Posts tagged "government"
08 May 2013

  • Rising number of U.S. cruise ships cited for sanitation violations

    Transport

    More cruise ships are being hit by federal inspectors with unsatisfactory ratings for sanitation, and for the first time in recent memory, the majority of the cited vessels are operated by major U.S. cruise lines. Already in the first quarter of this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program has [...]

06 May 2013

  • FAA’s lax oversight of plane repair shops revealed in government audit

    Transport

    Oversight of aircraft repair stations by U.S. aviation regulators is marred by inspectors who haven’t been trained and a system that can’t identify the areas of highest risk, according to a government audit. Independent repair shops, used increasingly by airlines trying to cut costs, couldn’t account for tools, document the training of their mechanics and [...]

16 Apr 2013
04 Apr 2013

  • Senators Schumer and Rockefeller put heat on Carnival and the cruise industry

    Transport

    In the wake of the Carnival Triumph incident, U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Jay Rockefeller are putting increasing pressure on Carnival Corp. and the cruise industry over passenger safety and tax issues. Schumer called on the Cruise Lines International Association March 18 to voluntary accept a cruise passengers bill of rights that would include the right to [...]

27 Mar 2013

  • Amtrak asks Congress for less money after losing less than usual last year

    Destinations

    Amtrak, the U.S. intercity passenger railroad supported by taxpayers, today will ask Congress for 16 percent less in operating subsidies for next year after recording its smallest annual loss in 38 years. Amtrak will seek $373 million in operating support, compared with the $443 million it’s getting this year. It didn’t specify how much it [...]

  • The U.S. congressman who desperately wants to tear apart the TSA

    Transport

      Representative John Mica, one of the Transportation Security Administration’s most persistent critics, said he’ll propose legislation to return all U.S. airport screening to private companies. It would be Mica’s biggest step toward dismantling the U.S. agency formed to take over aviation security after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Florida Republican, who now [...]

13 Mar 2013
12 Mar 2013

  • Hotels fret over expected government travel slump due to sequestration

    Destinations

    Hotels are facing the loss of one of their most lucrative business segments—government travel—as sequestration gets underway. Automatic spending cuts in effect across all government agencies have included the slashing of all non-essential travel by federal employees. The order to halt travel already has hit the hotel industry. It’s unclear precisely how big a slice [...]

20 Feb 2013

  • U.S. airports could take major hit from upcoming budget cuts this summer

    Transport

    If you thought airport wait times were long, get ready for worse. How about an extra hour to go through security? And, international travelers, brace for this — four hours to clear customs? These are likely scenarios at the nation’s airports when the much-feared $85 billion of forced U.S. budget cuts hit in March. Many [...]

  • John Kerry has well-traveled shoes to fill as he sets off on inaugural state journey

    Destinations

    John Kerry will visit nine countries in Western Europe and the Middle East on his first trip as U.S. secretary of state to consult allies on topics including Syria’s civil war, the State Department said on Tuesday. Kerry will travel to London, Berlin, Paris and Rome, where he is expected to attend a gathering of [...]