COMMERCIAL TRAVEL,INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
Travel Insured International | September 27, 2022
Travel Insured International is pleased to announce a new partnership with Blue Ribbon Bags, a leader in travel luggage retrieval. Travel Insured joins Blue Ribbon Bags' growing list of industry partners seeking to provide a better experience for their travelers. As a travel protection provider with plans containing insurance benefits for lost and delayed baggage, we're excited to offer this service to our customers throThis non-insurance service provided by Blue Ribbon Bags will be available to clients of large tour operators working with Travel Insured. Because each Travel Insured plan features insured benefits for Baggage and Personal Effects, Travel Insured can provide eligible payment up to a maximum benefit amount if baggage and personal effects are lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed during the trip or while checked with a common carrier. The added service of Blue Ribbon Bags will assist travelers in tracking their baggage claim via text.
"Our job is to make that process a little bit better and to keep that communication with the customer as smooth as possible," says Menkin. With assistance from Blue Ribbon Bags, plan holders will also receive intermediary support in pursuing their lost baggage, which can be a tedious and time-consuming process."
-Blue Ribbon Bags CEO, Gabriel Menkin, understands that airlines are doing their best to keep up with lost baggage claims.
When somebody has a lost bag, we are sending them real time email, SMS, and WhatsApp notifications every time there's a change to the status of their bag, says Menkin. Travelers will be empowered to track the progress of their lost baggage claim and receive notifications to stay informed every step of the way. For the first 96 hours, Blue Ribbon Bags will track and expedite the return of a traveler's lost bag. If the bag is not recovered, the traveler can file a claim against their Travel Insured protection plan for their lost or delayed baggage and personal effects.
Travel Insured partners with large tour operators that provide travel packages to customers, which can include air travel, ground transportation, local tours, and other services at one or more locations per trip. For travelers with varied trip types and multiple destinations on their itineraries, baggage protection may be more important than ever.
"This partnership comes at a time when the travel industry is facing unique obstacles in transportation, like significant increases in lost baggage claims from top airlines, We're always seeking innovative ways to enhance our programs, so we're eager to offer this baggage tracking service to our wholesale customers. We strive to help travelers feel confident before, during, and after their trip."
-Isaac Cymrot, VP of Strategic Partnerships
About Travel Insured International
As a leading travel insurance provider with more than 25 years in business, Travel Insured International provides trip protection to help each individual travel confidently. Travel Insured is owned by Crum & Forster whose parent company is Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., an insurance specialty company that consistently earns an A credit rating from AM Best. We're proud to partner with tour operators and help them to offer extensive travel protection with major travel insurance benefits as well as non-insurance assistance services. At Travel Insured, we remain steadfast in the commitment to providing dependable coverage, great value, and end-to-end satisfaction for our customers' travel insurance experience.ugh our plans to help ensure expedition of luggage claims through any major airline in the world.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY,AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS
T-Mobile | September 26, 2022
Airplane mode has a whole new meaning for T-Mobile customers flying United. Starting eligible T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) customers now get free in-flight Wi-Fi and streaming, where available, on select domestic and short-haul international United flights. As the newest addition to Coverage Beyond — T-Mobile’s latest Un-carrier move — United joins American, Alaska and Delta airlines in providing Un-carrier customers with the ability to text, email, search and stream all flight long where available, now on four of the biggest U.S. airlines.“Now, T-Mobile customers can stay connected from takeoff to landing and beyond on hundreds more flights, now including United Airlines!” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “This latest expansion of Coverage Beyond is all part of our goal to keep customers connected even outside the signal of our network, and we’re on a nonstop mission to find new ways to make that happen.”
After one of the biggest summer travel seasons in recent years, the trend is expected to continue this fall and through the holiday season, with more than a third of Americans planning to take a trip in the next three months. And T-Mobile will take the hassle and worry out of customers’ travel plans, keeping them connected on the road, in the air and overseas.
“Whether it’s for business or leisure, we know staying connected in the air is important, and we’re excited many of T-Mobile’s customers will experience our free inflight Wi-Fi on their phones when flying United,” said Grant Milstead, United’s Vice President of Digital Technology. “With the free in-flight coverage, customers can take advantage of Wi-Fi to text their family and friends or browse their favorite sites and apps.”
T-Mobile’s industry-leading travel benefits are just part of what makes now the best time to be a T-Mobile customer. In addition to free Wi-Fi where available and high-speed data abroad, Magenta MAX customers also get Apple TV+ on Us, Netflix on Us, a free year of AAA on Us, Scam Shield Premium and more that adds up to $225 in free perks every month for families – and that’s just a bonus on top of getting access to the nation’s largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network. At T-Mobile, customers come for the service and stay for the perks – and the Un-carrier won’t stop finding new extras to give them.
As part of Coverage Beyond, customers also get 5GB of free high-speed data each month in 215+ countries and destinations on Magenta MAX, Business Unlimited Ultimate and equivalent Sprint plans. And yes, that includes up to 5G speeds where available. Customers will also get unlimited 256kbps connectivity in all those places, plus free connection all flight long on four eligible flights of their choice per year, with a free hour for every eligible flight after that on Magenta, Business Unlimited Advanced and equivalent Sprint plans. The bottom line? Everyone wins. And this is all in addition to 5GB of high-speed data every month and free calling and texting for Magenta, Magenta MAX and eligible T-Mobile for Business customers in Mexico and Canada.
Coverage Beyond launches on United’s 737s, MAX8s, MAX9s, select 757-300s and select A319s with Wi-Fi supported by Viasat and Thales InFlyt Experience with more flights and Wi-Fi partners to be added soon. To learn more about T-Mobile’s travel benefits, visit t-mobile.com/travel. For more information on T-Mobile for Business travel benefits, head to http://t-mobile.com/business/plans/travel-benefits.
Follow T-Mobile’s Official Twitter Newsroom @TMobileNews to stay up to date with the latest company news.
International Roaming in Simple Global Destinations: Up to 5GB of high-speed data per month with MAX plans; available in 11 European countries with Magenta plans. In-flight Wi-Fi: Unlimited where available on select U.S. airlines with MAX plans; 4 full-flight sessions per year with Magenta plans. 5G: Capable device required; coverage not available in some areas. Some uses may require certain plan or feature; see T-Mobile.com. Fastest: Based on median, overall combined 5G speeds according to analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 5G download speeds for Q2 2022. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission. Most Reliable: According to an audit report conducted by independent third-party umlaut containing crowdsourced data for user experience including task completion collected from November 2021 to May 2022. Full details at: www.umlaut.com/en/benchmarking/USA.
About T-Mobile
T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is America’s supercharged Un-carrier, delivering an advanced 4G LTE and transformative nationwide 5G network that will offer reliable connectivity for all. T-Mobile’s customers benefit from its unmatched combination of value and quality, unwavering obsession with offering them the best possible service experience and undisputable drive for disruption that creates competition and innovation in wireless and beyond. Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile and Sprint. For more information please visit: https://www.t-mobile.com.
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DESTINATION AND TOURISM,INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
Internova Travel Group | July 05, 2022
Dream destinations, multigenerational vacations and a desire for unique experiences are some of the trends driving luxury travel for the summer in 2022, according to travel advisors from the Global Travel Collection (GTC).
The United Kingdom tops the list of international destinations booked by GTC travel advisors, a spot it's held for the last five years. Other places in the top 15 include Italy, France, Israel, Spain, Switzerland, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Greece and Germany, followed by South Africa, Ireland, Australia, the Dominican Republic and Portugal.
Luxury travel advisors with GTC brands report that their clients are excited to travel again, with some booking multiple trips. And they're willing to spend more to get the vacation experience they want. But that high demand is driving up prices, and hotels are stretched thin due to staffing shortages, limiting availability.
"Europe is in high demand this summer, with destinations like Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy the most booked, My luxury travel clients do a combination of experiences, like cooking classes, hiking/biking excursions and immersive activities connecting them to the place, as well as making sure they have dining reservations at the top spots."
-Tiffany Bowne, with All Star Travel Group, a brand within Global Travel Collection.
Carolyn Consalvo, with Global Travel Collection's Andrew Harper, remarked that beach vacations and Alaska cruises are very popular. "I would say most people are looking for destinations where they can be outdoors a majority of the time," she said.
"Bucket lists are becoming to-do lists,Many of my clients want to travel to their dream locations," with destinations as varied as the Maldives, southern Italy's Amalfi coast, Australia and Hawaii.
-Shayna Mizrahi, with In The Know Experiences, also part of Global Travel Collection
Remote work has also opened up new possibilities, she added. "The demographics of my most active luxury travelers today are young professionals, who now can work remotely from anywhere and are choosing to combine this with unique luxury trips.
Luxury travelers are eager to make up for the time they couldn't spend seeing the world with friends and family over the past two years.
I'm doing multiple multigenerational trips — grandparents not wanting to miss any more time and taking their family on an unforgettable trip of two to three weeks, said Diana Castillo, with Protravel International of Global Travel Collection.
Laura Triebe, also with Andrew Harper, is also handling more requests for multigenerational vacations and bucket-list destinations like Hawaii and Africa. I think the client that calls now is more serious about traveling and is willing to adjust to an ever-changing world.
With rising prices and limited availability in some vacation spots, luxury advisors are putting their skills and experience to the test.
Clients are willing to pay to get what they want," and that includes upgrading their accommodations, said Michelle Summerville, with In The Know Experiences. More people want to travel in the best way possible, better than they have in the past," she said.
The greatest challenge in selling luxury travel right now is the severely limited space and availability for flights and hotel rooms in the most desirable destinations, said Leslie Tillem, with Tzell Travel Group of Global Travel Collection. We are seeing extraordinary demand in luxury travel across the spectrum, leading to a lack of availability at any price.
Bridget Kapinus, with Andrew Harper, concurs. Demand is high for last-minute travel. She's also contending with factors like a scarcity of hotel rooms and higher costs for flights.
Travelers who had never used an advisor before started to seek them out to help navigate COVID-19 entry and testing requirements. Now, they're sold on the value of a travel professional.
"Your time is precious, and you want the assistance of an expert to help you plan your vacation, said Angie Licea, President of the Global Travel Collection. Our luxury travel advisors have years of experience putting together trips for their clients, as well as firsthand knowledge of the world's most popular destinations. They stay on top of the trends in luxury travel and deliver concierge-level service. Plus, travelers have the comfort of knowing that there's a human being they can call whenever they have a question or concern.
My travels throughout these past 18 months have been our best marketing,said Castillo, of Protravel International. "We have shown our clientele that travel can be pleasant and enjoyable and that we can help set up all the requirements they may need in order to make their vacation seamless.
Mizrahi, with In The Know Experiences, has also been sharing details about her travels, something her clients appreciate immensely. Her firsthand experience "is something that no Google search or website can provide.
About Global Travel Collection
Global Travel Collection (GTC), a division of Internova Travel Group, is the world's largest collection of international luxury travel agencies, including the well-established networks of Protravel International, Tzell Travel Group, and Colletts Travel, as well as Andrew Harper, In the Know Experiences, All Star Travel Group and R. Crusoe & Son. GTC advisors and agencies are industry leaders in providing premium travel services to leisure travelers, corporate executives and the entertainment industry. The combined global reach and leverage translates into value, recognition, and preferential treatment for its world travelers.
About Internova Travel Group
Internova Travel Group is one of the largest travel services companies in the world with a collection of leading brands delivering high-touch, personal travel expertise to leisure and corporate clients. Internova manages leisure, business and franchise firms through a portfolio of distinctive divisions. Internova represents more than 70,000 travel advisors in over 6,000 company-owned and affiliated locations predominantly in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with a presence in more than 80 countries.
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