Porter Air adds Myrtle Beach...Sin City "Strippermobile"...Cruise News...Deal/Day
Golfers, families and friends can get away to Myrtle Beach’s famous golf courses and sandy beaches more easily than ever with Porter Airlines’ new winter seasonal service.
Porter is offering twice-weekly roundtrips between Toronto City Centre Airport and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Thursdays and Sundays beginning February 28, continuing until May 30. One-way fares start at $179, plus taxes. The only non-stop service from Canada to Myrtle Beach saves passengers time by flying right to the beach, Porter officials said.
“Myrtle Beach is an excellent leisure destination for our passengers. It appeals to everyone from families to sports enthusiasts,” said Robert Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines. “It is a good match with our successful seasonal program in Mont Tremblant. We now provide top flight golf and ski options to suit all tastes.”
“The Canadian travel market is colossal for the Myrtle Beach area,” said Brad Dean, president and chief executive officer of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce/Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Porter’s new international service from Toronto will inspire even more Canadian guests to visit the area through these fast and affordable flights."
Air Canada today began offering customers a Preferred Seat option for folks who want more space in economy.
"Some customers have indicated they prefer the additional legroom afforded by certain seats in the economy cabin of our aircraft, notably those located in exit rows or near internal dividers known as bulkheads," said Ben Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "With our Preferred Seat option, we are giving customers the opportunity to reserve these seats in advance so they can look forward to their trip knowing they will enjoy extra comfort."
The Preferred Seat option can be purchased when booking an economy class fare at aircanada.com or through Air Canada Reservations, and complements Air Canada's free seat selection offered with Tango Plus and Latitude fares. Customers will be able to select a Preferred Seat on any Air Canada or Jazz flight, at the time of booking or anytime prior to check-in, subject to availability. The number and location of Preferred Seats available on a flight varies with each aircraft type.
Preferred Seat prices start at $14 per one-way trip and are based on length of flight, fare purchased and Top Tier status of the customer. Certain conditions apply. For more information please go to http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/prefseats.html.
As much as I hate extra fees, this one sounds worthwhile for a lot of folks.
LAS VEGAS "STRIPPERMOBILE"
It's the first I've heard of it. But probably not the last.
It seems some strip clubs in Vegas, and I guess there are a couple, have stirred up a fuss by having women in various states of undress cavorting around a strippers' pole inside a clear, plexiglass "container" on a truck.
Some of the pictures are, ahem, pretty interesting. I can't post them here due to copyright and all that, but click here and you can have a look.
Even for Vegas, this is a bit much. The city council is set to debate the issue next week. They have to appeal to conservative family folks, but they also realize that their bread and butter are visitors; many of whom go there precisely BECAUSE it's something they might see.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Sun says the city "saw some signs of relief during the month of September as the city recorded its first year-over-year increase in visitor volume since May 2008."
The paper says the number of September visitors this year was more than 3 million; up 4.3 percent from 2.9 million in September, 2008. Other figures were mixed - citywide hotel occupancy fell 1.1 percentage points to 83.2 percent in September 2009 from 84.3 percent a year before - but the signs seem encouraging.
CRUISE NEWS
Actress Marcia Gay Harden today is to officially christen the 130,000 ton Carnival Dream, Carnival's biggest ship ever.
She's supposed to smash a six-foot-high bottle of champagne on the new ship in New York City, where the ship is docked following a trans-Atlantic voyage from Europe, says USA Today.
The ship can carry 3,646 passengers and has some new concepts for Carnival; an indoor/outdoor cafe, cantilevered whirlpools that extend over the sides of the ship (sounds weird), the longest waterslide at sea and allegedly the largest spa at sea.
The launch will be carried live at www.carnival.com at 4 p.m., if you're so inclined.
FAMILY FEUD
Choice Hotels International and Expedia have signed a new three-year agreement to include Choice Hotels International properties on more than 80 Expedia and Hotels.com-branded sites. The two sides had been fighting over fees, and for a while Choice properties, including Comfort Inns, Quality, Econo Lodge and several others, weren't appearing on Expedia searches.
Hotels within the Choice system worldwide can participate in the Expedia marketplace and within a week will start to be available on Expedia.com and Hotels.com sites worldwide, and later on Hotwire.com, according to m-travel.com.
PILOTS WHO DRINK
Scary, but it could be a lot worse. USA Today says that U.S. Federal Aviation records show an average of 11 commercial pilots a year test positive for alcohol.
Their report, of course, comes in the wake a United Airlines pilot taken into custody at Heathrow this week on suspicion of being drunk on the job.
JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY
It’s not just
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