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Apr 20 09 1:29pm EDT

It's Good to be Richard Branson

Richard Branson, the founder of just about all things Virgin, doesn't seem too worried about the global tourism slowdown. Jaunted.com (a partner to Portfolio.com) offers up a photo of Branson kite surfing off Necker Island, his private island in the ... Continue


Apr 20 09 10:21am EDT

Airline Alliances Get Scrutinized

The European Union is taking aim at the airline alliances that allow travelers to rack up miles on a number of airlines and let the airlines share some marketing and operating costs. Today, the EU launched antitrust investigations against some members within the Star and Oneworld alliances, specifically in terms of how they operate transatlantic routes. The investigations focus on Star Alliance members Air Canada, Continental, Lufthansa, and United Airlines; and on Oneworld members American Airlines, British Airways, and Iberia. "The level of cooperation in question appears far more extensive than the general cooperation between these airlines and other airlines which are part of the Star and Oneworld alliances," the European Commission, the EU's competition authority, said in a statement ... Continue


Apr 17 09 12:22pm EDT

Coffee, Tea, or Kibble?

An airline devoted to pets and not people sounds like an idea from the heady days of 2006, when several airlines thought they could make it big ferrying business travelers and celebs across the Atlantic or when pet spas and boutiques were cropping up everywhere. But 2009 is no 2006, and if regular carriers are having big problems filling planes and making money, can a niche product like Pet Airways really fly (pardon the pun)? ... Continue


Apr 17 09 10:01am EDT

Starwood Fights Hilton Over Zen

Late Thursday, Starwood Hotels & Resorts filed suit against Hilton Hotels Corp. claiming a couple of former Starwood executives who left to work for Hilton stole proprietary information that helped them create a new luxury hotel brand for Hilton. The dispute between two of the biggest hotel players centers around Hilton's plans to create a global chain of hotels called Denizen, a high-end product geared to both leisure and business travelers with a hip edge that emphasizes relaxation. According to Starwood's lawsuit, former execs Ross Klein and Amar Lalvani stole thousands of documents containing the company's hotel secrets. Among those nuggets: A feature of the upcoming Denizen hotels is a "den of zen." But Starwood had planned on implementing a "zen den" at its W Hotels chain, and the lawsuit alleges that Klein and Lalvani stole the idea ... Continue


Apr 16 09 4:16pm EDT

Trying to Feel the LUV

But if investors had tried the same approach with Southwest Airlines, they might be a bit angry. Today, after Southwest posted first-quarter losses of $91 million--the first such quarterly loss since 1991--the company's stock (LUV) had nowhere to go but down. It opened at $7.45 a share, and soon fell to its lowest point at $6.58, before gaining some of its lost value and closing at $7.10, a loss of more than 7 percent ... Continue


Apr 16 09 10:52am EDT

Lots of Room at the Front of the Plane

The number of travelers paying to sit in first and business classes declined globally by 21 percent in February, according to a study released this morning by the International Air Transport Association. The drop followed a 16.7 percent decline in ... Continue


Apr 16 09 9:57am EDT

Is It Time to Buy Airline Stocks?

UPDATE: So much for the confidence. With today's reports of first-quarter losses at Southwest and a steep decline in premium traffic globally in February, the Amex Airline Index was down about 3 percent at 11 am. According to MarketWatch, all but two of the Index's components were in the red ... Continue


Apr 15 09 3:56pm EDT

United Charges a Fat Tax

United will either get praised by the seat-deprived or blasted by those who defend the rights of the obese. "Due to this news I will now begin buying Jetblue stock," wrote one commenter on the Daily News story ... But more comments were along the lines of this poster: "This is so overdue. sorry it has to come down to this, but those defending the overweight on this charge, i'd like you to sit next to them on a plane voluntarily. its quite disgusting to have to fly that way." ... Continue


Apr 15 09 1:55pm EDT

AA Surprises With Earnings

AMR Corp, the parent of American Airlines, reported smaller-than-expected losses for the first quarter today, an announcement that gave the company's stock a boost. By midday, shares were up about 15 percent for the biggest intra-day gain in six months ... Continue


Apr 15 09 1:10am EDT

Where the Road Warriors Are

Most of all, Itineraries is a chronicle of transition--of industries adapting to troubled times, of businesses adjusting to economic realities, and of travelers moving from place to place. Thanks for coming along on the ride ... Continue


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