Travel News: Airlines, Tourism and Airfares

Charges for such things as restocking mini-bars, holding baggage after guests check out and even room service trays are increasingly showing up on bills as lodgings try to offset slumping revenue.

The Elysian hotel in Chicago, which opened in December, has adopted a no-tipping policy, a move that breaks with standard practices across the high-end- and luxury-hotel market, says the head of a trade association.

In Addition to Introducing a Revolutionary New Sandwich, Great Steak Also Showcases New Branding and Décor Elements

The 500 largest U.S. restaurant chains registered a decline in sales, posting 0.8 percent annual sales decline in 2009. According to data released today by Technomic Inc., in its annual reporting on the top U.S. restaurant chains, the leading foodservice consultancy found that U.S. systemwide sales for the Top 500 declined to an estimated $230.0 billion in 2009, down almost $2 billion over 2008.

Founder’s Elderly Daughters Say Gotts Are Unlawfully Exploiting Them

Ruby Tuesday has expanded its presence in Oklahoma. Ruby Tuesday of Oklahoma, LLC, a franchisee of Ruby Tuesday, Inc, opened its newest restaurant in Owasso on March 16, the company’s third location in the greater Tulsa area.

Today, US Airways (NYSE: LCC) launched a new wireless Internet product, Gogo® Inflight Internet, on five of its Airbus A321 aircraft. Gogo, which is provided by Aircell, allows passengers to use their laptops or Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices to surf the Web, email friends and family, log into corporate Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and access online entertainment options.

Growth in room occupancy was the catalyst for an increase in profitability for all but one of Europe’s key city hotel markets, according to the latest HotStats survey from TRI Hospitality Consulting.

Airport's Cargo Volume Surges in Three Consecutive Months

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released the following comments in response to today’s Memorandum of Consultation on Second Stage Open Skies agreement between the US and the European Union: