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Maybe it was the string of customer-service disasters, starting with the Costa Concordia tragedy last year and leading up to the recent Carnival Triumph “poop” cruise, on which passengers were left adrift in the Gulf of Mexico for five days without working toilets.

Maybe it was the threat of government regulation from Sen. Charles Schumer (D.-N.Y.), a vocal critic of the cruise industry, that made it move.

Then again, maybe we should just take the cruise industry at its word on its decision, announced just before the Memorial Day holiday, to introduce a passenger “bill of rights.”
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A new Supreme Court case will determine how airlines talk to the TSA

The Supreme Court is set to hear the case of whether airlines can be immune from reporting anyone as a threat.

William Hoeper is an Air Wisconsin Air Wisconsin [sic] pilot who has just flunked his fourth flight simulator test, which was taking place in Washington, DC, and which meant he was going to get fired. He takes the test, fails, screams at the people who administered the test, and departs to Dulles to leave the city.

Here’s where things get tricky. The airline reported him as a threat.

Hoeper sued the airline and won $1.4 million in a jury trial.
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Global Entry Kiosks, photo courtesy of CBP

While TSA checkpoint lines at US airports are moving quickly, for now, the same isn’t true at Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Wait times are approaching 3 hours at some airports during peak hours for international travelers waiting to check in with CBP upon arrival in the US.

At New York’s JFK International Airport, American Airlines Terminal, CBP reports that in May, the last month reported, during the peak morning time from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., the wait time to get through Customs averaged 55 minutes, but was as long as 1¾ hours. Even in the hour before and after that slot, the wait at Customs averaged almost 40 minutes, and peaked at more than 1¼ hours.

At JFK’s Delta Terminal, it was even worse in their peak afternoon time, with wait times as long as 2 hours.
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Air rivalry intensifies as Airbus A350 makes first flight

Rivalry between Boeing and Airbus intensified when the new Airbus A350 made its first flight on Friday.

The lightweight carbon-plastic jet flew over the Airbus plant in Toulouse to salute production workers before wrapping up a four-hour inaugural flight that Airbus officials said had achieved more than expected.

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It’s Fathers’ Day. I was lucky, I had a father who got me traveling and I am still traveling. Plus, besides travel and a chance to see another side of the world, his advice on work and life still rings true.

My dad was an Air Force officer. He eventually became the top ranking colonel in the Air Force and didn’t make general because, in the end, he chose family over career. But during the first 18 years of my life we traveled across the Atlantic, through America’s southeast and to Europe. I lived on two continents, in multiple homes, went to seven schools, and visited 21 states and 35 countries.
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Weekend what we’re reading: Amsterdam museum, Stones in Cleveland, Creepy faces in Miami

This weekend we have a chance to watch one of the most creative efforts to increase locals’ visitations at the beloved Rijksmuseum museum in Amsterdam. We take a look at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s new Rolling Stones exhibition in Cleveland. And, take an unusual peek at Art Basel, an international art show that is taking place in Miami this weekend. Enjoy this flash dance/mob with a purpose.

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Summer travel advice? Try being nice

Are you still forgetting to pack your manners when you travel? If you are, then please meet Grace, a flight attendant who recently turned to me for some career advice.

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What we’re reading: All-you-can-fly airline, Dinner in the Sky in Vegas, defending Dreamliner, fake passports

All-you-can-fly airline, Dinner in the Sky coming to Vegas, defending the Dreamliner, passing through customs with fake passport

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AA/US merger is no slam dunk any more

Ever since the Consumer Travel Alliance released its AA/US Overlapping Connecting Route study, the AA/US merger has been under quiet attack by government watchdogs. And, last week, even some Wall Street analysts noted that merger savings projected by the airlines were uncertain.

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What we’re reading: ANZ’s new paint job, Omni Hotels new resorts, ANA cancels Dreamliner flight

Air New Zealand to get new paint job, Omni Hotels acquires five resorts, ANA cancels Dreamliner flight

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