The "dream" is still alive, at least for American CEO Gerard Arpey, who fielded yet another question, at an investors' conference in New York, about his dream of getting distributors to pay for access to the airline's content, instead of the other way around. "I did comment on that," he said. "I got a lot of feedback." He went on to clarify by saying, "I was talking about online distribution." But barely a minute or two later he felt that clarification needed further clarification. "We very much value our online partners," he said. "We really want to be ubiquitous in how we distribute our product." To which he also decided to add, "I envision a future where we work in a different way that works for them and for us." Sounds like his dream is turning into a public relations nightmare.

In town that same week, Hugh Riley, acting secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, cut to the chase during a recent marketing conference and, in so doing, created the most-quoted sound bite of the Caribbean Week event. As panelists droned on during a debate on the pros and cons of pricing and packaging, Riley raised his hand. The moderator nodded. He stood up, looked out, and said: "A recession is a terrible thing to waste." Applause drowned out the rest.

Overheard at the Vacation.com confab in Las Vegas: V-com CEO Steve Tracas and OSSN President Gary Fee in serious discussion about ways they could work together.

At the Canada New England Cruise Symposium last week, TC was surprised to find two buses parked outside the hotel, each one modeled on the inside to look and feel like a cruise ship cabin. One resembled a Celebrity Solstice cabin; the other an MSC Cruises stateroom (the buses also had the cruise line logos painted on their side). Seems as though it's just a different definition of "cruisetour." The buses are going to different parts of Quebec this summer to show off the cabins that will soon be visiting Atlantic Canada.

So, what Caribbean island is Starwood eyeing next? The hotel firm will open its first W in Vieques, Puerto Rico, in January, but TC hears that a very popular destination could next be on their radar. No hints allowed, although one would have to be a jerk not to know.