Andrew Compart: MORE NEWS ONLINE
United is risking consumer ire Travel Weekly’s new Web sit e
w ith its pricing and extra fees. emphasizes breaking news.
P. 49 P. 8
www.travelweekly.com
Arn ie Weissmann:
A modern-day charioteer in
Jordan is fueled by passion.
P. 12
F EBRUARY 18, 2008
THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY
1 ,001
Arabian
AIRPORT CAPACITY*
2012: 400 MILLION Flights
2008: 100 MILLION
T iny United Arab Emirates and its even tin ier neighbor, Qatar, have spawned
three of the world’s fastest-growing airlines. Are they a new travel paradigm
or a fantasy fueled by oil wealth? By Andrew Compart PAGE 24

TOTAL OF 10 BIGGES T AIRPORTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST *

PHO TO OF DUBAI HO TEL B Y ARNIE WEISSMANN

[ PRIDE OF ALOHA, PRIDE OF HAWAII TO FLY FOREIGN FLAGS ]
U.S.-flagged ships, a once proud idea,
now reduced to 1 NCL vessel in Hawaii
By Johanna Jainchill

In one four-day stretch last week, the U.S.-flagged cruise ship industry, and NCL’s aspirations to revive it, took two major blows, one symbolic and one literal.

U.S.-flagged vessel when it left its berth in San Francisco bound for Asia, where it will meet an as-yet-undetermined fate.

NCL Corp. said it would reduce its Hawaii-based fleet, once four ships strong, to a single vessel in May when it sends the 2,002-passenger Pride of Aloha to its Asia-based sister-company, Star Cruises.

A cabotage law
interpretation
that would pro-
tect NCL’s Hawaii
market comes
under attack by
cruise lines. P. 51

Only days before NCL Corp. announced its plans for the Aloha, the Independence, the 57-year-old U.S.-flagged ocean liner purchased by NCL in April 2003, made its final departure as a

NCL bought the Independence and another classic ocean liner, the 1952-built United States, as it was about to launch its NCL America operations with the Pride of Aloha. At the time, NCL Corp. announced plans to grow its U.S.-flagged NCL America operations beyond Hawaii, building on its anticipated success there.

Expecting a “good, solid market in Hawaii,” NCL Corp. CEO Colin Veitch said

in 2003, “On the back of that, we believe we can grow our U.S.-flag business” in other

See NCL on Page 50

Europe plan would require
fingerprints of U.S. visitors

By Andrew Compart

U.S. citizens could eventually be required to provide fingerprints or other biometric identifiers when traveling to Europe, under plans for border management being considered by the European Commission.

Biometric identifiers can also include reti-nal scans, voice recognition or face recognition. The U.S. already requires foreign visitors to provide fingerprints before entering the country. The European Commission is considering fingerprints or face recognition.