Aer Lingus to fly Virgin U.K. routes
Virgin Atlantic disclosed that Aer Lingus will be the operator of the short-haul domestic services it plans to launch in the spring. Virgin said Aer Lingus will offer a "bespoke Virgin Atlantic product" that will be "fully Virgin-branded." Designed to maximize connecting traffic for its London long-hauls, the Virgin domestic schedule will start March 31 with three daily Manchester, England, roundtrips, followed in April by flights to Scotland: six daily roundtrips for Edinburgh and three daily for Aberdeen. Aer Lingus will provide all aircraft and crews for the Virgin service.
No-Hassle bag bill passes Congress
Congress passed and sent to the White House the No-Hassle Flying Act of 2012, which gives the Transportation Security Administration the discretion to waive the rescreening of through-checked baggage arriving from preclearance airports in Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean. Under current law, checked baggage on inbound international flights must be rescreened before being placed on connecting flights in the U.S., even if the baggage was already screened at the pre-clearance airport. President Obama is expected to sign the measure.
Amtrak extends corridor to Norfolk
Amtrak extended its Northeast Regional service south to Norfolk, Va., eliminating a bus connection from Newport News and making possible a "same-seat" trip to Richmond, Washington and points north. Norfolk has been without intercity passenger rail service since 1977.
Ritz-Carlton opens at Dorado Beach
Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, opened on the grounds of Laurance Rockefeller's former Dorado Beach Hotel and Golf Club in Puerto Rico, which opened in 1958 as one of the original RockResorts properties. The property offers 100 guestrooms, 14 one-bedroom suites and the restored Su Casa four-bedroom plantation villa that dates from the 1920s. Amenities include private in-room check-in for guests who are assigned a personal concierge. The resort joins Phulay Bay on the Thai island of Krabi as one of two properties in Ritz-Carlton's highest tier of luxury resorts.
Curacao resort gets Sunscape flag
AMResorts introduced its Sunscape brand to Curacao with the opening of the renovated 341-room Sunscape Curacao Resort, Spa & Casino. The all-inclusive resort, formerly a Breezes property, has been managed by AMResorts since July 1 under the name Princess Beach Resort and Casino-Curacao.
U.S. hoteliers eye Manila projects
Manila is attracting more attention from global hoteliers. Hilton disclosed plans to open its first hotel in the Philippines in 2014, the 350-room Hilton Manila in the Resorts World entertainment district near the Ninoy Aquino Airport. Starwood, meanwhile, is targeting 2017 as the opening of the 350-room Sheraton Manila in the same mixed-use complex. It also plans to open a 600-room Westin Manila Bayshore in 2016 in a mixed-use complex at Entertainment City, a master planned development on reclaimed land in Manila Bay.
Friends & Colleagues
Virtuoso said that Kristi Jones, president of Virtuoso, and Scott Ahlsmith, president of 23TouchPoints, have retired. Jones joined Virtuoso in 1988 and created Virtuoso's original consumer publication, Voyages. She handled the rebranding of API Travel Consultants to Virtuoso in 2000. She also worked on the organization's website and Internet marketing and public relations, and she directed the creation of Virtuoso's international division. Ahlsmith, who was chairman of the Travel Institute from 2002 to 2010, had headed 23TouchPoints since 2010. Before that, he had been executive vice president, global technology for Virtuoso. Other positions include president, Magellan Travel Technologies and vice president and general manager of Trams. • • • Lauri Reishus has been promoted to vice president and COO of ARC. Reishus, who joined ARC in 2005, has most recently been vice president of operations and has been the driving force behind the updating of ARC's Agent Reporting Agreement, announced earlier this year. Before coming to ARC, Reishus spent 16 years with SatoTravel/Navigant, as vice president of account management. • • • Michelle Peluso has been named CEO of Gilt, an online luxury retailer, effective at the end of February. Peluso is currently the global consumer chief marketing and Internet officer at Citigroup. Prior to her stint at Citigroup, Peluso was CEO of Travelocity from 2003 to 2009 after serving as the company's COO and senior vice president of product strategy and distribution. • • • Target Travel Group has named Bill Furman its general manager. Furman, who had been branch manager at Boscov's Travel in New Jersey, will be in charge of managing Target Travel Group's network of corporate and incentive accounts.