Top Stories
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River cruise line Viking adds first ocean voyages with two new ships
TransportViking Cruises Ltd. ordered two vessels to start an ocean cruise business, a first for the company, which has focused on river voyages, Chairman Torstein Hagen said. The 928-passenger ships are being built by Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani Spa and will sail beginning in 2015 and 2016, respectively, on European itineraries, Hagen, who leads Woodland [...]
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New American Airlines won’t repeat Pan Am and TWA mistakes, official says
TransportPan Am and TWA, two iconic airlines that were grounded for good in 1991 and 2001, respectively, got “out-competed” domestically by rivals such as United, American, Delta, Continental and Northwest, and that contributed to the duo’s demise. To be sure, the reasons Pan Am and TWA went bust are complex, but US Airways president Scott [...]
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Amtrak upgrades Wi-Fi giving business travelers another reason to choose rail
DigitalComing soon on Amtrak: fewer excuses to not work while commuting. The national railroad, which operates 21,000 route miles, is upgrading its Wi-Fi service to 4G on many routes across the country. Amtrak says the aim is to offer increased wireless speeds and greater reliability. Hopefully, this will enable a wider set of online features [...]
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New York’s Penn Station is still a mess, and it will likely stay that way
TransportThe busiest passenger train station in the United States is a 1960s-era, utilitarian labyrinth in the basement of a basketball arena. Pennsylvania Station, a gateway to the nation’s biggest city, was designed to accommodate about 200,000 riders a day. Now, it is packed with more than 600,000. At rush hours, it resembles a human demolition [...]
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Study suggests U.S. passengers are learning to accept baggage fees
TransportGrouse all you want about airline baggage fees, but the numbers don’t lie: You are slowly learning to accept them as a painful but necessary part of the flying experience. In fact, the overall satisfaction with air travel has increased to the highest level since 2006, according to the J.D. Power & Associates airline satisfaction [...]
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Military flight restrictions in China are a major threat to airline growth
TransportChina’s skies don’t have enough space. The country’s air force controls airspace and allots only 20 percent to civil aviation. With China’s three biggest airlines planning to add at least 273 planes in the next three years, traffic congestion that already delays 25 percent of flights is set to worsen. “At present, the limited airspace [...]
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Cheapskate Ryanair considers in-flight Wi-Fi & TV options, hesitates over cost
TransportRyanair is weighing options for on-board passenger wi-fi, with firms including US-based LiveTV having pitched solutions to the carrier, the IrishIndependent has learned. The airline has been reluctant so far to roll out an in-flight wi-fi system because it would need to justify the installation cost with the return it might generate. The airline could eventually plump [...]
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American Airlines will allow early boarding for light packers
TransportIf you’re traveling light, you’ll be able to board earlier on American Airlines. The airline said Thursday that people carrying just a personal item that fits under the seat – no rolling suitcases – will be allowed to board before most other passengers. American said that the change will speed up the boarding process and [...]
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Distracted flying? Pilots text controllers about flight conditions
TransportPilots and air-traffic controllers texting each other? OMG! Your airline flight is finally starting to communicate the way the rest of the world does. Controllers and pilots aren’t using their cellphones to text, even though many passengers now do using apps and in-flight Wi-Fi. Instead, planes with modern cockpit systems can log on to new [...]
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TripIt reveals preferred seat tracker details for TripIt Pro subscribers
TransportTripIt made good on its pledge and released a Seat Tracker feature in its premium TripIt Pro product. Subscribers to the $49 per year TripIt Pro service can share their itineraries, identify their seat preferences (window or aisle, front or back of cabin, exit row or bulkhead), and then Seat Tracker alerts travelers when a [...]
