AirOptions Blog

State department has adivised Americans against traveling to Honduras because of the current unstable political situation. Read the warning here.

Legislation is currently being considered in congress that would permit passengers to deplane after being on the tarmac for a certain amount of time. USA TODAY (7/28)

A loyalty research firm has released a study that says that membership in loyalty programs has fallen 31% in the last couple of years. Read about it at BTNOnline.com/Nielsen Business Media (7/28)

Lawmakers and travel industry insiders are supporting the battle against United Airlines’ decision to shift credit card costs to travel agents. However, Paul Ruden, senior vice president for legal and industry affairs at ASTA, said the fight is not over. “I urge every agent to keep the e-mails and letters coming. Their support is decisive,” Ruden said.

American Airlines reported a second-quarter net loss of $390 million. AMR expects mainline capacity in the third quarter of 2009 to decrease by approximately 8.5 percent compared to the third quarter of 2008, with domestic capacity expected to decline by approximately 10.5 percent and international capacity expected to decline by approximately 6 percent compared to third quarter 2008 levels. AMR expects consolidated capacity in the third quarter of 2009 to decrease by approximately 9 percent compared to the third quarter of 2008. For more information, visit the airlines website.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is urging Congress to reverse parts of a 2005 law designed to make it tougher for terrorists to obtain the state IDs needed to board aircraft. Some governors have complained that the Bush-era Real ID program would cost $11 billion to implement, and the Obama administration has introduced a scaled-back proposal known as Pass ID. “States agree that Real ID is too rigid and needlessly expensive in mandating how states meet security goals,” Napolitano told the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

In a letter to United Airlines CEO Glenn Tilton, 13 lawmakers urged a postponement of the carrier’s recently announced credit card policy change. The lawmakers asked for time for “appropriate committees to evaluate the likely effects of the policy in an orderly way and, if necessary and appropriate, to take action to mitigate the effects of the decision.”

he Chinese government has imposed a quarantine in response to the H1N1 influenza outbreak, prompting a travel alert from the U.S. State Department. The measures have added to the uncertainty about traveling to the Asian nation as passengers who arrive exhibiting flulike symptoms or flu are placed in a seven-day quarantine. Read the official State Department travel alert for China. TravelPulse (6/30)

In light of United Airlines’ change on its credit card policy, ASTA has sent a letter to the Department of Justice urging officials to ensure that airlines are not colluding to shift expenses to agencies. ASTA asked for a meeting with DOJ officials, and Paul Ruden, senior vice president for legal and industry affairs at the society, said a meeting may be set up for next week. Travel Weekly (6/30)

United Airlines has presented the entire travel agent industry — from large corporate travel management firms to home-based travel agents — with a drastic cost-shifting scheme that could undermine the distribution channel. Organizations, including ASTA, have explained the ramifications of United’s move and are asking agents to band together to face the challenge. Travel Agent (6/30)