Northwest
to share Air France code
Northwest plans to begin
code-sharing with SkyTeam partner Air
France on Sept. 2, starting with the Detroit-Paris route,
where the carriers offer a total of 13 weekly flights. Northwest
said the lines will expand the relationship to other routes in the
fall.
After Air France
acquired Northwest's longtime partner KLM, the SkyTeam carriers
sought broad antitrust immunity for code-sharing and other ventures
but the Transportation Department rejected the request.
Cendant
closes on Travelport sale
Cendant closed on the sale of its
Travelport division to affiliates of the
BlackstoneGroup for $4.3 billion
in cash. The sale of Travelport, which includes Galileo, Orbitz,
CheapTickets, Gullivers Travel Associates and other brands, leaves
Avis and Budget as Cendant's remaining travel brands and sets the
stage for a shareholder vote this week on changing the company name
to Avis Budget Group.
As part of the
Travelport sale, Wyndham Worldwide, previously Cendant's hotel and
lodging division, receives $760 million in cash, which it intends
to use to pay down debt.
Holland
America to test air scrubber
Holland
America plans to conduct a seawater scrubber test on one
of its ships to determine the feasibility of new "scrubber"
technology to reduce air emissions.
The $1.2 million
project cost will be mostly paid for by HAL, with grants from the
Environmental Protection Agency/West Coast Collaborative and the
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
The technology
uses seawater to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from diesel
exhaust but hasn't been adapted for large vessels.
Couples
to build its fifth resort
Couples
Resorts disclosed plans to build its fifth
Jamaican resort, a 370-room property in Trelawny parish on
the north coast. Couples Chairman Lee Issa already owns the 38-acre
site, near the site of the government's proposed Harmony Cove
development project. Construction is expected to begin until early
next year and to be completed in 2008.
Air
Canada adds Heathrow service
Air
Canada will begin nonstop service between
Edmonton, Alberta, and London's Heathrow
Airport with three weekly flights on Oct. 31, expanding to
daily service on April 1. It will use slots acquired from another
carrier. Air Canada didn't say which carrier, but it is widely
believed to be United, which is selling its New York-London route
rights to Delta.
The
Travel Corp. to acquire Brendan
Brendan
Worldwide Vacations agreed to be acquired by the
Travel Corp., parent of Trafalgar Tours, Insight
and other brands. Under the agreement, the management team of
Brendan will stay in place, including Chairman Jimmy Murphy and
President Gary Murphy. The Travel Corp.'s brands operate
independently and "the same philosophy will hold for Brendan," said
Gary Murphy.
Taj
venture plans India lodges
Taj/CC
Africa Wilderness Lodges, a joint venture of luxury hotel
chain Taj Hotels and lodge operator Conservation Corp. Africa, set
Nov. 15 as the opening date for Mahua Kothi, in
the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, the first of five
planned safari lodges in India.
Bonaire
to get its first inclusive
Divi
Resorts, which operates 11 resorts on six Caribbean
islands, plans to begin construction next spring on a beachfront
resort with 275 rooms and 60
condominium- units, the first all-inclusive resort on
Bonaire. Completion is expected late in 2008. Divi
also operates Bonaire's 129-room Flamingo Beach Resort &
Casino.
Coastal
to manage Delta King Hotel
Coastal
Hotel Group, a Seattle hotel operator, was named to manage
Sacramento's 44-room Delta King Hotel, a
permanently moored riverboat in the city's historic riverfront area
that was the original sister ship to the Mississippi's famous Delta
Queen.
Coastal manages
seven hotels in four states, including the Salish Lodge & Spa
outside Seattle and the Spindrift Inn in Monterey,
Calif.
Westin
plans hotel in Napa, Calif.
Westin said it
will begin construction late this year on a 160-unit
condominum-hotel in Napa, Calif., opening in 2008. The
Westin Verasa Napa Residences will include 160
hotel rooms, managed by Intrawest. Westin said the hotel will be "within walking distance" of COPIA:
The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts.
Travel
Guard offers new menu options
Travel
Guard International rolled out My Travel
Guard, a basic travel insurance plan that clients can
customize with menu options such as medical evacuation to the
hospital of the customer's choice, coverage for adventure travel
activities typically excluded from travel insurance policies and an
"ultimate concierge service."
All My Travel
Guard plans include the basics: trip cancellation, interruption and
delay; emergency medical expense and evacuation; lost, stolen,
damaged or delayed bags; and 24-hour emergency travel
services.
Friends
& Colleagues
Gregg
Brockway has resigned as president of Classic Vacations,
citing "the demands of a growing family and a lengthy commute" as
his reasons. He will continue to be a member of Classic's advisory
board. Classic Chairman Ron Letterman will take on
the role of interim president while a replacement is found.
Brockway will participate in the selection process. " " " Corinthia
Hotels International has appointed Tony Potter
CEO. Potter has served in senior roles with several hotel companies
throughout his career, most recently as CEO of Millennium &
Copthorne. " " " Cruise West has appointed Townsend
Carman senior vice president, marine and hotel operations,
and George Howell vice president, revenue
development. Carman was CEO of Oregon Rail Holdings and American
West Steamboat Co. Howell was most recently director of travel
services and branch office sales for AAA Arizona. " " " Amy
Deve has been named to the new position of director of
East Coast leisure sales for Kor Hotel Group. Deve was senior sales
manager for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami. " " "
Joseph Ondrus has been named senior vice president
of Garber Travel in Chestnut Hill, Mass., with responsibilities in
global client and partner relations, business development and
sales. Ondrus was at the TSA as deputy director of Secure Flight
and has held senior positions at US Airways. " " " Pleasant
Holidays has hired Bruce Rosenberg as its senior
vice president of sales and marketing. Most recently, Rosenberg
worked for Trams, a provider of technology and marketing services
for travel agencies.