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Delta Air Lines offsets most carbon emissions for over 300K customers on Earth Day

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In celebration of Earth Day today, Delta is offsetting the emissions of all domestic leisure and business travel into and out of New York, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Raleigh-Durham and Atlanta for over 300,000 customers across the country.

Plantable seed paper cutouts shaped like airplanes will be distributed on these selected flights to let customers know the environmental impact of their flight has been offset and inspire them to offset additional travel on delta.com/co2. Once planted, this special paper airplane will sprout non-invasive wildflowers.

“Delta led the U.S. aviation industry by launching the first carbon offset program in 2007, making it easy for customers to reduce the environmental impact of their travel,” said John Laughter, Senior Vice President – Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance. “Delta is also the only major airline to voluntarily cap carbon emissions at 2012 levels by purchasing carbon offsets.”

Since 2013, Delta has voluntarily purchased over 12 million carbon offsets, which is equivalent to the emissions from 1.7 million cars or electricity use for one year in nearly 2 million homes. This is more than any other U.S. airline. Today alone, Delta will buy almost 50,000 carbon offsets. To put this in perspective, 50,000 offsets will equal the emissions from more than 10,000 cars driven for one year.

Delta’s carbon offsets to benefit Conservation Coast project in Guatemala

Every offset Delta purchases today will benefit the Conservation Coast offset project, which provides environmental protection from deforestation and sustainable livelihood opportunities for communities in Guatemala. These offsets will help conserve over 400 bird species and 54,000 hectares of threatened rainforests situated along the Caribbean coastline of Guatemala.

The Conservation Coast project also supports sustainable livelihoods within local communities by teaching things like economically viable and environmentally sustainable agricultural practices that work with the environment rather than against it. To date, over 700 jobs are being supported by the project, 30 percent of which are held by women.

“At Delta, we believe connecting the world begins with caring for it,” said Laughter. “The offset projects we support are holistic, going beyond addressing the environmental impact of travel to provide resources, empowerment and financial opportunities to underserved communities like those involved in the Conservation Coast project.”
Offsetting is affordable. A roundtrip ticket from Atlanta to New York emits 0.28 metric tons of CO2, which can be offset for less than $5.

These offsetting efforts and more are why Delta was honored the Vision For America Award by Keep America Beautiful in 2017, recognized with Captain Planet Foundation’s Superhero Corporate Award in 2018, named to the FTSE4Good Index for four consecutive years, included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for eight consecutive years, given an honorable mention in Fast Company’s 2019 World Changing Ideas Awards and named one of America’s 100 most sustainable companies according to an in-depth Barron’s study.

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Portland welcomes Underground Donut Tour

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Today, the Underground Donut Tour, Chicago’s Original Donut Tour, is expanding beyond the Windy City to the City of Roses – Portland, OR. The Underground Donut Tour was founded nearly 4 years ago in Chicago and is one of the most popular food tours there.

Hosting thousands of guests from around the world and showcasing the best donuts the city has to offer. The Underground Donut Tour recently expanded to Philadelphia, New York City and now Portland! With the addition of Portland, the Underground Donut Tour expands their delicious footprint from coast to coast.

“Portland is the home of donuts. When you talk about Portland food culture, donuts are one of the first things people mention. We had to come to Portland!” said Jeff Woelker, founder of the Underground Donut Tour.

What Can Customers Expect

Walking between 4 of the best donut shops in Portland – we share the history of each location, local sights and history along the route including Pioneer Square, Chinatown, and the PSU Campus, but most importantly, lots and lots of the best donuts in Portland. Some of the locations include Blue Star, NOLA Doughnuts, and the one everyone wants to see Voodoo Doughnuts, where you can skip the line if you are on the tour.

“The Underground Donut Tour is a natural fit for Portland. We have the best donuts in the world!” said Beau La Fave, tour manager for the Underground Donut Tour Portland.

When Do Tours Run

Tours will start on Friday, April 19th. Tours run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9-11 with more days coming soon. Tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis, so don’t miss out.

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GCC produces 1.8 million overnight stays in Germany during 2018

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The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has announced that it will be showcasing a range of key destinations at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019, which takes place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 28th April to 1st May.

Participants from Germany partnering with the GNTB this year include the ‘Hotel Palace Berlin’; ‘Frankfurt Tourist and Congress Board’; ‘Baden-Baden Tourism Board’; ‘OUTLETCITY METZINGEN’, the State Tourist Board SouthWest-Germany (Baden-Württemberg Tourismus) and the Black Forest Highlands (Hochschwarzwald Tourismus).

The GNTB’s tourism partners covering local tourist boards, luxury hotels, hospitality, retail, spas and theme parks, each has its own unique proposition, whether spring, summer, autumn or winter, emphasising that Germany is a diverse and unique all year-round travel destination.

Underscoring the relevance of ATM to ‘Destination Germany’, Sigrid de Mazieres, Director for the Gulf countries at the German National Tourist Office (GNTO), an affiliate of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), commented:

“ATM presents us with an ideal opportunity to showcase our wide-ranging tourism offering from dynamic cities to breathtaking countryside with fairytale castles, lush forests and mountains. In addition, there are great family attractions, excellent shopping centres and superb sightseeing opportunities – visitors will be fascinated by the incredible diversity that Germany has to offer.”

The GCC market is Germany’s third-largest non-European source market behind China and the US and is important for Germany. GCC travellers tend to stay an average of 11 nights and spend on average $5,300 per person per trip, significantly more than other international travellers.

According to the latest forecast from the GNTB, GCC nationals visiting Germany are expected to grow to 3.6 million overnight stays by 2030, compared with 1.8 million guest nights from Gulf nationals recorded in 2018, with key markets being UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The forecast increase is being attributed to the collective efforts of all German Tourism stakeholders identifying and accommodating the travel requirements of GCC nationals, not to mention the excellent connectivity provided through flights from the GCC to Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Berlin. In Germany’s hospitality and retail sectors, it is common to meet Arabic speaking staff, familiar with Islamic culture and tradition. Hotels offer copies of the Quran and prayer mats on demand, connecting family rooms, plus restaurants serving halal food are easy to find.

Germany’s attraction as a destination of choice for tourists, is further illustrated by the number of visitors recorded in 2018. Last year, Germany’s inbound tourism figures reached record levels for the ninth year in a row. According to the German Federal Statistical Office, there were 88 million international overnight stays recorded (in accommodation establishments with at least ten beds) – an increase of 5% compared with 2017.

According to IPK World Travel Monitor’s annual survey, in 2017, Germany was the top ranked country among European tourists for cultural trips and with 13.1 million inbound business travellers from Europe, it ranked number one as a business destination in 2018.

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) will be at ATM 2019 stand no. EU5930.

 

Travel News | eTurboNews

Qatar Airways: Investment in Air Italy fully compliant with US-Qatar Open Skies Agreement

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Following recent false accusations relating to Qatar Airways’ shareholding in Air Italy, such baseless statements and consistent inaccuracies need addressing as a matter of urgency.

Qatar Airways holds a 49 percent stake in Air Italy’s parent company, AQA. This minority investment is at the same level that Delta holds in both Virgin Atlantic and Aeromexico, and that Etihad held in Alitalia.

Qatar Airways’ investment in Air Italy, and operations to the United States, are fully compliant with the U.S.-Qatar Open Skies Agreement, the January 2018 U.S.-Qatar Understandings, and a side letter that accompanied the discussions.

Unfounded claims that Qatar Airways’ investment in Air Italy violates the Understandings are entirely false.

As a factual matter, the investment preceded the January 2018 U.S.-Qatar Understandings.

· The investment was announced in a July 2016 press release and was approved in writing by the European Commission (DG Competition) in March 2017.

· The transaction was closed in September 2017.

· The discussions surrounding the Understandings took place in December 2017 and January 2018.

Qatar Airways’ investment in Air Italy was a matter of public knowledge (as were Qatar Airways’ investments in other airlines) at the time of the U.S.-Qatar discussions; airline investments were not raised as a point of concern during those talks. The Understandings do not mention or prohibit cross-border investments of any type.

Furthermore, Qatar Airways does not codeshare on any of Air Italy’s flights to the United States, and has no plans to do so. Qatar Airways is not operating any Fifth Freedom scheduled air services to the U.S.

The “Big 3” U.S. carriers have consistently demonstrated their hostility to new entrants into the U.S.-Europe market, and their attacks on Air Italy based on the identity of its minority shareholder are just another manifestation of this hostility. Air Italy, the carrier the “Big 3” cite as a major “threat” to their survival, has a fleet of just 15 aircraft and only serves one U.S. city – New York – with a daily service while other routes, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco are operated at a lower frequency.

The U.S.-Qatar Open Skies Agreement has brought enormous benefits to U.S. and Qatari consumers, businesses and communities. Qatar Airways’ services to the United States contribute to U.S. tourism and business. Qatar Airways is a long-term and loyal customer of Boeing, Gulfstream and General Electric, helping to secure tens of thousands of U.S. jobs through our continued investment in their products and is a valued partner to many other U.S. businesses.

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Attending an Indian Weddings: A niche tourism opportunity

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Indian weddings are known to be over the top. Hotels and resorts love to organize Indian weddings. A hotel in Hawaii told eTurboNews: “Yes it’s big business, but don’t mention it too much 🙂 “
Families mortgage their homes and take large loans to pay for such weddings, but some couples in India are not only inviting family and friends to their weddings. They have started selling admission tickets to their weddings to tourists wishing to attend the colorful affair.

A typical rate is $200 for a two-day invitation to attend an Indian wedding through a start-up called Join My Wedding.

“The concept was pretty new,” Delhi-based fund manager Surabhi Chauhan told US broadcaster CNBC, explaining that she came across the start-up while booking her wedding venue. “We were also getting to know people from other countries. We were very much excited and open about it, given the fact that it was new.”

Chauhan and her husband were introduced to Stevens and Gower. “We were chatting and coordinating, we had a brief introduction about each of us, what exactly we do, our respective profiles (and) what are the arrangements that will be there, the kind of attire they’re supposed to wear — all those conversations happened,” she said.

To sell tickets to their wedding couples list details about the special day on the website.

“If you think about it, there’s nothing more cultural than a wedding because you have every cultural element present: The local people, local food, customs, the outfit, the music, basically every cultural element is right there,” said the start-up’s co-founder Orsi Parkanyi.

She explained that the idea came from her own experiences in missing out on friends’ weddings. She decided to focus on Indian weddings because they are “world-famous” and the chances to attend them are not high for most non-Indians.

TAravel agencies and tour operators are also offering tour packages for international travelers to attend Indian wedding ceremonies during their visit. Experts estimate the Indian wedding industry to be worth about $40 billion and expect it to grow around 20 percent a year.

 

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FlyersRights files lawsuit against US DOT for not enforcing flight delay compensation

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FlyersRights.org has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Transportation (DOT) in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals over its refusal to enforce the Montreal Convention mandate that airlines must clearly disclose flight delay compensation rights.  See DOT-OST-2015-0256 at regulations.gov.

Under Article 19 of the Montreal Convention, the primary treaty governing international air travel, passengers can recover up to about $5,500 for flight delays on international trips on a nearly no-fault basis. And this little-known provision overrides any airline contract to the contrary. The treaty ratified by the US in 2003, explicitly requires (under Article 3) airlines to provide passengers with “written notice to the effect where [the] Convention is applicable it governs and may limit the liability of carriers for … delay.” Airlines currently only advise passengers of the airline’s liability limitations and omit any mention of delay compensation rights.

“The DOT continues to ignore express provisions of the Montreal Convention and U.S. law by allowing the airlines to engage in unfair, deceptive, anticompetitive, and predatory practices. Airlines continue to obscure with undecipherable legalese or outright deception delay compensation rights. See https://www.aa.com/i18n/customer-service/support/liability-for-international-flights.jsp vs  https://flyersrights.org/delayedcanceled-flights/ and 14 CFR 221.105, 106. Congress gave the DOT the exclusive power to protect consumers against such unfair and deceptive practices. The DOT’s refusal to require airlines to follow the treaty is itself a violation of U.S. law,” remarked Paul Hudson, President of FlyersRights.org

FlyersRights.org is represented in the court proceeding by Joseph Sandler, Esq. of Sandler, Reiff, Lamb, Rosenstein &Rosenstock of Washington, D.C.

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