Most Clicked ASTA SmartBrief Stories
1. United Airlines withdraws preboarding privileges for families
ASTA SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
United Airlines has dropped is policy allowing families with small children to board ahead of other passengers. Fliers with children not holding first- or business-class tickets must now board with their assigned boarding groups. USA TODAY (05/23)
2. Report: "Disney" is top keyword in searches for vacation destinations
ASTA SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
An analysis by AdGooroo of keyword-search frequencies on the Internet has concluded that "Disney" is the most-searched travel destination from January through February 2012, at 7.3%. Las Vegas came in second at 6.3%, followed by Florida at 5.7% and the Caribbean at 3.2%. The study also showed a significant interest in deals, with 13.3% of keywords searched related to discounts. Hotel News Resource (05/23)
3. Travelers favor agents over OTAs, survey finds
ASTA SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
A survey by Frost & Sullivan "Travel 2020: The Distribution Dilemma" has found that leisure and business travelers prefer traditional agents over online travel agency sites because of the customized services that agents provide. "In aggregate, 93% of respondents to our survey indicated that getting value for their travel expenditures is important to them. ... Only 47% of respondents to our survey said their [OTA] travel expenditures were well spent," said Steve Peterson, the study's lead author. TravelMarketReport.com (05/24)
4. How the Concordia will be removed
ASTA SmartBrief | May 29, 2012
The Costa Concordia has been half-submerged off the Italian island of Giglio since January. A slide show and report about the salvage operation indicate how two salvage companies intend to remove the vessel. Blank (05/24)
5. Setting boundaries helps minimize work interruptions, expert says
ASTA SmartBrief | May 25, 2012
Travel agents can manage their time better by establishing priorities for each work day and setting boundaries for personal interruptions, such as checking e-mail, says Jeff Davidson, a work-life balance consultant. "Set a timer for every 15 minutes and allow yourself to just click on your e-mail software then. See what's there, eyeball it and then go back to what you were doing," Davidson said. TravelMarketReport.com (05/24)
6. United frequent fliers provide feedback on integration of reservations systems
ASTA SmartBrief | May 25, 2012
Wall Street Journal, The (05/24)
7. Why the fight over independent contractors matters
ASTA SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
Travel agencies, like many other businesses large and small, rely on the services of so-called independent contractors. Moves are "afoot at both the federal and state levels that would make it prohibitively difficult for travel agencies" to utilize independent contractors. Learn about what these proposals would mean to your bottom line, and what ASTA is doing to fight them in this recent article in Travel Weekly.
8. Airlines look for new sources of ancillary fees
ASTA SmartBrief | May 29, 2012
ABC News (05/24)
9. Opinion: Cruise safety regulations still appear lacking
ASTA SmartBrief | May 25, 2012
Cruise passengers still apparently face risks aboard cruise ships despite the passage of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act two years ago, Christopher Elliot writes. In this feature, Elliot notes a number of untoward cruise incidents uncovered in the past month, as well as some cruise companies managing statistics concerning cruise-related crimes to make reported numbers lower than in reality. Washington Post, The (05/24)
10. Delta, US Airways try different strategies to combat high fuel prices
ASTA SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
TheStreet.com (05/22)
Sign up for ASTA SmartBrief
