The cost of train travel could fall next year after ministers confirmed they have rejected a request from operators to ensure fares keep rising.
Half the UK's fares are currently allowed to rise by 1% above inflation.
In the event of a general 1% drop in prices, these fares would have to fall and such deflation now seems likely.
Transport Minister Lord Adonis told MPs that the existing fares formula would remain in place and therefore prices Read the rest of this entry »

The cruise industry has been rolling out massive discounts this year to get people booking again -- and it seems to be working. Bookings have rebounded for cruises to many regions.
But one area where travel agents think cruise lines need to slash rates even more is in Europe. 
"There are some deals on excellent ships for the early part of the European season, but nothing significant yet that will draw the masses," says Stewart Chiron, president Read the rest of this entry »

Prices for airline travel to Europe and Hawaii during the upcoming peak summer season are far below last year's levels, suggesting the carriers are worried about filling planes, says an observer of fares.
The lower prices are a combination of lower fares and smaller fuel surcharges. The falling value of the euro gives another edge to U.S. consumers planning a vacation in Europe.
Airlines added fuel surcharges last year as fuel rose to an all-time Read the rest of this entry »

abs-cbnNEWS.com
Fewer people traveled on first-class and business-class tickets in December of last year, with premium travel suffering a 13.3-percent decline from the same period in 2007, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The number, IATA said, was also lower than November's 11.5-percent decline.
In a report, IATA said Asia led the slump in premium traffic, with travel within the Far East and across the Pacific Read the rest of this entry »

BELT-tightening? What belt-tightening? There is no quelling Singaporeans' wanderlust, going by the crowds who thronged the travel fairs held by travel agents in the past two weekends.
and snapped up tens of million of dollars in packages to Europe, the United States, Japan, Korea and China, exceeding the expectations of the travel agents themselves.
Dynasty Travel's general manager Juliana Gan said: 'We were really worried before this, as business Read the rest of this entry »

Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Visitors leaving Antigua’s
for the capital of St. John’s travel down
Pavilion Drive, a four-lane boulevard showcasing the presence of
banker R.
in the Caribbean country.
restaurant, where a steak costs 100 Eastern Caribbean
dollars ($37). There’s also his real-estate trust company,
, Bank of Antigua and Stanford
International Bank, which the U.S. charged, along with the
financier, with fraudulently selling $8 billion Read the rest of this entry »

Records and interviews show that some school chiefs took nine, 10, even 12 weeks of paid leave in the last fiscal year for vacation, personal matters and professional travel to such destinations as Florida, Europe and Asia. That's on top of holidays and institutional days off, which are comparatively plentiful in public education.
Typically in the region, contracts allow five or six weeks of annual vacation as well as any reasonable amount of travel Read the rest of this entry »

The slumping economy is resulting in changes in travel trends. Second cities, such as Fort Myers, Fla.; Charleston, S.C.; and Portland, Ore., are becoming increasingly popular as destinations, although the exact reasons for the shift are not known. Meanwhile, families are opting for a quick trip to a national park rather than a two-week tour of Europe. "Girlfriend getaways" continue to be popular, but women are tightening their belts a bit. "Yes, Read the rest of this entry »

Passengers traveling on premium tickets fell 13 percent in December 2008 and 2.8 percent for the year, according to a report Wednesday from trade organization
.
The December drop came after an 11.5 percent decline in November 2008 and is caused by the abrupt decline in business activity and international trade across the world.
The organization’s data shows Asia with the biggest dips in premium travel despite the epicenter of the current Read the rest of this entry »

Expedia, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2008 Results
BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Expedia, Inc.
(NASDAQ: EXPE)
today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2008.
"The story of 2008 -- and 2009 for that matter -- is clearly the global recession and its impact on nearly every sector of our economy," said Barry Diller, Expedia, Inc.'s Chairman and Senior Executive. "When Read the rest of this entry »