Travel News and Stories for 09/15/2009 : Kathika Travel Website

Below is a list of travel news and stories for 09/15/2009

Starwood tweaks onerous cancellation policy after customers compare it to airlines
When Stewart Sheinfeld redeemed 10,000 Starwood points for a night at the W Chicago Lakeshore, he found a strange new rule at the bottom of his confirmation. It said if he canceled his room after 6 p.m. on the day of his arrival, he wouldn’t just lose his points — he’d also have to pay $689.
http://www.elliott.org

Friends with Benefits A few hours’ drive southeast of Washington, D.C., Virginia’s Northern Neck is the oft-overlooked sister of Maryland’s more famous Eastern Shore. Many Washingtonians have no idea what or where it is (it’s a peninsula and the surrounds between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers that spills into the Chesapeake Bay), though that has been changing as Eastern Shore properties have risen in price.
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com

United Adds $50 Second Bag Fee On Flights To Europe, $30 To Mexico There’ll be no more splurgy shopping trips to Europe for passengers on United with tickets purchased on or after Sept. 30 for travel on or after Dec. 15. The carrier, who just moved into some fancy digs in Chicago’s Willis Tower (née Sears Tower), announced plans to begin charging for a second checked bag on international flights.
http://www.jaunted.com

Delta says available cash will continue to dwindle Delta Air Lines, the world’s biggest airline operator, said Monday its available cash on hand will continue to fall by the end of the year as demand for air travel has been hit hard by the economic downturn.
http://www.usatoday.com

Japan Airlines shares surge amid tie-up reports Japan’s largest airline said in a statement Monday that media reports of tie-ups with foreign carriers are not based on official information from the company and that nothing has been decided.
http://www.usatoday.com

Bangkok airport aims for top-10 status with crackdown, service overhaul Baggage handlers at Thailand’s main airport now wear uniforms with pockets sewn shut to prevent pilfering. Police are hauling away illegal taxi touts. And cushions are being added to metal seats at departure gates derided as a “pain in the rear.”
http://www.usatoday.com

Norwegian Cruise Line opens waitlist for first sailing of Norwegian Epic The line says it will begin taking names today for a waitlist to book the 153,000-ton vessel’s crossing next summer from Europe, where it is under construction, to its new home in the Caribbean.
http://www.usatoday.com

What’s the secret to . . . avoiding norovirus-like illness on cruise ships
An outbreak of a gastro-intestinal illness blamed on an elderly lady who “snuck out” of quarantine has forced the early end to a Fred Olsen Cruise Lines voyage around the British Isles.
http://www.usatoday.com

The Virgin Islands’ Maho Bay Resort Will have Plenty of Wnter Vacancies, Thanks to the Omega Institute It is not simply a breathtaking tropical paradise, but an affordable one that’s patronized by some of the most dynamic travelers in America (people of all income classes and ages)
http://www.frommers.com

A Bombshell! Still Another China Tour Operator Lowers the Cost of an Introductory Air-and-Land Package to $999 China is surely travel’s greatest bargain — and an important destination regardless of price
http://www.frommers.com

10 National Parks: Where to Stay, Eat, and Play
Our parks are overwhelming in every way—in number, in size, in their capacity to inspire wonder. And the overwhelming question is, Which one will you see next?
http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler

Bankrupt hotel? Check in with caution
How do you make the most of a visit to an almost-bankrupt hotel? Here’s how to spot a property and what to do if you find yourself checking into one.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com

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