June 18, 2019

Direct Travel

News Briefs

June 18, 2019

In this edition of the Travel News Brief: Deem to sunset expense tool, Cuba travel ban, Canada flight disruption compensation, the latest of the Boeing 737, no visa for Brazil, everything you need to know about REAL-ID, delay on passport processing, driverless cars, Uber returns to Cancun, hotel expansions, 2019 Atlantic hurricane season forecast, Motivate Traveler Compliance to Reduce Your Travel Spend Webinar, and more!

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You received a crisis alert. Now what?

It’s evening. You’re sitting down for dinner and you receive an email notification that there has been a crisis in a location where you have business travelers. It’s bad. Now what? Read More


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WEBINAR: Motivate Traveler Compliance to Reduce Your Travel Spend

Join Rocketrip and Direct Travel this afternoon, June 18, at 1:00pm ET, to learn how to influence traveler behavior and impact your organization’s bottom line. Join us for the webinar and you can implement Rocketrip in your travel program for free- a savings worth $15,000! Register Now

Deem Will Sunset Its Expense System

Business Travel News — Corporate travel booking and management provider Deem plans to discontinue Deem Expense in 18 months. Read More

New Zealand Implements Tourist Tax

Travel Weekly — New Zealand’s legislature has approved a tourist tax to take effect July 1. The country proposed to levy the tax last year…Read More

Group Educational Trips to Cuba No Longer Allowed

Meetings & Conventions — The Trump administration imposed major new travel restrictions on visits to Cuba by U.S. citizens…Read More


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Canada Issues Flight Disruption Compensation Regulations

Business Travel News — Canada now requires carriers to compensate passengers for flight disruptions within the carriers’ control. Read More

American Airlines Extends Boeing 737 Max Cancellations Through Labor Day

Travel Pulse — The Boeing MAX issues continue to impact travel. Read More

American Airlines Achieves Summer Schedule Milestone at DFW

Travel Pulse — American Airlines completed the next step in its journey of unprecedented growth today as the airline’s schedule at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) grew to more than 900 daily flights for the first time this summer. Read More

American-Qantas JV Gets DOT Approval at Long Last

Business Travel News — After nearly five years of trying, American Airlines and Qantas have received tentative approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation for a joint venture between the U.S. and Australia/New Zealand carriers. Read More

Delta Air Lines Says Boston Is Now One of Its Hub Cities

The Points Guy — It’s official. Boston is now a hub for Delta Air Lines. Read More

United to Begin Flying from Newly Renovated LaGuardia Terminal B This Weekend

Travel Market Report — The move is just part of a multibillion-dollar renovation project that started with Terminal B, and will continue throughout the rest of LaGuardia. Read More


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Americans Can Now Travel to Brazil Visa-free

Travel Mole — Travelers from Canada, Japan and Australia also get visa-free status…Read More

REAL IDs Are Coming! Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Smarter Travel — Here’s everything you need to know about when to use a passport vs. a REAL ID, even when flying domestically. Are you ready? Read More

Passport Agency Boosts Minimum Routine Application Wait Time by 50 Percent

The Washington Post — US travelers can expect to wait eight weeks instead of six for new and renewed passports, the State Department says, with expedited, two- to three-week service available for an additional $60. Read More

Your Airport Security Line Could Get Longer Next Year — and TSA Officers Are Not a Happy Crew

The Washington Post — While the Transportation Security Administration anticipates a 4.5% increase in passengers next year, officials have only requested a 2.5% increase in staffing, which will likely lead to delays. Read More

Brexit Puts Travelers on High Alert

GBTA Blog — The United Kingdom’s exit of the European Union has travelers on high alert. But do they need to be? Experts say that Brexit will likely impact U.K. travelers more than U.S. travelers. Read More

U.S. State Department Now Requiring Social Media Details from Visa Applicants

Travel Market Report — The rule is expected to impact about 14 million nonimmigrant visa applicants per year. Read More

Government Travel Warnings & Alerts

U.S. Department of State — Information on current government issued travel warnings and alerts. Read More


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Driverless Cars Are Going to Disrupt the Airline Industry

Meetings & Conventions — A future with driverless cars means people will have more options to avoid driving on their own, beyond trains and buses…Read More

Avis Courts Bleisure Travelers with New Payment-Splitting Option

Phocuswire — To make it easier for bleisure travelers to reconcile expenses, Avis has created a “Split My Bill” feature in its mobile app that enables users to divide payment between corporate and personal credit cards or forms of payment. Read More

Uber Officially Returns to Cancun

Travel Pulse — The ride-sharing service restarts operations for the first time since 2017. Read More


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Four Seasons Coming to Minneapolis

Travel Mole — Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts has partnered with developer United Properties to bring a new Four Seasons hotel to downtown Minneapolis. Read More

Starwood Capital Unveils New Brand Treehouse Hotels

Travel Mole — First hotel will open this year in London…Read More

Marriott Bolsters Its Asia Pacific Presence with 13 New Properties

Travel Pulse — Marriott is significantly expanding its Asia Pacific luxury portfolio with 13 new properties expected to open this year alone. The growth in the region is to include new properties under the JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton , St. Regis, and Luxury Collection brands. Read More

Hilton Inks First U.S. Deal for Motto Brand

Travel Weekly — Hilton has secured the first U.S. agreement for its new Motto brand. Read More

Those Tiny Hotel Toiletry Bottles Are on Their Way Out

The New York Times — Like grocery bags and straws, the miniature bottles of toiletries and cosmetics that many guests swipe from hotels are in the sights of legislators and hotel establishments who are trying to reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste. Read More

La Quinta Heads to the Caribbean

Business Travel News — Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Profusion Development have agreed to build eight La Quinta properties in the Dominican Republic in the next five years. Read More

The Langham Hotels & Resorts Introduces New Logo and Global Brand Campaign

4Hoteliers — The Langham Hotels & Resorts unveils its new logo and brand campaign at ILTM Asia Pacific to affirm its well-earned position within the ultra-luxury hotel segment. Read More

Hyatt Beefing Up Luxury Portfolio in Asia

Travel Mole — 21 new properties slated to open by-end 2020…Read More

Hyatt Establishes Dedicated Lifestyle Division/span>

Travel Mole — Two Roads Hospitality CEO Frederic Flageat-Simon heads strategy…Read More


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Phoenix Airport Eyes Improvement, Expansion in 20-year Plan

Arizona Public Media — Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is looking ahead two decades with a plan that calls for expanding and improving facilities to match projected cargo and passenger growth. Airport officials expect more than 70 million passengers by 2039. It recorded nearly 45 million passengers last year. Read More

11 Important Things to Know About Connecting Flights

Smarter Travel — While you can never completely eliminate that risk, you can minimize it. Read More

What Not to Do When Exiting a Plane During an Emergency

Smarter Travel — Definitely avoid these inconsiderate (and dangerous) behaviors. Read More

Tight Airport Connections: What You Need to Know About Making a Connecting Flight

SmarterTravel — Worried about missing your connecting flight? While you can never completely eliminate that risk, you can at least minimize it. Here’s how. Read More

Meteorologists Release 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast

Travel Pulse — The storm season has begun. Read More

Airport Is Getting a $14 Billion Makeover

CNBC — The airport is leading the nation in massive infrastructure improvements. By 2023, a people mover will whisk travelers from a parking location/rental-car facility in 10 minutes…Read More


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Be Strategic: Listen, Communicate, Plan, Transform.

Creative Group — Top takeaways from the Strategic Meetings and Events Summit…Read More

[On-Demand Webinar] 10 Things Top Performing Tech Businesses Do Differently

Creative Group — Listen in as experts discuss what top-performing technology companies do differently for incentives and rewards than average-performing companies. Read More

Nashville Leads U.S. Meetings Hotels

Business Travel News — The Omni Nashville Hotel snared the No. 1 spot among this year’s top U.S. meeting hotels, compiled by meeting and event technology provider Cvent. Read More

Looking for guidance on planning your next convention, incentive, or group trip? Direct Travel will assist with all your meetings and event details!  Whatever your needs may be when it comes to your event, you can always depend on us to design streamlined travel arrangements, plan strategic meetings, and deliver real-time results. For details, please send a message to: [email protected].

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