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Period: to
Travel 1995 to the present
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Delta Cuts Commissions
Delta becomes the first airline to enforce the $50 commission cap for travel agents on all domestic bookings. This was a sharp drop from the previous method (which allowed travel agents to take 10% of the total booking price) these new restrictions cause many smaller travel agencies to close. http://www.asta.org/News/content.cfm?ItemNumber=1985
http://logok.org/delta-airlines-logo/ http://logok.org/delta-airlines-logo/ -
Microsoft Launches Expedia.com
Microsoft launches ‘Microsoft Expedia Travel Services’ (expedia.com) thus marking the beginning of the internet travel industry. In 2001 it broke away from Microsoft and began running separately under Expedia Inc. In October of 2015 it had approximately 25 million visits and currently operates as one of the largest online travel booking sites. http://www.expediainc.com/about/history/
http://www.similarweb.com/website/expedia.com#overview
http://www.adweek.com/agencyspy/the-martin-agency-wins -
Star Alliance is Formed
The initial Star Alliance is formed between Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International, Air Canada, Lufthansa, and United Airlines. The five airlines came from three different continents with the shared goal to “take passengers to every major city on Earth”. Since then Star Alliance has grown to include 27 airlines which transport a total of more than 630 million travelers per year. http://www.staralliance.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Alliance#/media/File:Logo_Star_Alliance -
Disney Magic first ship launched for Disney Cruise on this day
The Disney Magic was the first ship launched by Disney Cruise Line. It began sailing out of Port Canaveral on July 30, 1998. Its godmother is Patty Disney, ex-wife of Roy E. Disney. Its original itinerary was three- and four night-cruises to Nassau in the Bahamas. Each cruise also included a stop at Disney's private Bahamian island, Castaway Ca. -
Euro currency is introduced
The euro currency is used in 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain and a few more. The euro was introduced to the world’s financial markets as an accounting currency on the 1 January 1999. Before most countries became part of the euro each country had their own type of currency.
www.oanda.com/help/euroOanda Corporation -
September 11th Attacks
On the morning September 11th, 2001 four U.S. passenger flights were hijacked by 19 terrorists from the group known as al-Qaeda. Two of the planes ran into the two world trade center towers while another hit the pentagon, the fourth plane was destined for Washington D.C. but ended up crashing in an empty field when the passengers attempted to take back the plane. http://www.911memorial.org/faq-about-911
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/sept11features.html -
TSA is Created
In the wake of the September 11th attack the government was quick to establish the Travel Security Administration (TSA) in hopes of soothing fears and preventing future tragedies. The TSA was quick to implement several new changes including more thorough passenger screening and the introduction of the ‘no-fly list’. https://www.tsa.gov/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transportation_Security_Administration_Logo.svg -
Attempted Shoe Bombing
Less than four months after the 9/11 attacks 28 year old Richard Reid (also known as ‘the shoe bomber’) attempted to bomb America Airlines 63 using shoes that were packed with explosives. He attempted to detonate them mid-flight but was subdued by the other passengers. This attack only heightened America’s fear of terrorism and resulted in even stricter security measures in airports. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,203478,00.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Reid#/m -
Airbus first flight
The first A380 was unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse on 18 January 2005, and its maiden flight took place on 27 April 2005. After successfully landing three hours and 54 minutes later, chief test pilot Jacques Rosay said flying the A380 had been "like handling a bicycle".[47] On 1 December 2005, the A380 achieved its maximum design speed of Mach 0.96.[46] On 10 January 2006, the A380 made its first transatlantic flight to Medellín in Colombia.
http://www.airbus.com/company -
Trans-Atlantic security plot and security tightening
The 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot was a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives carried on board seven airliners travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada.[1] The plot was discovered and foiled by British police before it could be carried out and, as a result, unprecedented security measures were immediately put in place.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_transatlantic_aircraft_plothttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/t -
Full Body Scanners introduced to airports and train stations in many countries.
Starting in 2007, full-body scanners started replacing metal detectors at airports and train stations in many countries. Two advantages of full-body scanners over a physical strip search are that it is quicker (takes only 15 seconds) and that people do not have to physically remove their clothes. In some cases, a clothes-on pat-down is offered as an alternative to a full-body scan. A pat-down is also often used as a follow-up when a suspicious object has been detected by a scan. -
Miracle on the Hudson
On January 15, 2009 Flight 1549 successfully landed on the Hudson River. Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger maneuvered an unpowered water landing saving all 155 souls on board. The loss of engines was due to a strike of Canadian Geese. Training, 42 years of flying experience, a great crew and a plane that was well built made for a “Miracle on the Hudson”. http://www.newsweek.com/miracle-hudson-343489
http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/01/15/five-years-ago-today-miracle-on-the -
Uber was founded
Uber was founded as "UberCab" by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp in 2009. Transportation network company headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company develops, markets and operates the Uber mobile app, which allows consumers with smartphones to submit a trip request which is then routed to Uber drivers who use their own cars. By May 28, 2015, the service was available in 58 countries and 300 cities worldwide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber_(company)https://www.uber.com/ -
HotelTonight
Founded in December of 2010 more than 11 million consumers have used this mobile travel app to connect with last minute hotel rooms at discounted prices. In 2014 they expanded to include bookings for rooms up to seven days out. HotelTonight has secured 80.7 million dollars in funding since its launch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Tonight
https://www.hoteltonight.com -
Costa Concordia
The Costa Concordia was an Italian Cruise Ship that sailed the Mediterranean Sea with 4,252 Passengers aboard. Hitting a rock formation off the coast of Italy causing it to capsize and sink, the Costa Concordia lost 32 souls that day. With an estimated 1.2 billion salvage cost making it the costliest in history. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/11/costa-concordia-italian-tragedy-that-reflected-state-of-a-nation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Concordia_disaster -
China largest spender 2012 in international tourism globally
International tourist arrivals surpassed the milestone of 1 billion tourists globally for the first time in 2012,[6] the same year in which China became the largest spender in international tourism globally with US$102 billion, surpassing Germany and United States. China and emerging markets such as Russia and Brazil had significantly increased their spending over the previous decade.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism -
Amtrak October 2012 to September 2013
Amtrak a partially government funded rail service had its biggest year since its founding in 1971. The largest annual total to date was almost 31 million people from October of 2012 thru September 2013. Averaging about 84,700 passengers a day. Beating all the Airlines combined, Amtrak carried more passengers between Boston and New York City. http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1246041980246
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amtrak -
American Airlines Group
Forming the largest Airline in the world, the merger in 2013 of American Airlines and US Air Ways has about 40 million in operating revenue. The merger resulted in a record private-sector Unionization for the calendar year 2014. On April 8, 2015 the merger was completed with the FAA granted one operating certificate for both carriers. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/16/american-airlines-us-airways_n_5831918.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Group -
Google Glass
For a limited time in April 2014 the first Google Glass prototype went on sale to a “Qualified Glass Explorers”, then to the general consumer in May of 2014. The apps Field Trip, Trip It, Foursquare and Open table are just a few of the Travel applications out there. Google Glass has yet to catch fire, but if it ever does is it your new virtual Travel Agent? http://www.travelandleisure.com/blogs/four-new-apps-make-google-glass-a-travelers-best-friend
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Glass
