21 May 2013
  • Why well-dressed single men have the best shot at receiving free upgrades

    Transport

    A poll of airline staff has suggested that single men in their thirties have the best chance of getting a free upgrade on a flight. According to the profile created by compiling the preferences of more than 700 flight attendants, the lucky man is also likely to be smartly dressed – a handy hint for [...]

  • Eight questions for Transportation Secretary nominee Anthony Foxx

    Transport

    If confirmed as the next Secretary of Transportation, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx will have opportunities to break with the business-as-usual transportation policy that revolves around Washington and special-interest politics. It is important to the confirmation process to understand Foxx’s position on existing programs and to what extent he agrees with the Administration’s centrally run, command-and-control [...]

  • Agency responsible for American rebranding receives top design award

    Transport

    Last week at the 54th annual CLIO Awards creative marketing agency FutureBrand North America was received a trophy in the corporate identity design category for its recent work with iconic American Airlines brand. According to the agency, the honour marks the first time an airline brand has been awarded a CLIO in Corporate Identity Design. Launched [...]

  • Ash cloud rises over Alaskan volcano, canceling commercial and cargo flights

    Transport

    An Alaska volcano eruption is prompting regional airlines to cancel flights to nearby communities, including a town that reported traces of fallen ash. Pavlof Volcano released ash plumes as high as 22,000 feet over the weekend, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. Clouds obscured the volcano Monday, but U.S. Geological Survey scientists said seismic instruments [...]

  • Greyhound to mimic airlines and charge more during peak travel periods

    Transport

    Greyhound, the iconic U.S. bus brand, has turned to pricing models used by the airline industry as it seeks a ticketing system capable of boosting profitability by charging more for travel during peak periods. FirstGroup Plc, the U.K. company that owns Greyhound, will spend as much $40 million on computerized yield-management technology to replace Greyhound’s [...]

  • Carnival’s profits fall short as battered line drops fares to woo back cruisers

    Transport

    The news just keeps getting worse for Carnival Corp. Late Monday afternoon, the Miami-based cruise giant lowered its earnings forecast for the year, citing the low ticket prices that have been needed to drive cruise demand while the company had endured months of negative publicity. The 24-ship Carnival Cruise Lines and its parent company, Carnival [...]

20 May 2013
  • Five startups that want to define the future of travel in five different ways

    Digital

    Between business and leisure travel, transportation that ranges from planes to bikes, and booking platforms for everything from hotels to tours, there are endless opportunities to define the future of travel. This week’s SkiftSeedlings speaks to that breadth of opportunity by including everything from a media company looking to launch the world’s largest consumer travel [...]

  • Gatwick boss decries state of airport shuttle while ignoring state of airport

    Transport

    Remember that time you took the Gatwick Express into town, only there weren’t any seats left, so you had to sit on the roof? Or the time you were delayed for two hours because a farmer was herding his cows across the line at East Croydon, and all the local traders popped up to sell [...]

  • Where does the world’s largest aircraft A380 mostly fly? Asia, of course

    Transport

    There are 103 A380s in service as of early May-2013. Emirates has 33 and Singapore Airlines has 19, so when assessing network scheduling, these two and their hubs predominate: of the 1,048 weekly A380 flights, 402 are from Emirates alone. Dubai and Singapore airport see the most A380 flights. But there are some less predictable [...]

  • Caribbean island’s tourism bleeds after Virgin Atlantic cuts capacity

    Transport

    There is a very fine line when writing a column like this. The risk of being branded as a pessimist is high. I only hope that readers will focus on the message that I am trying to convey and perhaps apply some of the content objectively to look at issues in a broader, more holistic [...]