Complaints about U.S. airlines have jumped more than 29 percent this year, according to the Department of Transportation, with big increases in canceled flights and baggage problems. So far this year, US Airways has the most complaints per passenger, while Southwest Airlines has the fewest. The biggest complaint has been flight problems, which includes cancellations, delays and missed connections. In October, for example, the number of canceled flights increased nearly 52 percent to 10,475, from 6,895 canceled trips in October 2004. Mishandled baggage reports increased as well, rising nearly 22 percent to 239,452 for the month, compared with 196,847 mishandled bags a year earlier.

The spread of bird flu in Asia does not appear to be putting off tourists but local officials are nervous, fearing a repeat of the SARS outbreak two years ago, which made parts of the region no-go areas. The H5N1 strain of avian flu has killed 69 people in Asia since late 2003 and several countries in the region regularly report more suspected cases in people and outbreaks in poultry.

Travelocity has added three additional lines to its current cruise offering –Orient Lines, Oceania Cruises and MSC Cruises. The study, conducted by Keynote, the leading provider of customer experience research services, also noted that “one of the biggest advances over the past year was improvement in Travelocity´s online booking process.”

Amadeus, the global leader in technology for the travel and tourism industry, has signed an agreement for the distribution of Singapore based Jetstar Asia´s flight and fare information to travel agencies. Jetstar Asia flights are now available for booking and sales through the Amadeus System. The agreement makes Amadeus the first global distribution system (GDS) to allow the airline´s flight information and content to be made available to tourism professionals in the Asia Pacific.

The World Committee of Tourism Ethics has a new chairperson and is no other than Jacqueline del Rey, current vice chairwoman of the UNWTO Taskforce to Protect Children from sexual exploitation in Tourism. Ms. de Rey is well known and respected for her continuous efforts to establish a socially responsible travel and tourism which respects the cultures of tourism destinations and the social values of their people.

The Leading Hotel Schools of the World, a joint venture of The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. and a number of hospitality institutions from around the world, will launch its international Leadership Seminar series in the United States in February 2006. Scheduled to take place in New York City from February 27 through March 1, 2006, the program will provide management professionals at all levels with a forum in which to discuss and explore the latest trends in recruiting, training, and motivating staff. Just some of the topics to be addressed are “Standards & Service”, “Building High-Performance Teams”, “Employee Engagement Strategies”, and “Leading through Change.”