Top Stories
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United Airlines Dreamliner diverted due to oil filter problem
TransportUnited Airlines said on Tuesday that a Boeing Co 787 on its way to Tokyo from Denver was diverted to Seattle after an indication of a problem with an oil filter in an engine, but the plane landed without incident. The unscheduled diversion is the latest hiccup for Boeing’s newest plane, which has been beset [...]
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United joins Delta in adding spending requirements for elite frequent flyers
TransportUnited Airlines is making it a little harder to get a higher frequent-flier status. That status used to require flying 25,000 miles per year. Now, United is adding a requirement for at least $2,500 in spending, too, to qualify for status in its MileagePlus program. Most frequent fliers would spend that much anyway if they [...]
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Florida’s deep data dive highlights its most valuable tourists
DestinationsFlorida welcomed a record 89.3 million visitors in 2012, up from 87.3 million in 2011. This growth is due in part to the number of overseas and Canadian visitors increasing far faster than was expected based on historical trends. Florida’s goal of becoming the most visited destination in the world hinges on increasing brand awareness [...]
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Travelocity sells off its corporate travel unit, focusing on consumer brand
DigitalAtlanta-based BCD Travel, one of the largest corporate travel agencies, acquired Travelocity’s business travel arm, Travelocity Business for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition gives BCD Travel some additional digital acumen, and clients of Travelocity Business now get access to corporate travel services on a more global scale. At the same time, but in a separate [...]
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Saudi prince invites world’s largest cities to bid for mile-high tower
DestinationsSaudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal says he is looking at the world’s largest cities, including Shanghai, Moscow, London and New York, as possible locations to build a mile-high skyscraper that would be the world’s tallest building by far. The prince is inviting Dubai’s biggest real estate developer Emaar Properties, chaired by Mohammed Alabbar, to [...]
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Study finds passengers still love to hate airlines — especially United
TransportIt’s a good news, bad news story for airline customer satisfaction: Scores are the best in nearly two decades, but consumers still love to hate airlines more than most any other industry, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Despite raising its benchmark score 2 points, to 69 out of [...]
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UK “super prisons” could see second life as 3,000-guest luxury hotels
RoomsBritish boutique hotels could be about to get a boost from an unexpected quarter. Yesterday, new plans were put forward for a series of “super prisons” holding as many as 3,000 inmates. Which will mean that some of the nation’s most famous old slammers could get a new, and very different, lease of life. A [...]
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Haiti looks to tourism to save island’s economy with new ad campaign
DestinationsHaiti’s Tourism Ministry unveiled its first travel commercial on Friday afternoon. The ad is Haiti’s attempt to kickstart its quiet tourism industry and attract visitors to what the video calls “the soul of the Caribbean.” The video is in Creole with English subtitles. Haitian officials see tourism as an important means to boosting the island’s economy [...]
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Naspers may buy India’s RedBus booking service for $140 million
DigitalNaspers, the South African media and internet conglomerate which has a global portfolio of digital acquisitions, is now close to another one: it is buying India’s biggest bus booking service RedBus.in, for a reported price of between $100 million to $140 million, according to two reports in Economic Times and NextBigWhat. The talks are still in advanced [...]
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The center of modern-day aviation sits in a rural field in Poland
TransportOn the edge of a field in rural Poland close to a wooded area is a spot, in all likelihood unmarked, where the international airline industry is in perfect balance. Gmina Miastkowo, Łomża County, Poland is the location of the mathematical center of international airline flights. A rural community of less than 5,000 people, according [...]
