Pricey tickets hold back leisure, but business travelers getting back on planes

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The past two years have been nothing short of severe for the travel business, especially the airlines. Fortunately, it looks like luck is turning. Barney Harford, President and CEO of Orbitz Worldwide, says that the airline sector appears to be on the mend, at least for business travel. Consumers, on the other hand, aren’t buying back in as aggressively, as high fares are battling with continued economic constraints for wallet share.

The average airfare for domestic travel is up 10 percent, according to Hartford, with international fares surging 17 percent. He notes to CNBC:

“We are seeing … a moderation in the increases in air tickets that we were seeing in perhaps May and June, where we saw some really stronger increases in air tickets,” Harford went on to say. “We’re hopeful that we’ll see an increase in capacity in the airline sector, which will drive some moderation in (the price of) airline tickets.”

Nonetheless, you can still find some bargains out there, according to Hartford. Look for the best values in Caribbean destinations.

[photo by emrank via Flickr]

Hidden Treasures: The Secret Roya’s Garlic Garden

by Gadling Staff on

We’ve asked some of our Seed contributors from around the U.S. to share their ‘hidden treasure’ in their hometown. We rounded up what we think are the top 10 hometown finds and are bringing them to you over the next 10 days, starting with this one from Lafayette, California…

One of the newest finds in Lafayette, California is Roya’s Garlic Garden, a restaurant that just opened on Mount Diablo Blvd. All the ingredients are fresh, not canned. They serve this amazing chocolate cake and a Camembert filled with parsley and cloudberry jam. After ordering, Roya herself came to my cousin (who was pregnant at the time) and told her she wasn’t putting egg yolk in the Spaghetti Carbonara she ordered and using a food substitute because pregnant women aren’t allowed raw egg. It was amazing customer service and ever since then I’ve been recommending Roya’s to everyone I know in the Lamorinda area. The restaurant also blends well with the other stores in the area (Bedazzled, Pure Spa) and I hope it becomes the place to go in Lafayette. Parking is spare, so arrive early.

Roya’s Garlic Garden
3576 Mt. Diablo Blvd
Lafayette, CA 94549

Delta Airlines passenger kicked off plane for questioning pilot sobriety

by Scott Carmichael on

A Passenger on a Delta Airlines flight was asked to leave the plane, and had to take a different flight, because she voiced her concern that she smelled alcohol when chatting with the captain of her plane. The lady was not alone in thinking she smelled alcohol, as another passenger witnessed the same thing.

When she asked the flight attendant for the correct protocol in reporting her suspicions, she was asked to come to the cockpit where she talked with the pilot. After he assured her he had not had any alcohol, she was satisfied with his answer, and went back to her seat. In the meantime, the pilot had to take a breathalyzer test, where he proved he had not been drinking.

The story doesn’t end there though – because of the incident, the passenger was told she was not welcome on the plane, and was forced to collect her belongings and spend the night waiting for the next flight.

The whole incident is obviously embarrassing for the pilot, but I do agree that if a passenger suspects the pilot has been drinking, that they mention it. What I don’t agree with is removing the passenger from the plane. Over at The Consumerist, a pilot posted his own opinion of the matter, and claims it is perfectly logical to fly without the passenger claiming it is to avoid taking the risk of flying with a troublesome passenger.

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Yellowstone sets attendance record again

by Kraig Becker on

A month ago we were lauding Yellowstone National Park for setting a new attendance record for the month of June, when 694,000 people dropped by America’s oldest national park. It seems that Yellowstone’s allure didn’t diminish any in July either, as the park has set yet another record for visitors, this time shattering all previous records for any month.

According to the Park Service, more than 957,000 people visited Yellowstone last month, which is 60,000 more than in July of 2009. That number also marks the most visitors in any single month since the park first opened back in 1872. So far, 2010 has been a good year in general, as it is also the first time in the park’s history that it has recorded over 2 million visitors in the first seven months of any year.

This increased number of visitors has made for a very busy summer on the roads in Yellowstone, and the campsites and surrounding resorts have been sold out nearly every night too. This has, at times, caused delays in getting in and out of the area and has made booking a place to stay a bit of a challenge. Park officials recommend that you book your stay well in advance of your visit if you intend to camp anywhere near the place.

Visitors have had one thing to cheer about though, as they have been treated to some rare animal sightings throughout the summer. Park spokesperson Al Nash says “This has been an extraordinarily good year for wildlife viewing,”

It seems that economic conditions continue to fuel these increased attendance numbers in Yellowstone and other national parks. A lot of travelers are looking to keep their budgets at a modest level this year, and national parks offer a relatively good bargain for many. There has also been an increasing number of Americans that have been going outside more regularly in recent years, as hiking and camping have both become more popular activities as well.

[Photo credit: National Park Service]

Atlanta loses three hotels to weak market, two to become dorms

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Three hotels have succumbed to weakness in the Atlanta market. Among the recent casualties is the 502-room Marriott Renaissance. Rates have been pushed lower by an abundance of capacity that has caused even top brands to get stuck charging less than $100 a night. When there’s far more supply than demand, of course, this is what happens.

Joining the Renaissance in the graveyard will be the city’s Wyndam Garden Hotel and Baymont Inn & Suites. Georgia State University will be buying both and converting them to dorms. The future of the Renaissance remains uncertain, though 75 percent of its laid-off staff will be moving to other Marriott properties.

Given the state of the Atlanta hotel market, there’s the risk that more hotels could follow:

“More and more property owners are asking themselves the question, ‘Is operating this facility as a hotel really what produces the maximum economic return?'” Mark Woodworth, president of PKF Hospitality Research, tells the [Atlanta Journal-Constitution].

[photo by Nrbelex via Flickr]