Give Toby a chance to respond to you when using GPT4. He may appear “Stalled” but he is just thinking hard. If you don’t mind the wait, he will respond. You can also drop back to GPT 3.5 if time is of the essence to you.

Social media platform Pinterest has announced the launch of a new program to celebrate Black History Month – the Black Travel Hub. This initiative is designed to provide users with inspiration, education and guidance for travel to destinations across the world. Read the rest of this entry »

American Cruise Lines announced that beginning November 1, 2022, all cruise prices for new bookings will now include Port Charges & Fees, making the amounts commissionable for Travel Advisors. The change is the first in the domestic cruise market and is the latest example of American leading the river and small-ship cruise industry. American has a strong commitment to its partners in the travel agency and advisor communities.

“We aim to do everything possible to support the businesses of all our Travel Advisors. They are valued partners and work extremely hard on behalf of their clients. We intend to implement structures on our end that will increase advisor sales, increase commissions, and improve the overall booking experience with American Cruise Lines,” said Susan Shultz-Gelino, Vice President, Trade Relations for American Cruise Lines.

Year after year, American Cruise Lines has continued to expand, growing the small ship market here in the U.S. exponentially.  In just the past 5 years, the company has more than doubled its fleet and totally transformed the U.S. River cruise market by introducing the country’s first modern riverboats.

In August 2022, American Symphony was christened and began cruising the Mississippi River. Next year, American’s 6^th modern riverboat, American Serenade, will debut on the River in April. American Cruise Lines will also introduce 2 small Coastal Cats in 2023; part of the company’s recently announced 12-ship Project Blue Series of 109-passenger, go-anywhere small cruise ships.

The year ahead is set to be the most exciting year ever for American Cruise Lines, with 17 small ships and riverboats operating over 50 domestic itineraries in 35 states.

The Travel Institute is reporting interest in its new agent training program has surpassed pre-pandemic levels with a 78% increase in attendance for its introductory webinars in 2022 year-to-date over 2019 for the same period. In addition, enrollment in the nonprofit education leader’s TRIPKIT℠ introductory training course continue to climb across all markets including colleges, partner agencies, and individuals, further indicating continued broad interest in travel careers.

“Individuals at all stages and walks of life continue to recognize the opportunity to join the travel industry and to set themselves up for success with the right educational foundation when they do it,” shared Diane Petras, CTIE, president of The Travel Institute. To accommodate increased interest, The Travel Institute increased the number of live webinars available each month while also adding an on-demand option.

Petras also pointed to two recent, non-industry reports that further support the current career opportunity for aspiring new agents:

• US Travel Association’s forecast¹ estimating $1.05 trillion USD will be spent on travel in the United States in 2022, up from $886 billion USD in 2021.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Outlook for travel agents² estimating travel agent employment is likely to grow 20 percent between 2021 – 2031 as the industry replaces thousands of agents who left over the past several years.

“These non-industry reports demonstrate what our travel community has already been experiencing. Travelers are back and they want and need truly professional support. Travel agents able to provide that support are well-positioned for a rewarding and worthwhile career,” Petras asserted.

This fall, The Travel Institute is again dedicating resources and funding to help aspiring new agents who want unbiased, cost-effective guidance in getting their travel career started with TRIPKIT^SM, the industry’s long-standing, gold standard in new travel agent education, along with complimentary coaching webinars, advice on travel career options, and other resources.

The equivalent of one year of college packed into an online, interactive, 19-module course with progress checks, TRIPKIT is self-paced to accommodate varying schedules. The curriculum focuses on real-world agent experiences, industry terminology, and a comprehensive overview of booking air, ground, accommodations, cruises, tours, and packages and numerous booking nuances, as well as interpersonal communications skills, sales and marketing best practices, world geography, and advice for starting a successful independent contractor travel business. TRIPKIT can be purchased directly from The Travel Institute and is also available through colleges and various partner organizations.

“TRIPKIT complements our Flight Centre training materials and ensures new members are up and running quickly with the foundation they need on the schedule they want,” shared Traci Bax, director of membership education and agent growth, Independent by Flight Centre. Bax said The Travel Institute has been “a big help,” creating and maintaining a custom education package to support the host agency’s new-to-the-industry members.

After completing TRIPKIT, students take the Travel Agent Proficiency, or TAP^SM, exam to confirm mastery of travel industry basics. Recent TAP graduates are featured at Hire Me, enabling agency owners and suppliers to easily connect with educated, new talent. According to recent TAP graduates:

• “The materials were current and, with the clout The Travel Institute has, I’m confident starting my new career.” –Matthew Hughes
• “I have been in the travel business off and on for 10 years and didn’t know half of what I learned… I wouldn’t change a thing!” –Robert Staples
• If you want to start a career in travel, this is the best program!” –Juan Herrera
• “I was unsure about not attending a course in-person but I quickly realized TRIPKIT is a robust learning experience with valuable, detailed, well-constructed content. TRIPKIT gave me a good foundation AND confidence to take the next steps.” –Catherine Marucci
• “TRIPKIT is great… well worth the money you invest in yourself.” –Patti Kollar, CTA

While the travel industry does not set standards for agent education, Guida Botelho, CTIE, director of education for The Travel Institute, emphasized the value well-educated agents offer both consumers and colleagues. “Frontline agents are the face of our industry. For the consumer, travel agents facilitate their dream experience OR they don’t. Our singular mission is to advance travel professionals for travelers, for individual agents, and for the industry at large. For industry newcomers, we ensure the broad-based, foundational industry education and confidence they need to be successful from the start,” Botelho explained.

Those exploring a career in travel or seeking a new agent training solution for their team or students can visit The Travel Institute to learn more and are also invited to join a complimentary New to the Industry webinar, which includes a look inside the course, an overview of new agent education, and a roadmap for industry success.

Southwest Airlines is offering a special kind of special for the first quarter of 2023: a free companion ticket for flights taken between January 4 and March 4, 2023. But you have to sign up by tomorrow (September 8).

To be eligible for the pop-up program, open today and tomorrow, you must be a member of the Rapid Reward frequency program and book one round-trip or two one-way tickets for a flight departing by November 17. Once that is done, you can take a partner with you on every flight you take.

The fine print: You must include a Rapid Rewards account number at the time of booking, and pay taxes and fees. Travel booked using Rapid Rewards points, Southwest Vacations or charter or group flights is not eligible.

“We know that flexibility and ease have become even more important for our customers, and this offer is a way to remind our members about the unique benefits of our award-winning Rapid Rewards program,” Southwest’s vice president of marketing loyalty and products Jonathan Clarkson said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to bring back this popular offer, making it easier for new and loyal customers to travel with their special someone.”

Southwest normally offers Companion Passes to Rapid Rewards members who fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or 125,000 qualifying points in a calendar year.

Sign up here: https://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/companionpasspromo.html

On the heels of a number of Congressional representatives introducing the Cash Refunds for Flight Cancelation Act, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced a proposed rule for public comment, which, if adopted, would significantly strengthen protections for consumers seeking refunds for airline tickets. Since early 2020, the Department has received a flood of air travel service complaints from consumers with non-refundable tickets who did not travel because airlines canceled or significantly changed their flights or because the consumers decided not to fly for pandemic-related reasons such as health concerns. Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect the lifting of the No Sail Order: https://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog/index.php/2022/07/update-no-sail-order-lifted-for-margaritaville-at-sea/

After failing a US Coast Guard Certificate of Compliance exam, all passengers of the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise cruise ship were asked to disembark and a “No Sail Order” was issued for the vessel.  The exact nature of the ship’s deficiencies was not disclosed. Read the rest of this entry »

In a statement on Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated its “zero-tolerance policy” for unruly passengers will be permanent despite a court decision essentially ending the transportation mask requirements.

Although a federal judge on Monday ruled the transportation mask mandate policy illegal, the FAA has indicated the policy of zero tolerance for unruly behavior will remain in effect and the administration will continue to issue fines to those creating disturbances. Fines since January 2021 have exceeded 6.5 million dollars.

“Behaving dangerously on a plane will cost you; that’s a promise,” said Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen. “Keeping our zero-tolerance policy will help us continue making progress to prevent and punish this behavior.”

Referring to two recent fines designated as the highest ever imposed, the FAA added “two flight attendants tried to restrain the passenger, but she repeatedly hit one of the flight attendants on the head. After the passenger was restrained in flex cuffs, she spit at, headbutted, bit and tried to kick the crew and other passengers.”

Unruly passenger incidents have often involved the mask mandate, with an estimated 70% involving passengers objecting to being required to wear masks when required by the airline enforcing the mandate with over 7,000 incidents recorded.