Business Travel Tips

United Airlines launched “Twares“, special, time-sensitive fare offers for its Twitter followers.

“Twares” is an example of how airlines are leveraging social networking tools to enhance their brands maintaining an ongoing dialogue with their customers.

The offers were named Twares in an online vote on Twitter (Twitter + Fares = Twares).
Find out details on United Twares page.

Virgin America announced Wednesday all of its US flights now offer Wi-Fi Internet.

The airline said now it is the first carrier to offer Wi-Fi Internet service on every flight.

Virgin America is using Aircell’s Gogo service, the same American Airlines is installing on more than 300 U.S. planes the next two years.

Wi-Fi Internet on Virgin America flights will cost you from $5.95 to $12.95 (daytime flights over three hours: $12.95, daytime flights less than three hours: $9.95).

A national campaign to call on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to suspend use of “whole-body imaging” at airport checkpoints is set to launch in the United States this week.

Lillie Coney, coordinator of the Privacy Coalition, a conglomerate of 42 member organizations, expects other groups to sign on in the push for the technology’s suspension until privacy safeguards are in place.

Critics say that the millimeter wave technology produces naked pictures of passengers.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) replies that in order to protect the pivacy, the passenger’s face is blurred and the image as a whole resembles a fuzzy negative, furtherly, the officer who sees the image is remotely located and never sees the passenger.

With a body scan taking between 15 and 30 seconds, the machine offers a quick and easy way to detect both metallic and nonmetallic threat items to keep passengers safe, said Kristin Lee, spokeswoman for TSA. She added that over 99 percent of passengers choose this technology over other screening options.

The six U.S. airports are using whole-body imaging as a primary security measure, according to TSA, include : San Francisco (California), Miami (Florida), Albuquerque (New Mexico), Tulsa (Oklahoma), Salt Lake City (Utah), and Las Vegas (Nevada). (source: CNN)

Dallas/Fort Worth international Airport (DFW) launched a mobile-device website.

It offers features such as a flight tracker, the full list of restaurants and shops and help on how to find services near your gate — in the “Within 5 Minutes of My Gate” section.

To access the DFW mobile site you have to enter www.dfwairport.com/mobile in your mobile phone’s browser window.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) informed that officers now will ask passengers to put their shoes directly on the X-ray belt instead of in a bin at the checkpoint.

“…This will help to declutter bins and give officers a better view of shoes coming through, as well as everything else. Our officers are seeing some pretty packed bins with shoes, electronics, wallets and other items, and when they can’t get a good look, a cluttered bin is more likely to get pulled aside for additional screening.
Nobody likes that. If you don’t hear the directions or put your shoes in the bin by accident, fear not – you won’t be sent back to the end of the line for a do-over…” TSA said.