FEATURED PARTNER OF THE WEEK – MORRISON-CLARK INN

 Located in downtown DC, Morrison-Clark Inn is a converted historic Victorian mansion conveniently located just one block away from the convention center. Situated near the Capitol and White House, Morrison-Clark offers a distinctive alternative to standard hotels in downtown DC. Guest can select from a wide range of beautifully restored rooms boasting authentic antique furnishings, Italian Carrera marble fireplaces and private balconies. Have a special Valentine’s Day planned? Morrison-Clark offers a package from February 10-15. The Valentine’s Day package includes: one deluxe sleeping room, complimentary champagne and chocolate truffles upon arrival, breakfast delivered to your room and a late checkout of 2pm. Contact your Omega agent to book your stay today!

AIRLINE NEWS

 JetBlue Airways and Hawaiian Airlines formed an alliance on Jan. 23 that will enable passengers to fly on both carriers’ flights using a single ticket. The two airlines will soon begin formally codesharing and have reached an agreement on reciprocal miles accrual and redemption in their respective frequent flyer programs. (TravelWeekly.com, Jan. 24)

British Airways will resume service to Tripoli this spring. The carrier had suspended its service to the city in February, when violence broke out across Libya in an uprising against former leader Moammar Gadhafi. BA will fly three flights a week beginning May 1. (Travel.USAToday.com, Jan. 24)

Southwest Airlines is blending more cities from merger partner AirTran into its own route network, the airline announced this week. Atlanta-Norfolk, Atlanta-Louisville, San Antonio-St. Louis, and New York LaGuardia-St. Louis are just some of the new nonstop routes added to the late-summer flight schedule. (Travel.USAToday.com, Jan. 24)

American Airlines will now offer free wine and beer on most overseas flights starting Feb. 1. Complimentary beer and wine will be offered in the main cabin on its international flights between the USA and Europe and Asia as well as on flights to Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. Liquor is not included and must still be purchased on a per-drink basis. (Travel.USAToday.com, Jan. 23)

NEW TRAVEL REGULATIONS GO INTO EFFECT THIS WEEK

 There are new DOT regulations that will go into effect this week that will help ensure that consumers are treated fairly when they travel by air, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently announced. Among the new guidelines are requirements that airlines and ticket agents include all mandatory taxes and fees in published airfares and that they disclose baggage fees to consumers buying tickets. Also beginning this week, passengers will be able to hold a reservation without payment, or cancel a booking without penalty, for 24 hours after the reservation is made, if they make the reservation one week or more prior to a flight’s departure date. In addition, airlines will be required to promptly notify passengers of flight delays of over 30 minutes, as well as flight cancellations and diversions, and they will generally be prohibited from increasing the price of passengers’ ticket after it is bought. The new rules also will make it easier for passengers to determine the full price they will have to pay for air transportation prior to travel, DOT said. (TravelAgentCentral.com, Jan. 24)

AROUND THE WORLD

 So far, two people are dead and tourists have had to be rescued as heavy flooding continues to invade Fiji’s tourist belt. The main airport city of Nadi is under water and surrounding cities are suffering damage as the result of a persistent tropical depression. Concern is growing around Denarau, a tourist complex built on an artificial set of islands near the mouth of the flooding Nadi River. Hundreds of people continue to be evacuated as the flooding continues across Fiji. (ETurboNews.com, Jan. 23)

It has been barely a week since the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground and tipped over off of the coast of Italy. Ferries from the mainland have been jammed with day-trippers trying to get a close-up view of the wreckage. More than 1000 visitors arrived on the island of Giglio from Tuscany’s Porto Santo Stefano on Saturday, almost 10 times the normal number for a weekend in the off season. Since the accident, 16 passengers have been found dead and 17 are still missing. Giglio tourism officials are aghast at the unwanted notoriety and have told tourists to wait a few weeks before visiting the island. (Travel.USAToday.com, Jan. 23)

FLIGHTSTATS ANNOUNCES BEST ON-TIME AIRLINES

 This week, FlightStats announced its annual list of airlines delivering the best on-time performance. “On time” is defined by the percentage of an airline’s flights that arrive at their gates within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time. Airports delivering the highest percentage of departures from the gates less than 15 minutes after the scheduled time also got recognized. Some of the top airlines include: Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Scandinavian Airlines. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport scored the top airport spot with an on-time performance of 86.28%. (Travel.USAToday.com, Jan. 23)

Featured Partner of the Week – UNITED AIRLINES

 Relax with a drink and a snack, connect with your office in a quiet atmosphere, or simply escape the hustle of the airport before your next flight. As a United Club member, you can do all of these things. United Club is the new name for the combined Continental Presidents Club and United Red Carpet Club, and we have rebranded airports across the globe to reflect this change. With United Club, you can continue to enjoy the same comforts and luxuries as always: Comfortable clubs centrally located in our busiest airport; Personalized travel assistance; Complimentary Wi-Fi service in all locations; Power outlets for laptop computers; A selection of complimentary beverages including soft drinks, juices, coffee, cappuccino, tea, beer, wine and spirits; Complimentary breakfast and afternoon snacks; Newspapers, periodicals and magazines; and Club access for guests traveling with United Club members. Fly in comfort and style and become a United Club member today!

AIRLINE NEWS

 Canadian low-cost carrier, WestJet announced this week that they are considering creating a regional unit that would allow it to go head-to-head with Air Canada in potentially dozens of new markets. WestJet is thinking about launching a new short-haul, regional airline as early as 2013 using a fleet of approximately 40 smaller turboprop aircraft. Turboprops would allow WestJet to access the smaller communities of Canada, many of which are only serviced by Air Canada and its regional partner, Chorus. (Travel.USAToday.com, Jan 17)

The Singapore Airlines A380 is now serving New York’s JFK airport, with the inaugural flight departing JFK earlier this week. The world’s largest commercial aircraft introduces the industry’s only Double Suites – a private cabin equipped with a double bed for two passengers – as well as a host of enhanced seating, entertainment and dining options in every class, to travelers in the New York area. The Singapore Airlines A380 will operate daily flights between Singapore and New York JFK following the inaugural service. (ETurboNews.com, Jan. 16)

Japanese carrier ANA and Hawaiian Airlines announced the expansion of their marketing and operational partnership with the signing of a code-share agreement. Starting on January 19, 2012, ANA customers will be able to book connecting flights on Hawaiian Airlines between Honolulu and Kailua-Kona/Lihue/Hilo and Kahlului though ANA. In addition, Hawaiian Airlines will place its flight code on ANA operational flights between Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport and Honolulu, as well as flights that connect to Hawaiian’s own daily service from various parts of Hawaii. (ETurboNews.com, Jan. 16)

UNITED/CONTINENTAL FREQUENT FLIER INFO

 If you’re a member of both MileagePlus and OnePass, United/Continental encourages you to link your accounts. When you do, you will ensure a smooth transition to a single account for the 2012 MileagePlus program. Linking your accounts will also allow you to immediately transfer miles between programs. And, if you have a higher elite status in one program, United/Continental will match that status in the other program, and combine your 2011 elite qualifying activity to ensure you have the highest possible elite status in both programs now, and for 2012. The benefits of the 2012 MileagePlus program will take effect late in the first quarter of 2012, under a single account number. To ensure the most benefits, link your MileagePlus and OnePass accounts today. (Continental.com, Jan. 17)

CAPTAIN DID NOT FOLLOW ROUTE

 The captain of the Costa Cruises ship that partially sank last week after hitting rocks off the coast of Italy had diverted the ship onto a route that was not authorized by the company reports the CEO. According to the Costa Cruises CEO, Costa ships travel the passage near the incident site more than 100 times a year but always stay further out to sea. It is thought that the ship’s captain wanted to show off the ship to the port area of Giglio that it was passing. Italian prosecutors are holding the ship’s captain for questioning on possible charges of manslaughter and abandoning the ship before all passengers were off. The accident happened just three and a half hours after departing. The safety drill was scheduled for the next day. The ship listed sharply during the emergency, making it impossible to deploy lifeboats from both sides of the ship. So far, five people have been found dead. (Travel.USAToday.com, Jan. 16)

FLIERS WON’T PAY FOR WI-FI

 Airlines are spending millions of dollars to equip planes with Wi-Fi capability. But only a small amount of travelers have used the service since it was first introduced in 2008. The main reason travelers have been slow to log in is the price say analysts. It can cost of up $14.95 per flight. As more and more Wi-Fi is available in the ground locations – at the airport, the hotel, the restaurant and cafe – for free, the consumer expectation is that Wi-Fi will be free on the plane as well. Airlines equipped with leading Wi-Fi service provider Gogo – about 85% of North American aircraft that provides Internet – point out that Gogo sets the pricing. Airlines don’t question Wi-Fi’s value thought. “It is absolutely worth the investment,” says a spokesman for United. (Travel.USAToday.com, Jan 16)