Dennis Schaal

Should there be stiffer requirements to get into the TSA PreCheck program as it expands, and the results of the Harris Poll suggest? It's not a bad idea, resources-permitting.

TV advertising competition among the big online travel brands has been cutthroat of late so TripAdvisor has a lot riding on its new creative agency and the campaign itself.

Having an in-house simulator of the type that Hawaiian Airlines now has seems like a huge investment, but it could turn out to be a money-maker, as well.

Whether PointsHound decided not to seek venture capital funding or simply couldn't, the startup has executed a soft landing, and will be absorbed into the much larger Points International.

JetBlue pilots twice previously rejected unionization, but consolidation in the U.S. airline industry may have contributed to the pro-union vote this time. If the pilots aren't organised it would be difficult for them to have a say on any issues of substance should JetBlue decide to accept any merger proposals in the future.

With its emphasis on long-haul flights to Asia, and connections to the mainland U.S., it would be in Hawaiian Airlines' best interest to make installation of Wi-Fi a higher priority. The airline may be under-estimating the desire for Wi-Fi among its core leisure travelers.

Hawaii will definitely get in on the boom in travelers from Asia. The islands have lots to offer, but competition will be intense. With hotel rates soaring, hoteliers in Hawaii may come to realise that they may have to temper their rate hikes rather than make up for the 2007 recession in one fell swoop.

Qunar is a technology company with a big vision and an enormous opportunity as the Chinese traveler busts out into the world. He won't say it outright, but it's clear that CEO CC Zhuang likes where he sits, and wouldn't want to stop the momentum with the complications that a merger with Ctrip would bring.

Travel advertisers have an interest in hoping that no company, whether it is Google or TripAdvisor, gets too powerful as the go-to marketing channel. That's why Priceline and Expedia have expressed disappointment in Facebook's failing to fill the gap.

Avid users of HotelTonight may find some value in its Look Ahead feature, but it is not a data-heavy game-changer by any means as there are no immediate actions to take, and no rate guarantee on the predictions.