May 2016
Changes to the Visa Waiver Programwaiver
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables most citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. Travelers must have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to travel.  

Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015
Under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, travelers in the following categories are no longer eligible to travel or be admitted to the United States under the VWP:
  • Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria on or after March 1, 2011
  • Nationals of VWP countries who are also nationals of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria.
These individuals will be able to apply for a visa using the regular process at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. 
Have the Correct Type of Passport 
As of April 1, 2016, travelers must have an e-passport to use the VWP.  An e-Passport is an enhanced secure passport with an embedded electronic chip.  The chip can be scanned to match the identity of the traveler to the passport. E-Passports are easily identifiable because they have a unique international symbol on the cover (look at the image above). E-Passports help to securely identify the traveler,  provide protection against identity theft, protect privacy and make it difficult to alter to gain entry into the United States. Source: U.S. Department of State
Fitness Tips for the Business TravelerFitness
No Gym, No Problem: 
Cardio is relatively easy to fit in because you can run, walk or jog anywhere. Strength training can be harder. You may be lucky enough to be in an area with a child's playground which is great for body weight exercises. Another option is to bring some resistance bands with you. These are compact and take up a minimal amount of space in your bag and you can use them anywhere.
 
Watch What you Eat: In order to keep your body in peak condition, nutrition is important. Try to access a kitchen around once a week. You can cook all your meals for the next week and place them into small, compact tupperware box. Most hotels have microwaves, so you can easily heat it up. 

Time is Money: If you have a busy schedule, fitness might be the first thing you decide to push out of your schedule. Ensure that you are spending as much time as possible on fitness and your health. Remember a little can go a long way.
 
Counting Sheep: Sleep is a very important factor to being healthy. Sleep is necessary to help your body recover. The only way you can grow muscle or burn fat is to make sure you get the right amount of sleep. Create a set time for when you will sleep. Make sure you are getting between 7 and 9 hours a night. Source: Huffington Post
Who Spends More, Women or Men?MenWomen
Men book about two days after women and those two days add up. If you calculate the average per-ticket price difference, it is more than $113 per ticket. However, that number doesn't take into account the differences between men and women in the routes they commonly take or differences in class usage.

Women on average save about $17 per trip, or about 2% of the average ticket price. For a multi-national company with 21,000 travelers, those two extra booking days can yield $1 million in savings. Travelers' advance-booking windows decrease the more often they fly.  That means the gender gap for advanced booking is largest among those who book just one or two trips per year, and is pretty much non-existent among road warriors.

Some trends can be explained. Frequent fliers tend to have less lead time to plan since they're constantly on the road. 
There are other causes for the gender gap that aren't easily explained. Women anticipate the high stress they have while traveling. Women on average tend to be more organized in planning to offset their anticipated travel stress. Typical technology usage patterns could be another explanation for the planning gap between genders. Whatever the reason may be, men have some catching up to do. Just Give It 40 Years. Employee behaviors change with age. As travelers get more experience, they will get better at booking earlier. Source: Hardvard Business
Industry SnippetsSnippets
Fare Rule Changes and Ticket PricesUnited Airlines, Delta Airlines and American Airlines began applying fare combinability restrictions in the U.S. domestic market in late March 2016.  This resulted in a significant fare increase when pricing multi-segment itineraries (e.g., open-jaw, circle, multi-leg) as one ticket versus as multiple one-way tickets. Each carrier has since modified their pricing structure so that fare combinability is again allowed on multi-segment itineraries, with an exception for the lowest fares. Fares may still be higher than before in some markets, though not nearly as high as they were when these changes were first implemented.  Overall, fares have equalized.  
Radio wave Scanner  -  Delta Air Lines will replace the hand-scanned bar codes to check luggage tags with radio wave scanner technology. This technology will improve luggage handling and make the job less laborious for luggage handlers. The radio wave scanners will read the embedded chips in luggage tags via radio waves to track the bags. The new technology can automatically catch improperly loaded luggage such as bags that belong to passengers who missed a connecting flight. Delta has been testing the new technology in Baltimore and it will be installed in 84 locations within the month of May. Delta is investing $50 million in the new technology and plans to eventually track bags on all mainline and Delta Connection flights. Delta is in the process of setting up an interactive tracking system for passengers to monitor their bags through their Delta mobile app. Source: BTN
If you Haven't Already, Make Sure you Sign-up 
New & Experienced Travel Sessions May 18th & 19thtraining
   
Register for your session now. Click Here
Please add us on social media. We want to help you stay connected and be aware of travel industry news and updates. Thank you for choosing Travel Incorporated.