Last week, Southwest announced a slew of overhauls to the way the airline operates—including scrapping its “signature” open-seating policy. This week, Spirit Airlines followed suit, to an extent, announcing its first-ever premium seating category and introducing new check-in and boarding procedures. The carrier, for the first time, will offer travelers the option to select a premium experience, complemented by three additional options: Go Big, Go Comfy, Go Savvy and Go. All four options include the flexibility of no change or cancel fees.
Spirit will also debut a priority check-in experience and an updated boarding process that will include five groups to reduce boarding time and enhance operational performance.
In other airline news, Frontier Airlines’ flight attendants say they plan to vote on a strike authorization later this month. The union representing the flight attendants say the airline “refuses to negotiate over the impact of the carrier’s business model change,” which has included more out-and-back flying. Workers are saying they are receiving less pay for more trips to and from the airport under this format.
Frontier, on the other hand, says it “has been diligently participating in monthly negotiations with AFA (the flight attendant union) since December 2023 to bargain for the terms of an amended contract and has on several occasions indicated its willingness to discuss any impact proposals made by the AFA.” The carrier adds that several steps required before voting on a strike have not yet taken place.
New Cruise Ships, Hires and Booking Tools
Disney Cruise Line has shared some details of Disney Destiny, its new heroes-and-villains-inspired ship, setting sail in late 2025 from Port Everglades. Both heroes and villains from across the Disney universe will take center stage aboard the ship, including a range of Disney, Pixar and Marvel characters that will be the inspiration behind themed venues and entertainment aboard the ship. Guests will encounter Maleficent, Hades, Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee and Oogie Boogie through a variety of shows, meet-and-greets and special appearances throughout the ship. Disney Destiny will also offer a selection of themed Hero Suites.
The revived Victory Cruise Lines has opened reservations for the 2025 inaugural season on the Great Lakes and Canadian Coasts onboard the line’s 190-guest Victory I and Victory II. The line also announced that the ships will be christened next spring—Victory I in Toronto on April 27 and Victory II at Chicago’s Navy Pier on May 12, 2025.
Silversea has named Barbara Biffi as senior vice president, global sales. Since first joining the company in 2007, Biffi has held various positions at Silversea, gaining a deep understanding of the brand, guest preferences and the company’s strategic goals. Set to relocate to Miami, Biffi takes responsibility for Silversea’s global sales strategy across all channels from Massimo Brancaleoni who, having strengthened the company’s position, departs to pursue other opportunities.
In other luxury cruise news, Regent Seven Seas Cruises has unveiled two new incentives for travel advisors. Travel advisors can enter a booking contest with the chance to win a complimentary Regent cruise for two on a select 2025 voyage. The contest runs from July 15 to August 31, 2024. Additionally, the line is offering a $400 bonus commission for every new 2024 or 2025 booking made by advisors who complete a new graduate level in RSSC University.
Tip: Check out our recent conversation with Steve Odell, chief sales officer for Regent Seven Seas Cruises. We covered the top trends and developments he's seeing this summer in ultra-luxury cruising.
Elsewhere, both Crystal and Viking this week debuted new travel advisor booking programs to simplify and streamline this process for their partners.
Carnival Corporation, on the other hand, is consolidating the sales team of two of its brands, Holland America Line and Seabourn. The combined sales team will be led by Rob Coleman, who was promoted to senior vice president of North America and Australia sales. Coleman continues to report to Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer for Holland America Line. With the new structure, Tara Schreiner was promoted to vice president of national and strategic partnerships for Holland America and Seabourn. Steve Smotrys, Seabourn’s vice president, sales and trade relations, will be leaving the company in September.
Other Travel Industry Appointments
Pleasant Holidays and its luxury brand, Journese, have announced the addition of two new members to their sales team. Bryan Freeman, based in San Jose, CA, represents the brands in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, while Boston-based Andrea Oshry covers the Northeast. They will work with travel professionals to identify new leisure travel opportunities and strategies to grow commission income for package bookings of FIT and cruise vacations, destination wedding and honeymoon travel, groups, incentive travel and more.
J.MAK Hospitality has also added to its sales team. Joao Donadel will enhance the company’s reach to travel advisors across North America, particularly on the West Coast of the U.S., and to support its global portfolio of partners. J.MAK represents luxury boutique hotels, villa collections, destination management companies, tour operators and private aviation companies, supporting them through sales, marketing and public relations services.
Dominica's ministry of tourism has appointed Marva Williams as the new CEO of the Discover Dominica Authority. Williams was the festivals and events manager at the Discover Dominica Authority from 2019 to 2022, where she was responsible for promoting, marketing and managing major festivals and special events in Dominica. In her new role, Williams will help set the strategic direction of the Discover Dominica Authority, enhancing the destination's global tourism presence, and promoting sustainable growth in the sector. She will focus on driving digital marketing initiatives to position Dominica as a premier travel destination and forging partnerships with key stakeholders in the travel and tourism industry.
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