Accused
of arson, agent gets jail time
A New Jersey
travel agent who set fire to her travel agency was sentenced to
three years in prison for arson and theft and was prohibited from
participating in the airline industry.
Prema
Hegde, operator of World Class Travel in
Bridgewater, N.J., pleaded guilty a
year ago in Somerset County criminal court to one count of arson
and four counts of theft by deception. She was accused of torching
her agency in 2004 while the agency was in the midst of an ARC
audit and of defrauding airlines and customers.
Another
pit stop for Celebrity pods
Celebrity
Cruises canceled the Millennium's Dec. 10sailing to replace the port thrust bearing in its
pod propulsion system. The affected cruise is a seven-night
Caribbean sailing from Fort Lauderdale; the ship is expected to be
back in service for its next sailing on Dec. 17.
Celebrity has a
multimillion-dollar lawsuit pending against Rolls-Royce to recover
lost revenue and costs associated with 12 bearing failures that
have necessitated 11 unscheduled dry-dockings for repairs on the
four ships that use the technology.
Regent
Hotels eyes first Latin resort
Regent
Hotels Resorts disclosed plans to open a 150-room,
five-star luxury resort in La Punta Papagayo, Costa
Rica. The property, being developed by Minnesota-based
Kirchert Pakonen Development, will be Regent's first in Latin
America and is expected to open in early 2009.
Regent, a Carlson
Worldwide Hotels brand, has 10 properties under development in Asia
and Europe.
AA
airport kiosks to read passports
American equipped more than 365 of its
check-in kiosks with passport readers so travelers with e-tickets
can use the kiosks to check in for international
flights.
The airline,
which has lagged behind some other carriers in offering the
international option, said it planned to roll out more
passport-capable kiosks throughout its network.
All passengers
will still have their documents verified by an agent during
self-service check-in or by an agent at the gate.
Aruba
launches $4.3M campaign
The Aruba
Tourism Authority launched a $4.3 million TV, print and
Internet ad campaign wrapped around the theme of rejuvenation and
reinvigoration, coupled with an original tune called Rumba Aruba
written by local musician Hildward Croes.
Ads carry the
headline, "This is Aruba. This is our home. And we want to share it
with you."
BWIA to
continue BA codeshare
Caribbean
Airlines, which will replace BWIA on Jan. 1, is teaming
with British Airways to offer daily code-share
flights from Barbados and Trinidad to London (Gatwick), effective
March 25. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the BA 777 will
operate from Trinidad to Gatwick, via Barbados.
On the other four
days, the flight will originate in Barbados, but Caribbean Airlines
will offer 737 service from Trinidad to connect with the BA
flight.
BWIA and BA offer
a daily code-share flight from Trinidad to Heathrow with stops in
Antigua, Barbados and St. Lucia, depending on the day of the week.
That service will assume the Caribbean Airlines' name on Jan. 1 and
continue through March 27.
Celebrity
fined in dumping incident
Celebrity
Cruises must pay $100,000 to the state of
Washington for 10 instances of illegally
discharging wastewater into Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de
Fuca in the fall of 2005. The state said the Mercury discharged
more than a half million gallons.
Celebrity took
corrective action, including a $150 million investment in advanced
water treatment facilities and the dismissal of the crew member
involved.
Celebrity said
the discharge was due to "misinterpretation regarding the reach of
Washington state waters. Most state waters reach out three miles.
... Washington state boundaries can be two or more times that
distance."
Agents
winnowed in commission case
The
number of travel agents involved in lawsuits against
airlines over commission cuts continues to dwindle. Until this
fall, more than 100 agents, suing as individuals in two cases (in
federal courts in Beaumont, Texas, and San Francisco) were still
seeking judgments against a number of carriers and, in some cases,
against Orbitz.
However, the
federal judge hearing the consolidated cases dismissed close to 30
plaintiffs because they failed to properly opt out of the Sarah
Hall class action, leaving 90 travel agents as plaintiffs. Harold
Collins, a lawyer for some of the plaintiffs, said the attorneys
had not determined if they would appeal that decision.
More
islands adopt smoking bans
The
British Virgin Islands banned smoking in public
places, although smokers have a six-month grace period to
adjust.
The ban covers
smoking in enclosed public spaces, including bars and restaurants,
or within 50 feet of their entrances.
A similar measure
took effect in Bermuda last month and anther takes
effect in Puerto Rico in March. A smoking ban is
expected to pass soon in the Cayman
Islands.
Friends
& Colleagues
George
Aquino has been named general manager of the new JW
Marriott Grand Rapids (Mich.), set to open in the fall of 2007.
Aquino is a 17-year veteran in the hospitality industry. Also,
Michael Lyman has been named director of sales and
marketing for the 340-room property. " " " The current acting
director of tourism for the Cayman Islands is Shomari
Scott. Scott, who was promoted to the post of deputy
director of international marketing with the Dept. of Tourism, has
taken over for Pilar Bush while Bush is on
maternity leave. " " "Leonard Hoops has been
appointed executive vice president, sales and marketing, at the San
Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau. He most recently was
senior vice president and chief marketing officer for the
Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau. " " " John
Moorhead was named the general manager of the
all-inclusive, 350-room Starfish Trelawny resort in Jamaica, an
affiliate of Jamaica-based SuperClubs.