JetBlue Airways reported that its traffic in February decreased 8.3 percent from February 2008, on a capacity decrease of 5.5 percent. Load factor for February 2009 was 74.5 percent, a decrease of 2.3 points from February 2008.

With about 1,200,000 cruise guests in 2008 –a record for the European cruising industry- more ships under construction or on order than any other company in the world and over 250 destinations, Italy’s largest tourism group and Europe’s no.1 cruise company, Costa Cruises, continues to expand despite the global downturn.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acting Administrator Lynne Osmus has announced several key personnel changes in the agency’s aviation safety organization. Peggy Gilligan was named the new associate administrator for aviation safety.

United Vacations launched its third vacation giveaway as part of its 2009 See the World program. The top prize is a package valued at over $6,000, which includes roundtrip airfare for two to Oahu on United Airlines, a five-night hotel stay at the newly renovated Outrigger Reef on the Beach in an ocean-view room, roundtrip airport/hotel transportation, an in-room gift upon arrival and 24-hour customer support for any immediate needs.

GOGO Worldwide Vacations is running a Sizzling Summer Sale on packages for the Caribbean, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Mexico, Southeast Asia, United Arab Emirates and the U.S. land-only packages are as low as $165 per person and many hotel and resorts are offering added values such as free nights, resort credits, and complimentary upgrades.

The number of U.S. consumers interested in travel to the Caribbean rose 24 percent in January compared to the prior month and 31 percent year-over-year, based on analysis of the number of consumers researching Caribbean travel online conducted by the web analytics firm Compete Inc.