamsters Local 1224.
Their report concluded that poorly trained mechanics, insufficient spare parts, and an aging fleet were “creating a dangerous paradigm that could eventually lead to an accident resulting in serious injury and loss of life.”
Allegiant’s pilots recently threatened to go on strike to force the company to restore previous work rules. Union officials denied they were making the safety accusations to gain leverage in negotiations.
Some aviation safety experts said the number of issues should raise some red flags at the Federal Aviation Administration.
“For a small fleet, that’s an awful lot of problems,” said John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board. “They are running on the safety margin.”
Allegiant said the accusations were “absurd.” It said planes were inspected by mechanics every night. The carrier said it also has an analysis and surveillance program, as well as a reliability program, to monitor the fleet’s health and performance and shares its data with the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Neither Allegiant nor the F.A.A. have identified abnormal trends,” said Jessica Wheeler, a spokeswoman for Allegiant.
Steve Harfst, the chief operating officer of the Allegiant Travel Company, which owns the airline, said in a statement: “The safety of our passengers and crew is, above all, our No.1 priority. Allegiant has one of the best safety records among passenger airlines in the world and complies with all F.A.A. regulations.”
The F.A.A. did not address the specific issues raised by Allegiant’s pilots, but pointed out that it had increased surveillance while the airline dealt with its current labor issues.
The agency is “continuously monitoring, evaluating and providing oversight of Allegiant Air to ensure the carrier is capable of meeting its responsibility for safe operations,” according to Laura Brown, a spokeswoman for the F.A.A.
Federal regulators have already taken a deep look at Allegiant’s operations. In 2013, a routine F.A.A. inspection found problems with the airline’s maintenance and training programs.
The inspection, which is known as an Air Carrier Evaluation Program, and which has not been made public, led the F.A.A. to temporarily shut down the airline’s training programs for pilots, mechanics and flight attendants and freeze new plane deliveries until problems were addressed.
Among the problems the F.A.A. found was that Allegiant’s repair program did not properly distinguish between “minor” and “major” repairs and did not adequately track structural defects. The F.A.A. also said Allegiant was “not effective in identifying systemic deficiencies” and also found problems with the training of pilots for Boeing 757s and Airbus A320s.
Most issues were resolved within six months. Allegiant said that the F.A.A. found that a training manual needed to be revised, but that there was never any question or concern regarding training processes or pilot qualification.
John Cox, the chief executive of Safety Operating Solutions, and a former safety official at the Air Line Pilots Association, said tense labor negotiations could often bring “rhetorical excesses” about safety. In some cases, he said, airlines and pilots can benefit by bringing an outside auditor to review the facts and provide a dispassionate analysis of events.
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“Allegiant is pretty unique because they are ultralow cost,” Mr. Cox said. “Older airplanes have more mechanical issues than newer ones. But does that make them unsafe? Absolutely not. Allegiant has had a pretty good track record.”
Union officials also assert that the airline has shut its pilots out of several safety programs that are common at many airlines including one known as the Aviation Safety Action Program. Allegiant denies this, saying it invited pilots to the monthly meeting of its flight operations safety committee.
Allegiant operates a fleet of 70 airplanes, mostly McDonnell-Douglas MD-80s, which have an average age of 22.2 years. Last year, it carried eight million passengers.
Mr. Gallagher, who is also Allegiant’s biggest shareholder, was one of four co-founders of ValuJet. He left that airline in 1997, a year after the crash of ValuJet Flight 592, when the airline merged with AirTran and changed its name. It is now part of Southwest. Mr. Gallagher declined to be interviewed.
Tom Haueter, the former director of aviation safety at the National Transportation Safety Board, said the problems highlighted by Allegiant pilots did not necessarily reflect a systemic problem with the company.
Pilots can overreport a problem, either out of an abundance of caution or because they are seeking concessions from the airline, he said. That can make the job of F.A.A. inspectors more difficult, he said.
“The truth sometimes lies in the middle,” Mr. Haueter said.
Tourism leaders want to host more big meetings
Hotels are packed in South Florida now, but tourism leaders want to bring more big meetings and conventions here, especially to help fill rooms not sold during slower months.
Representatives of businesses that cater to meetings and conferences gathered in Fort Lauderdale this week to discuss the importance of those segments to the local economy at an inaugural event marking North American Meetings Industry Day.
Broward County has led the state in hotel occupancy for four months, and that trend could repeat itself in March and April, Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, told attendees Thursday.
But industry insiders say there's no room for complacency.
Here are some key takeaways from the event.
The big business of meetings
In 2014, the Greater Fort Lauderdale tourism bureau booked 1,056 group bookings that generated $1.01 billion in economic impact, Grossman said. And 1 in every 5 visitors that come to Broward comes for a meeting or convention.
In the fiscal year ending in September, Palm Beach County's tourism bureau — Discover The Palm Beaches — booked nearly 300 groups with 118,000 room nights, which will deliver more than $78 million in future economic impact, said Jorge Pesquera, president and CEO.
"Meetings and conventions are critically important to The Palm Beaches and to many of our hotel properties," Pesquera said in a statement after the event.
The 400-room Hilton West Palm Beach at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, set open in in early 2016, will help the bureau reposition the area as a competitive convention and trade show destination, he said.
Tourism officials in Miami-Dade County also reap big dividends from meetings.
"The economic impact to our community is significant and growing," said William D. Talbert, III, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The Miami Beach Convention Center is set to begin its expansion and renovation at the end of December. Plans include an 800-room attached convention center hotel, Talbert said.
Meetings at sea
The cruise industry finally has a seat at the table as more people discover that cruise ships are wonderful venues for meetings, said Josephine Kling, president of Landry & Kling in Miami, which has planned events at sea for three decades.
Growth for transportation
Mike Castro, vice president business development of Corporate Coaches in Hollywood, said his company is seeing more demand for meeting transportation in the summer. It already has several jobs booked in June and July that it didn't use to have and is getting requests for August.
"We're seeing the season stretching a little bit more with meetings, and for us that's very important," said Castro, noting that buses can now be used in the evenings for dine-around programs instead of being idle.
That's important for the company, whose drivers work mostly at the ports in the morning. Once the cruise ships sail around 4 or 5 p.m., there's nothing for drivers to do, he said.
"It fills the day nicely and keeps our utilization high without having to leave the tri-county area … and that helps us tremendously in growing our company."
Demand from Latin America
New nonstop flights between Latin America and South Florida airports, particularly Fort Lauderdale and Miami, are helping to fuel business and tourism between the regions.
Outfits like Corporate Coaches are reaping the benefits.
Castro noted that the business is seeing increased transportation demand from Latin American companies wanting to meet in South Florida, especially with pick-up requests from Miami International Airport, and that's now spilling over into Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach County.
Technology and meetings
It's imperative for hotels and other businesses that cater to meetings and conventions to keep up with changing technology and the demands of tech-savvy customers who travel with multiple Web-enabled devices, industry specialists say.
"The investment every year into technology is critical," said Ed Walls, general manager of the Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Broward's largest hotel with nearly 1,000 rooms. "And we're getting to the point now where you're going to be able to check into your hotel room with an iPhone."
By fall, the Diplomat — a member of the Curio — A Collection by Hilton brand — and other hotels in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio are expected to have their hotel door locks changed to accommodate keyless entry technology, Walls said.
Coast Guard searches for missing Daytona Beach swimmer
Damian Parks had been swimming with friends just before he was reported missing in the water near Daytona Beach early Sunday morning, officials say.
One person was in the water with Parks, 22, when, "Parks struggled and yelled for help," according to the Coast Guard.
After the male lost his grip on Parks' hand, and, subsequently, was no longer able to see his friend, he returned to shore. Three other friends were also no longer able to see Parks, according to Coast Guard officials.
At 3 a.m., the call came in to the Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville command center. By 3:27 a.m. a "45-foot" boat was involved in the search, and by 4:32 a.m., a helicopter was also engaged in the effort, equipped with a so-called "Self-Locating Datum Marker Buoy."
According to Petty Officer Anthony Soto, the device can be dropped into the water to determine where a current would take a floating object.
Though the search started in Sun Splash Park, Soto said the search expanded six miles north and south offshore.
The call came in to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office at 3:07 a.m., said Christe D'Ercole. Deputies were on personal watercraft Sunday morning, searching the area, according to the Coast Guard release.
The Coast Guard was working with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, as well as Daytona Beach Patrol.
Because Parks is a student at Bethune-Cookman University, the school's Department of Public Safety will assist Daytona Beach Police Department and beach patrol, as stated in a press release from the university.
"Hopefully, we'll have good news, and we're taking it day by day …" said Keisha Boyd, of the university's Office of Communications. BC-U said the student's name was Parks, though Coast Guard officials earlier Sunday had identified him as Damian Park.
Boyd said that, to offer support, students and staff members assembled independently on the beach Sunday.
The Coast Guard Command Center stated that rip currents were present around the time Parks was reported missing.
According to the Volusia County Florida website, the rip-current risk was assessed as high.
Southwest Airlines' new seats are wider with "streamlined" armrests
The newest seats on Southwest Airline planes are expected to give passengers what they’ve been demanding: more breathing space.
The seats to be installed on Boeing 737-800 planes starting in 2016 will offer about half an inch of extra width on each seat, as well as a new “C-shaped” design to the bottom seat frame, replacing the old “L” shape, thus giving passengers a bit more room around the shins.
But Southwest won’t say how it was able to squeeze an extra half inch out of each seat without narrowing the aisle. The seat designer, Florida-based B/E Aerospace, isn’t talking. Southwest confirms, however, that the armrest between the seats will be “streamlined.”
“We see this as the future of Southwest Airline seats,” said Southwest spokeswoman Thais Conway.
But the future won’t be coming soon. Southwest won’t be ripping out the old seats to replace them with the wider seats. Instead, the wider B/E Aerospace seats will be installed in the new 737-800 and 737-Max as they come on line to replace older Boeing models, stretching from 2016 to 2024.
United Airlines: Watch out what you tweet – or face the consequences!
Sharing knowledge in Twitter about how transport security systems operate is a bad idea.
Chris Roberts, of One World Labs in Denver, has learnt that.
When a computer security expert from Denver tweeted some amusing remarks about hacking the onboard systems of his United Airlines flight, he didn’t know FBI agents would be waiting at his destination. Later, he was refused boarding to another flight.
On Wednesday, when Roberts flew from Denver to Syracuse, N.Y., after boarding, he posted a tweet about what he would do if he managed to hack the aircraft’s computers.
EICAS stands for “engine-indicating and crew-alerting system”, so Roberts actually pondered playing with the aircraft's onboard communication system.
It was enough to get him acquainted with FBI agents, who were waiting for him in Syracuse. They questioned him for four hours.
Roberts was released after interrogation, but practically all his personal electronic equipment, including a MacBook Pro, an iPad, several hard drives and USB memory sticks, were confiscated. Roberts proved this by posting an FBI “receipt for Property Received.” The only electronic item Roberts was allowed to keep was his iPhone, Forbes.com reported.
A member of the security research community himself, Roberts expressed surprise with the pace of developments, though he should have known better that everything posted online is constantly monitored by numerous US security agencies.
After returning to Denver for a couple of days, Roberts headed for San Francisco on Saturday to take part in the RSA Conference 2015 cyber security summit.
In the airport, reportedly already after passing the gate, he was told by United Airlines staff he wouldn’t be allowed on board.
Since Roberts had made public statements about airfare equipment and aircraft systems manipulation, "That's something we just can't have," said United Airlines spokesman Rahsaan Johnson, explaining this is not only a "violation of United's policies" but "it's not something we want our inflight crews and customers to deal with," Johnson said.