I admit it: Twelve years of Catholic school gave me pause when lifting the cup of holy water from the flight of “angel” cocktails at the Augustine Hotel in Prague to my lips. I doubt Siste…
North America
Delta enables biometric entry into Sky Clubs
Delta is now equipped to provide entry to each of its 50 U.S. Sky Clubs via a biometric fingerprint scan.The offering is part of Delta’s partnership with Clear, the privately-run identity-authen…
VFS rolls-out improved UK visa service for United States travellers
Travellers in the United States requiring a visa to the United Kingdom can now get help with their application form filling either over the phone or via email.VFS Global has launched an exclusive help…
NCL to pay commission on future cruise credits, raise gratuities
Following similar policy changes by Carnival and Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line will pay travel agents if clients redeem a future cruise credit.Should an NCL guest redeem a future cruise certi…
Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s prices in line with competitors
FORT LAUDERDALE — Eighteen months before its scheduled debut of the first Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection ship, executives offered the first clue as to pricing for the luxury brand, saying a repre…
Amadeus and Lufthansa launch biometric boarding at LAX, plan U.S. expansion
Amadeus has developed facial-recognition technology in partnership with Lufthansa that is now being used by the airline for boarding at Los Angeles International Airport.Lufthansa reports that during …
Cruise lines’ Dubrovnik deal seen as way to combat overcrowding
FORT LAUDERDALE — Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald said a new agreement in Dubrovnik, Croatia, illustrates how fears about crowding in favorite tourist areas can be managed by the cruise industr…
Expedia claims it brings a ‘premium’ customer to hotels
With battles on multiple fronts, it appears, Expedia Inc has come out with a different tactic to keep its hotel partners happy: its customers have greater overall value.A study fronted by Oxford Econo…
For the first time, Alaska cruising is Travel Leaders’ top domestic vacation
Alaska cruises topped the list of 2018 domestic locations for Travel Leaders Group agents, ascending to the top spot from fifth place in 2017, according to the company’s 2018 Travel Trends Surve…
Emirates unveils redone 777, increases U.S. flights
FORT LAUDERDALE — Emirates will increase frequencies on flights to the U.S. this month for the first time since reducing U.S. service last April in response to Trump administration policies.&ldq…