OAG Travel News

Two consumer advocacy groups have asked US Congress to commission a study on the use of wireless communications devices on commercial flights in the country before the in-flight use of mobile phones for voice calls and other wireless telephony is outlawed. The Coalition for an Airline Passenger's Bill of Rights (CAPBOR), a flyers' rights group, and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBEC), which boasts a membership of over 70,000, have sent letters to US House transportation and infrastructure committee chairman James Oberstar and ranking member John Mica urging them to seek input from stakeholders and to consider all the information before banning the safe use of wireless communications on US flights.

Air France, Amadeus Between April 16 and Oct. 30, members of Nice Airports passenger program Club Airport Premier (CAP) and Air Frances frequent flyer program traveling on the Nice-Paris Orly domestic route will pilot a new boarding device, Pass and Fly. The pilot project will simplify passenger recognition, the crediting of CAP points and airplane boarding, through the use of a mobile phone that is Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled. It is the first time in air travel that NFC, a short-range, wireless connectivity technology, will be used to enable mobile boarding passes. NFC integrates wireless technology into mobile phones, allowing interaction among electronic devices. This means it enables the passenger to be identified and also obtain a digital boarding pass when they swipe their mobile phone across a reader that is set up at the airport. www.airfrance.fr, www.amadeus.com or www.ier.fr.

AT&T acquired infrastructure builder Wayport in late 2008 to bring all its hotspot operations in house and swing a loop around McDonald's service, reported 10.5m Wi-Fi connections in Q1 2009. The firm saw 20m in all of 2008, and just 3.4m in Q1 2008. AT&T added more free users to its Wi-Fi network as 2008 progressed, even as it built the scale of its network. Several million iPhone subscribers had free Wi-Fi added to their accounts in 2008, for instance, while AT&T allowed even its lowest-tier DSL subscribers to have free access at hotspots, too. The company once charged from nominal ($2/mo.) to low ($10/mo.) to subscribers, but gradually phased out fees in favor of usage and the loyalty that results.

EMS Technologies announced today that LiveTV LLC has selected the companys EMS Formation business unit to provide rugged data storage for up to 1,000 aircraft that are deploying LiveTV systems. LiveTV is the worlds leading provider of live in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems for commercial and business airlines. EMS Formation will provide ToughDisk 3500 SATA Rugged Hard Disk (TD3500 SATA) assemblies that will be integrated into LiveTV´s Content Server and System Controller (CSSC), a television video server, and the Connectivity Aircraft Server (CAS). The CAS is used with LiveTV´s low-cost Kiteline connectivity product, which allows airlines to provide passengers with free in-flight email and messaging.

Expedia Inc. says it has spent more than 20 million USD during the past 12 months on " Florida-specific" advertising, including television commercials, radio spots, and online banners and key words. But the Bellevue, Wash.-based company also says that figure could drop if the Florida Legislature forges ahead with plans to make online travel agencies collect and pay taxes on the full hotel rate they charge consumers rather than their current practice of paying taxes only on the lower rate they negotiate with hotels. Counties and their allies, including some hotel groups and tourism bureaus, are unfazed by the industry's threats. They say companies such as Expedia won't stop marketing Florida to consumers just because taxes are raised incrementally particularly since so many of those consumers already want to visit the state that is home to attractions ranging from Walt Disney World to South Beach.

Kayak.com announced today the appointment of Robert Birge as chief marketing officer. Birge will manage all offline marketing, advertising, and public relations activities, including the planned launch of a major offline advertising campaign. Birge will report to Kayak.com co-founder and CEO Steve Hafner and will be based at the company's global headquarters in Norwalk, Connecticut.

At LogiPharma Europe 2009 in Geneva, Motorola today announced the RS507 hands-free Imager, an innovative combination of technology, form and function that businesses need to achieve new levels of scanning efficiencies. The RS507 solution will initially interoperate with Motorola's WT4000 wearable mobile computer. The RS507 hands-free imager's superior ergonomics, best-in-class rugged qualifications and scanning, including support for 1D and 2D bar codes, will also provide an easy and cost-effective way to extend hands-free cordless scanning to Motorola's complete line of mobile computers in the future. Incorporating Motorola's Symbol SE4500 imaging engine, the new RS507 provides the aggressive and accurate decoding of 1D and 2D symbologies, omni-directionally with unmatched motion tolerance. The RS507 allows mobile workers in warehouse, postal and pharmaceutical distribution environments to reach new levels of productivity and operational efficiencies with Motorola's proven technology and product reliability.

Will an 18+ game ever succeed on a Nintendo platform? I've been away for a couple of days so missed out on the big sales story from last week namely that GTA: Chinatown Wars has seriously underperformed. The Rockstar developed DS title shifted 89,000 units in the US in March, way below the 200-450,000 analyst prediction. And that's despite the game being rather good and certainly not just the retro remake of GTA 1 or 2 that many feared. So what happened? Is the Nintendo DS audience just not interested in "mature" gaming? Possibly, but it isn't quite that simple. The relatively casual DS audience is unlikely to get hyped for a game launch date like, say, a 360 owner would, meaning DS games tend to sell over a longer term than the short and sweet standard sales period for a game look at Brain Training. This applies to big name videogame brands too. Call of Duty 4 on the DS sold 36,000 in its first month (Nov '07) but has now shifted 500k. Nintendo, as you would expect, are feeling positive about mature games on the DS. And Alan Lewis from Rockstar owner Take Two is also looking long-term reported The Guardian. Nintendo scored hits with easier-to-play games that attract newcomers to gaming, including the elderly. The DS comes with a touch panel, making it possible to play some games without complex button-pushing. The Wii has been a hit, partly because of its wand-like controller. Despite a global spending slowdown, game sales have held up. Nintendo has weathered the global recession because of the popularity of its game machines and won't be resorting to price cuts to boost sales, the company's president said Thursday. Nintendo Co. President Satoru Iwata said consumers don't hold back on spending on products that are high on their "wish list" like his company's Wii home console or the new Nintendo DSi, the upgrade of the hit handheld machine.

Nokia "Green" mobile phones and smartphones from Nokia, Samsung and Motorola were one part of a new survey conducted by research firm Strategy Analytics, which found that eco-conscious consumers are willing to pay more for green mobile phones as long as they're well-designed, feature-rich and truly Earth friendly. A new green mobile phone study from Strategy Analytics has good news for manufacturers: Eco-minded consumers are willing to pay a premium for Earth-friendly mobile phones, as long as the devices are feature-rich and the intentions behind them are sincere. Strategy Analytics surveyed 2,818 wireless device owners in the United States and Western Europe about their interest in purchasing a phone that has been manufactured in a sustainable, ethical and eco-friendly manner, and that has a low impact on the environment during use or, for the purposes of this article, is green as well as how much they would consider paying for such a phone and which companies they believe put a focus on the environment reported eWeek.

Nokia Mobile phone maker Nokia claimed it has changed the prospects for Near Field Communications (NFC) in the mobile sector with the surprise announcement that it will start shipping in the third quarter, in selected markets, its first SIM-based handset  the 6216 Classic. In his keynote at the 3rd annual Global NFC Developers Summit, organized by WIMA, being held here, Jeremy Belostock, head of near field communications at Nokia, announced to a cheering audience that "this will be the last NFC device to be made by Nokia." After the talk, he told EE Times Europe it is now "up to the SIM community and operators to push the technology even faster and further." The fully integrated 6216 Classic will allow operators to build NFC services on to the SIM card.

Nokia Criminals are willing to pay thousands of euros for a discontinued Nokia mobile phone with a software problem that can be exploited to hack into online bank accounts, according to a fraud investigator in the Netherlands. About 10 days ago, investigators observed someone transfer 25,000 (US$32,413) for a Nokia 1100 phone, said Frank Engelsman of Ultrascan Advanced Global Investigations. The candy-bar style phone is one of Nokia's all-time best-selling models, and originally sold for under 100. Engelsman said police contacted Ultrascan about six months ago to see if the security company knew why the phones were in demand. Since then, Ultrascan has seen the price for the Nokia 1100 rise from around 5,000 to the latest figure.

Orbitz.com announced the launch of Total Price hotel search results. Orbitz claimed it is now the only major online travel company to show base rate, taxes and fees, and total price per night upfront on the initial search results page. Competitors only show base rates on their initial search results pages making it impossible for consumers to see the total price they will pay until after they have selected their hotel. Orbitz also launched the Hotel Fee Cutâ promotion, drastically cutting booking fees on all of its hotels around the world for rooms booked by July 15. Of course, lower booking fees mean a lower total price. The introduction of hotel Total Price and the hotel booking fee cut promotion comes on the heels of the recent launch of the Orbitz Biggest Hotel Sale Ever, featuring discounts of 30 percent or more at thousands of properties worldwide through May 31. www.orbitz.com.

Paf announces the signing of an agreement with Inflight Service Europe AB concerning Pafâs Scratch Card concept Scratchorama. Inflight Service is the in-flight retail supplier for TUIfly Nordic and will test-launch the Scratchorama Scratch Cards as a new entertainment product that will be sold onboard all TUIfly Nordic´s aircrafts. The Scratchorama concept combines an onboard lottery with the online gaming website paf.com, which opens up totally new ancillary revenue streams for airline companies. The Scratchorama concept is unique since it closes the gap between airline companies and customers, boosted by a close association with charity and customer entertainment. Paf becomes the Official Gaming Partner for TUIfly Nordic. Customers will be able to win instant prizes onboard, holidays and gaming money for use post-travel on the online gaming website paf.com. The Scratchorama concept will be fully tested and evaluated during the coming months in order to monitor important KPI´s. If all parameters are at a satisfactory level, the concept will be further integrated within TUIfly Nordic and made available to other airline partners of Inflight Service.

Sony The five most pointless Sony products ever. If you thought the hayfever hat--a hat with a built-in toilet roll dispenser--was the definitive example of humanity's passion for the pointless, a glance in the direction of Sony's decades-old portfolio of products may interest you. Now, we're huge fans of much of Sony's work. MiniDisc? Marvelous. PlayStation? Paradigm-shifting. Bravia? Boodiful. But the company's made more than its fair share of absolute stinkers, so gather round. We've gone all 19th century on Sony, defying the ethics that no longer allow us to create freak shows, and caged five mutated, repulsive curiosities for you to point and laugh at. More importantly, they're backed up by solid, not-even-slightly-obtuse arguments. 4/23/2009

Travelocity There are now even more ways for food and wine lovers to secure tickets to the Third Annual Vegas Uncork, presented by Bon Appetit. Tickets now may be purchased at select Travelocity On Location kiosks throughout Las Vegas. This is the second year Travelocity has teamed up with Vegas Uncork´d, presented by Bon Appetit, as the epicurean extravaganzas official travel provider. In addition to the option of purchasing event tickets at select Travelocity On Location outlets, visitors are encouraged to make travel arrangements for the May 7 to 10 food and wine festival at www.travelocity.com/uncorked.
 
TripAdvisor, the travel community website, was named Innovator of the Year by the U.S. Travel Association on April 2. Designed to honor the two companies whose innovations have had dramatic impact on the larger travel landscape, Innovator winners were determined for the first time by online votes. More than 3,000 people weighed in on the decision, selecting industry pacesetters based on video submissions. TripAdvisor was recognized for TripAdvisor Flights, a new way to find flights that addresses the dramatic changes in the airline industry. The ground-breaking search engine includes a dynamic Fees Estimator, the first and only online product to help travelers understand the true cost of a flight in a single display. TripAdvisor won the Established company category for companies five years or older. Other Established finalists were Hilton Hotels Corporation and Orbitz Worldwide. www.tripadvisor.com.

Source: ZZ AirGuide 090430

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