What to Know Now

Hey, our Skift Global Forum is starting to take shape in New York this coming fall, with some great speakers coming onboard. The imitable and always-loved Sree Srinivasan of the Metropolitan Museum of Art will be speaking on reinventing attractions in the digital age, while Pekka Vauramo, will be sharing stories from the CEO seat at Finnair. There should be much to learn for marketers, writers and anyone else looking to get an inside look into one of the fastest growing industries.

October 9th is the date. Stick it in your calendar.

Subscribe to the newsletter here and send tips to [email protected] or @grantkmartin.

Top Story

Outrage! National disaster! Tea party! Breakfast at Taco Bell! That’s right — the TSA announced over the weekend that new security measures are being put into place on a swath of handheld electronics. Citing an imminent security threat, they’re now asking that some passengers on some flights headed into the United States power up their devices before boarding — just to ensure that they’re actual, functioning electronics.

No commoner is familiar with what the actual threat entails, so any comments on implementation or scope are speculation, but that’s not stopping the peanut gallery from getting anxious. Already, dozens of articles have been published claiming that domestic travelers will be impacted, and the outrage on social media is audibly bubbling.

In practicality, there’s a low chance that you may be asked to power up your tablet or laptop if you’re flying into the U.S. in the next few weeks (my flight from Panama City to Miami yesterday had no such measure). My suggestion: charge your electronics before heading to the airport.

SOCIAL QUOTE OF THE DAY

Dear #TSA, regarding your new electronics screening procedure, I’ve verified multiple ways a laptop, can start up, function & detonate.

@flyingwithfisth | Steven Frischling – Travel Social Media Consultant; Aviation Security Expert

wpid-thumbnail.jpeg

Airlines

Norwegian Air Looks to Buy More Dreamliners for International Flights: Budget airline Norwegian Air wants to add more Boeing planes to its fleet as it looks to expand its international services, the Wall Street Journal reported the airline’s chief executive as saying. Read more at Skift

How Etihad Designed Its New Ground-Breaking Business Class: Business Class is possibly one of the hardest cabins to design. Customer expectations are high, margins are low and space is at a premium. Now with the advent of premium economy and the still-standing First Class sandwiching the most popular of premium cabins, there are diminishing touch points that differentiate the class. Read more at Skift

Why U.S. Travelers Are Dealing with Higher Fares, Fuller Planes This Summer: Air travelers are paying more to fly this summer on crowded planes as carriers including American Airlines Group Inc. keep capacity tight. Read more at Skift

cbp

Airports

U.S. Airports Roll Out Kiosks to Speed Customs Wait Times: On her way from London to Ithaca, New York, through Newark Liberty Airport on Wednesday morning, Cindy Gration found herself spending more time talking about the new automated passport kiosk she’d just used than it took to use the machine itself. Read more at Skift

It’s Not All Doom and Gloom for Airports Knocked Out of Hub Status: When an airline cuts back on the number of “hubs” in its system, for an affected city the economic pain can be deep and wide. Read more at Skift

af nfc

Tech

TSA Cracking Down On Uncharged Electronic Devices For Some U.S.-Bound Flights: The U.S. Transportation Security Administration will not allow cellphones or other electronic devices on U.S.-bound planes at some overseas airports if the devices are not charged up, the agency said on Sunday. Read more at Skift

Mobile Check-In Progress Way Below Airlines’ Expectations: The percentage of global travelers checking-in for flights using their mobile devices has been growing, but the adoption rate in 2014 is only about half of what airlines expected in 2010. Read more at Skift

Google Maps tests your geography knowledge with ‘Smarty Pins’ game: Google’s engineers want to help you brush up on your geography knowledge. The company has taken its vast Google Maps database and used it to create a new game called Smarty Pins. Read more at the Verge

7ba273b0f0bf1a9c7683518e52313afd

Hotels

Marriott Adds Bahamas’ Atlantis Resort to Growing Autograph Collection:  Atlantis, Paradise Island — the 3,400-room Bahamas resort with a water park, shark lagoon and pseudo-archeological “dig” — will become part of the extended Marriott International family. Read more at Skift

How Hotel Chains Innovate With On-Demand Work Spaces: Marin mortgage broker Brittany Keyes needed a San Francisco location for a sit-down with a client. Through a website called LiquidSpace, she booked an hour at a meeting room at the JW Marriott Union Square. Read more at Skift

The Condo-Hotel Concept Is Alive Again, With Some Caveats: Rainer Viete, who visits Florida from Venezuela about once a month, said he’s buying an apartment at the Hyde Resort & Residences hotel-condo project near Miami so he can order a meal or rent out his apartment when he wants. Read more at Skift

Hotels That Cater to Millenials: How do you woo a Millennial? It’s a question dogging brands that want to reach the young, creative class of tech-toting, oversharing individuals.  These properties emphasize social spaces, technology (all have free WiFi), casual dining, and carefully curated yet extremely functional design. Read more at Conde Nast Traveler

Your Turn

Ever seen a $99 bloody mary? David LaHuta, a travel writer based out of Bermuda did last weekend. Hint: uncomfortably opulent.

Tips and Comments

Can be sent to [email protected] and @grantkmartin. We publish the Business Newsletter twice a week on Monday and Thursday.

Subscribe to the Skift Business Traveler Newsletter

smartphone

The Daily Newsletter

Our daily coverage of the global travel industry. Written by editors and analysts from across Skift’s brands.

Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch

Tags: business travel, skift global forum, tsa

Photo credit: A person pretends to use a powered-off iPhone. Getty Images

Up Next

Loading next stories