2013 Archives

Greedy, greedy, greedy. Keeping the bidding to low-cost carriers would indeed inject some competition into airports where it is at times sorely lacking, as well as protect consumers that the U.S. Justice Department said it was looking out for in the American/US Air lawsuit.

Smart travel agents already are keeping their heads down and staying away from all this boosterism, looking at specializations and niches that help them stand out. And reinventing themselves beyond the usual cliches.

Are behavioral security techniques ineffective or does the TSA merely not know what it is doing? That's a legitimate question given Israel's success in pioneering behavioral techniques at airports.

The universal human search for connection -- and the travel that fosters it -- as satisfied by Google products. It could have been crass, but instead turned out classy and heartwarming.

Lonely Planet has a ton of digital content, offers booking services through partners, and could round things out a bit with the acquisition of TouristEye for online and offline trip-planning purposes.

Lufthansa's new campaign stirs up interest in its target city, reaches Chicagoans who it doesn't interact with directly, and makes business travelers in other cities envious enough to hope the new service is headed their way. Success, indeed.

Is Facebook's reputation as a marketing vehicle for travel brands in jeopardy? It looks like Facebook's advertising challenges go beyond monetizing mobile -- Google can capture a traveler in shopping mode, but that's harder for Facebook to do.

Hotels are personalizing the guest experience through innovative amenity programs, while the free versus paid WiFi debate shifts toward bandwidth strength.

The Vacation Rental Management Association doesn't have the digital savvy or clout to forge a new set of business relationships between professional managers on the one hand, and online travel agencies and vacation rental sites such as HomeAway, on the other. Too little, and way too late.