Anyone here seen the Y2K bug? As tough to spot as the Mars Polar
Lander, the pesky critter turned out to be all bluff and no bother,
and its conspicuous absence ceded our January pages to the usual
news makers: travel agents, airlines and the like. To wit:
Ambassadors International, which owns about 20% of SatoTravel,
says it plans to close its Boston; Minneapolis, and Westlake
Village, Calif., offices.Northwest gets a temporary restraining order to stop what it
calls an illegal sickout by flight attendants.Far & Wide Travel purchases its first tour operator outside
the U.S., Toronto-based Lion World Travel.Expedia.com drops its requirement that users register to browse
the site.South American and Caribbean agents gear up for a boycott after
American cuts base pay to 6%. It is not long before other airlines
selectively match the cut.Going up! Single-day admission to Disney World increases by $2
and multiday passes were hiked $5.The International Airlines Travel Agency Network opened its
endorsement and ID card programs to ARC-accredited corporate travel
departments.Twenty-three carriers agree to join the Web travel site planned
by United, Delta, Northwest and Continental.ASTA member magazine's cover touting Marriott's Hotel
Excellence pay program "embarrasses" Society officials.Mexicana backpedals on its proposed debit memo policy for
no-show passengers.An analysis of ARC's raw year-end statistics indicates that a
record 2,451 full-service locations closed in 1999.Most major U.S. carriers slap a $10 one-day and $20 roundtrip
fuel surcharge on the cost of a domestic ticket.Carnival Corp. announces plans to acquire Fairfield
Communities, an Orlando time-share operator.Say it ain't so. British Airways will replace commissions with
fees starting Jan. 1, 2001.ASTA acquires the National Association of Commissioned Travel
Agents.API Travel Consultants adopts the name Virtuoso.