Travel

November 16, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its Motorcoach Safety Action Plan which lays out concrete steps for improving motorcoach safety across the board. The action plan addresses major safety issues such as driver fatigue and inattention, vehicle rollover, occupant ejections and oversight of unsafe carriers.

“We are committed to making sure that bus travelers reach their destinations safely,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “These improvements will not only help reduce the number of motorcoach crashes, it will also help save lives and reduce injuries.”    » read more »

ExpressJet to Operate 22 Aircraft as Replacement Flying for United Express

November 16, 2009 -- CHICAGO, Nov. 16, 2009 – UAL Corporation (NASDAQ: UAUA), the holding company whose primary subsidiary is United Airlines, today announced that ExpressJet Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of ExpressJet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: XJT) will operate 22 ERJ-145 aircraft under the United Express brand.

This new flying, which will begin on May 1, 2010, will replace flying previously done by other United Express partner carriers whose contracts have expired and is consistent with the 2010 capacity outlook United provided in its third quarter earnings conference call.    » read more »

WASHINGTON (November 10, 2009) Holiday travelers can save money and reduce their contribution to global warming at the same time, thanks to a handy green travel guide from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

UCS researchers calculated the amount of carbon dioxide—the chief heat-trapping gas that drives global warming—associated with travel in a variety of modes, including passenger cars, SUVs, planes, trains and buses. Since trip emissions also depend on the number of passengers traveling, UCS evaluated trip emissions for solo travelers, couples and families of four.    » read more »

November 9, 2009 -- Flights operated by the nation’s largest airlines arrived on time at a higher rate this past September than in either September of last year or in August 2009, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

According to information filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), the 19 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 86.2 percent in September, higher than both September 2008’s 84.9 percent and August 2009’s 79.7 percent.    » read more »

HOUSTON, Nov. 2 -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today reported an October consolidated (mainline plus regional) load factor of 82.5 percent, 3.5 points above the October 2008 consolidated load factor, and a mainline load factor of 83.0 percent, 3.5 points above the October 2008 mainline load factor. The carrier reported a domestic mainline October load factor of 85.4 percent, 2.4 points above the October 2008 domestic mainline load factor, and an international mainline load factor of 80.4 percent, 4.5 points above October 2008. All four October load factors were records for the month.

During the month, Continental recorded a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on-time arrival rate of 75.1 percent and a mainline segment completion factor of 99.8 percent.    » read more »

"Saves Lives and Offers a Lifeline of Treatment and Support to Americans Living With HIV/AIDS"

October 30, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today after attending a ceremony at the White House where President Obama signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act into law.    » read more »

Urges International AIDS Society to convene conference in the U.S.

October 30, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Today Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) released the following statement applauding President Barack Obama’s decision to formally repeal the United States travel and immigration restrictions on people living with HIV, which was published today in the Federal Register.

Congresswoman Lee sent a letter today to the International AIDS Society (IAS) encouraging them to quickly reach a decision regarding the United States as the host nation of the XXIX International AIDS Conference in 2012.    » read more »

October 30, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, today applauded the long overdue enactment of his legislation by the Obama Administration to finally end a travel ban that prevented those with HIV from entering the United States.

Since 1987, the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) contained a provision to bar HIV positive individuals from travelling or immigrating to the US, including HIV positive doctors and experts, as well as refugees seeking asylum. No scientific evidence supported the ban as effective for disease control or to curb costs to the public health care system.    » read more »

House Passes Legislation Introduced by Western New York Lawmakers to Strengthen Aviation Safety, Pilot Training and Passenger Confidence in Wake of Flight 3407 Tragedy

October 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Congressman Chris Lee (NY-26), Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) today called passage of H.R. 3371, the Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, a strong first step forward to improve the safety of air travel in the United States.    » read more »

Legislation addresses recent incidents, including Comair 5191

WASHINGTON (October 14, 2009)—This afternoon, Rep. Ben Chandler supported H.R. 3371, legislation to make air travel safer by strengthening requirements for pilot hiring, training, and pilot fatigue.

“All passengers deserve to be safe in the air—it doesn’t matter which airline you fly,” Chandler said. “It concerns me that the last six fatal commercial airline crashes in the United States were all on regional carriers, and that includes Comair Flight 5191 in Lexington.”    » read more »

October 8, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47) submitted the following statement for the record regarding the Travel Promotion Act. When enacted, the bill will help promote tourism in Orange County by educating foreign visitors about U.S. travel requirements:

"Madame Speaker,

"I rise in support of S. 1023 the Travel Promotion Act, and the underlying bill, H.R. 1035, the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Amendments Act of 2009.

"The Travel Promotion Act would help establish an independent non-profit corporation that would provide and maintain useful tourist information. Most importantly, this bill will further educate potential tourists abroad about the U.S. entry policies.    » read more »

Legislation Would Create Public-Private Partnership to Encourage Global Travel to the United States

(Washington, DC) – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure co-sponsored by Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24) to promote America as a top travel destination and increase tourism from overseas. The Travel Promotion Act will bring the public and private sectors together to coordinate a national effort to encourage global travel to the United States.

The bill – which requires no taxpayer money – is estimated to attract 1.6 million new international visitors to the country and add $4 billion to the U.S. economy. An analysis by the U.S. Travel Association reveals that this program would create nearly 40,000 new American jobs.    » read more »

Bipartisan Initiative Creates Jobs and Enhances US Image Abroad

October 7, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Legislation championed by U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt to promote international travel to the United States has cleared its final hurdle in the U.S. House of Representatives today.

“The Travel Promotion Act will not only boost travel and create jobs in the tourism industry, it will enhance America’s image around the world,” Delahunt said. “Over the past eight years, the United States’ share of the world travel market has decreased by nearly 20 percent, costing thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in revenue. We need to reverse that trend and create more jobs here at home.”    » read more »

Tax Credits for Alaska Tourism Marketing

October 6, 2009, Fairbanks, Alaska – Noting how hard-hit Alaska’s travel industry has been by the recession, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell today announced support for corporate income tax credits to incentivize greater Alaska tourism marketing. The income tax credits will go to seaside operators, or cruise lines, that contribute to the general Alaska marketing program implemented by the Alaska Travel Industry Association on behalf of the state.

“Our travel industry faces serious challenges,” Governor Parnell said. “To lure visitors to Alaska, we have to be able to compete through top-notch marketing of Alaska’s wonders. The tax credit can provide a consistent source of dollars to pay for that marketing.”    » read more »

October 1, 2009 -- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced more than $355 million in funding for more than a dozen airport security projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

“These state-of-the-art technologies will bolster security and increase efficiency for both travelers and employees,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Investing Recovery Act funds in these critical airport projects will create jobs in local communities while strengthening our efforts to guard against terrorism.”    » read more »