Aug. 20, 2010 at 5:49 a.m.
Filed under:
Hotels,
Labor,
Tourism,
Travel,
Unions
By Tribune staff report
Hilton Hotels workers in Chicago voted Thursday night to authorize a strike at the Chicago Hilton, Hilton O’Hare, the Palmer House Hilton and the Drake, according to Unite Here Local 1 and Local 450.
The union said 96 percent of its members voted in favor of a strike, which authorizes the bargaining committee to call a strike, if necessary. They are the third group of hotel workers in nine months to hold such a vote in the wake of unsettled contract negotiations between Chicago hotels and the union. Get the full story »
Aug. 17, 2010 at 4:29 p.m.
Filed under:
International,
Policy,
Politics,
Tourism,
Travel,
Updated
By Kathy Bergen
Chicago moved up two slots, to No. 6, in an updated ranking of global cities, coming in behind New York, London, Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong.
The ranking aims to show how much influence a city has beyond its own borders. It was conducted by Foreign Policy magazine, management consulting firm A.T. Kearney and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and comes two years after the inaugural ranking by these same parties.
The top four cities retained their hold over the two-year period, though the ranking also showed growing momentum in Asia and the Pacific, with five of the 10 cities deemed most global. In addition to Tokyo and Hong Kong, those cities included Singapore, Sydney and Seoul. Get the full story »
Aug. 17, 2010 at 6:45 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Travel
By Associated Press
JetBlue is bringing back its popular All-You-Can-Jet pass that allows customers to travel to an unlimited number of cities over a one-month period for $699. The pass is valid seven days a week for flights between Sept. 7 and Oct. 6, JetBlue Airways said Tuesday. It will also offer a pass that excludes travel on Friday and Sunday for $499. Get the full story »
Aug. 13, 2010 at 8:02 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Tourism,
Travel
By Associated Press
Delta Air Lines Inc. said Thursday it’s launched a new “Ticket Window” on Facebook that will allow passengers to book directly on the social media site.
It’s the first time an airline has allowed customers to reserve flights on Facebook, although nearly all major U.S. airlines use Facebook and Twitter to promote sales. Get the full story »
Aug. 13, 2010 at 7:23 a.m.
Filed under:
Conventions,
Tourism,
Travel
By Associated Press
Mayor Richard Daley says the International Manufacturing Technology Show, which has held its trade shows at McCormick Place since 1947, has decided to recommit for three more shows through 2016.
The group is one of six current trade shows that have recommitted to the city and three new shows that have signed on. Get the full story »
Aug. 9, 2010 at 7:52 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Consumer news,
Tourism,
Travel
By Mary Ellen Podmolik
United Airlines and American Airlines have both begun promotions that allow frequent fliers to use 30 percent fewer miles if they want to squeeze in some “short-hop” travel in the next few months. Both deals only apply to trips of 700 miles or less. Get the full story »
Aug. 6, 2010 at 4:02 p.m.
Filed under:
International,
Tourism,
Travel
From Bloomberg News | President Barack Obama is reportedly considering further easing travel restrictions to Cuba to allow American to go there for cultural or educational purposes.
Aug. 5, 2010 at 10:26 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Earnings,
Hotels,
Internet,
Travel,
Updated
By Dow Jones Newswires
Online travel agency Orbitz Worldwide recorded a better-than-expected quarterly profit on gains in bookings, sending its shares up nearly 13 percent.
The company, which owns travel sites Orbitz.com and Cheaptickets.com, said the total value of its travel bookings increased by 17 percent from a year ago, when the industry was hammered by a recession that drained travel demand. Get the full story »
By Bruce Japsen
The new Orbitz TV commercial. (Orbitz)
Chicago-based Internet travel agency Orbitz Worldwide Inc. today launches a major new advertising campaign touting the information and services consumers can expect when they arrive at their hotels.
The new campaign, developed with New York ad agency BBDO, features a branded tagline, “When You Orbitz, You Know.” Financial terms of the campaign were not disclosed. Get the full story »
July 13, 2010 at 5:59 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Travel
By Los Angeles Times
Extra fees charged by airlines to check bags or reserve a seat with extra legroom can increase the cost of a ticket by more than 50 percent. That is a key finding of an analysis by the Consumer Travel Alliance, a nonprofit consumer organization that studied the cost of extra fees on nine major airlines along four popular routes.
July 6, 2010 at 11:51 a.m.
Filed under:
Chicago executives,
Jobs/employment,
Travel
By Kathy Bergen
Orbitz Worldwide Inc. announced today it is hiring eBay Inc. executive Chris Orton as its chief marketing officer, effectively immediately.
Orton was senior director of Internet marketing at eBay, where he worked since 2003.
“We believe his deep experience of applying massive data sets to marketing opportunities will make Orbitz a more effective and efficient marketing organization,” Barney Harford, president and chief executive officer of the Chicago-based online travel company, said in a written statement.
July 1, 2010 at 5:32 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
M&A,
Technology,
Travel
By Julie Johnsson
Google Inc. is poised to shake-up the online travel market with its $700-million acquisition of ITA Software Inc., whose search engine tools are used to power leading Web-based travel agencies like Chicago-based Orbitz Worldwide.
The all-cash deal announced Thursday would make Google a vendor to — and potential competitor of — many of the most prominent online travel sites, including Kayak.com, FareCompare.com, Hotwire Group and Microsoft Corp.’s Bing Travel.
The deal is almost certain to face tough scrutiny from federal antitrust officials, given Google’s conflicted role and its clout as a sprawling Internet giant. Get the full story »
June 23, 2010 at 8:17 a.m.
Filed under:
Economy,
Hotels,
Tourism,
Travel
By Becky Yerak
The roads and airports will be more crowded during the July 4 weekend, but travelers will be spending less money.
AAA Chicago projects that the number of Americans traveling the July 4 weekend will rise 17.1 percent from 2009, with 34.9 million travelers taking a trip at least 50 miles away from home.In Illinois, nearly 2 million people will travel for the holiday weekend, defined as July 1 to July 5. That’s a 19.7 percent increase over 2009. Get the full story »
June 22, 2010 at 4:53 p.m.
Filed under:
Hotels,
Tourism,
Travel
By Kathy Bergen
Chicago suffered a particularly steep decline in visitors from overseas in 2009, but merchants, restaurateurs and hoteliers should start to feel a modest rebound this year.
That forecast will be delivered to the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association this week by Helen Marano, director of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. Get the full story »
June 15, 2010 at 11:20 a.m.
Filed under:
Travel
From Bloomberg | Continental Airlines Inc. CEO Jeff Smisek told investors that business travel “clearly is returning,” and Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, the largest U.S. carriers, forecast second-quarter gains of at least 17 percent on a benchmark for industry revenue, as rising demand buoys fares. “The industry appears to be turning a corner,” US Airways Group Inc. President Scott Kirby said.
