Major U.S. airlines saw continued delays through the start of this week due to the CrowdStrike update that caused an outage to computers running Microsoft. Delta was particularly hit hard, as it faced cancelations and delays through Wednesday. CEO Ed Bastian at the time said that the company was “working around the clock” to restore the flight schedule.
As of Thursday morning, Delta’s operations returned to normal with “zero cancelations.” This is expected to continue through Friday, the weekend and beyond. The carrier adds that “the majority of bags have been reunited with customers.” Delta is also offering meal vouchers, ground transportation and hotel accommodations to customers whose travel had been disrupted with canceled or significantly delayed flights.
In other airline news, Southwest plans to scrap its open seating policy, which it has used for the last 50-plus years. In addition to assigned seating, Southwest will add premium seating options and red-eye flights, as well as a new boarding procedure. Southwest cited that when a customer leaves the airline for another, the most common reason is the open seating policy.
The decision to update the seating and boarding model is part of Southwest’s ongoing modernization efforts. During the past two years, Southwest has enhanced its onboard offerings with improvements such as faster Wi-Fi, in-seat power and larger overhead bins.
Separately, Sabre Corporation and Hawaiian Airlines this week announced the availability of Hawaiian’s NDC content in the Sabre travel marketplace, making Sabre the first GDS to offer the carrier’s NDC content. Sabre-connected agencies can now access Hawaiian’s HA Connect and traditional ATPCO/EDIFACT content in 32 markets.
The Latest in Cruising
Travel Agent last week sailed for three nights aboard Royal Caribbean International’s new, 5,996-passenger Utopia of the Seas. What’s notable is that this ship will be stationed in Port Canaveral, FL, operating three- and four-night cruises year-round. Typically, lines will assign older ships to sail these shorter voyages. Royal Caribbean believes that a new, amenity-laden vessel such as Utopia of the Seas is the way to attract new-to-cruise guests—needed to fill the industry's fast-expanding capacity
Onboard, guests can expect a new category of suites, repositioned and expanded dining venues, a new tropical bar, and more activities and entertainment, in addition to many favorites from the Oasis-class ships.
MSC Cruises has also shared some new details about the upcoming MSC World America, debuting in April 2025. Among the highlights is the family-centric The Harbour, which will be located on the ship’s open top deck; guests can expect a water park, an 11-story slide, a rock-climbing wall, ropes courses, a playground, dining and more. Another thrilling option will be Cliffhanger—an over-water swing ride.
Also from the world of mega-ships, Carnival Corporation has ordered three new ships for Carnival Cruise Line. The new ships will be the first in a new class for the line and will carry nearly 8,000 guests at full capacity. The liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ships will be delivered in the summers of 2029, 2031 and 2033. Design details and itinerary information for the new Carnival Cruise Line ships will be announced in the future.
In separate news, Aurora Expeditions made four new appointments within its North American sales team to support the travel trade and bolster brand presence in the market. Scott Harner has joined the adventure travel company as sales director, key accounts for the Eastern region; Julia Loria joined the team as sales director for the West; Preston Caddell will join as sales director Midwest and key accounts; and Anita Gonsalves has joined as director, affinity group sales.
Elsewhere, Tauck has expanded its partnership with Approach Guides to develop a new technology that extends the power of its co-brandable marketing pages. This will allow travel advisors to add custom sales messages, group pricing and other trip details to boost their group sales of Tauck’s river cruises. The new technology builds on Tauck’s existing partnership with Approach Guides, as the two companies already work closely together on a wide array of “Content Experiences,” or pre-built marketing pages that advisors can easily co-brand and share with clients and prospective clients via social media, email and other methods.
Running Your Business
Host agency Chai Travel Advisors has announced leadership changes and significant achievements made during its first 18 months of operations. To note: The company has appointed Monty Swaney as its new president. Swaney most recently served as the chief business officer of Internova’s Global Travel Collection. He will be responsible for developing and managing all aspects of the next stages of Chai’s growth.
Home-based travel agency networks Dream Vacations and CruiseOne announced the networks’ 2025 National Conference will take place aboard Princess Cruises’ Star Princess November 10-15. The annual event will kick off in the Fort Lauderdale area at a hotel beginning November 9, 2025, before attendees board Star Princess for a five-day sailing to Caribbean destinations such as Amber Cove, Dominican Republic, and Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos.
For some feel-good news, the Family Bonds Foundation, a charitable initiative of Internova Travel Group, has raised $461,000 so far this year to assist people in need in the travel industry. The 2024 goal was $150,000.
Founded in 2015 by John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Group, part of Internova Travel Group, the Family Bonds Foundation supports those in the travel industry—along with their families, their children and their communities—who are experiencing financial hardships. The fundraising effort received a big boost at Travel Leaders Network’s annual EDGE conference, held in June in National Harbor, MD, where Family Bonds conducted a silent auction and online raffle. A record number of prizes were donated by supplier partners, including ocean and river cruises, land packages, hotel stays and airline tickets.
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