Arnie Weissmann:
T here’s a reason top travel execs
P. 12
New laws for the sea
The cruise industry is facing
regulation on several fronts.
P. 6
Relief in the cheap seats
Delta tests new coach seating
designed to improve comfort.
P. 8

www.travelweekly.com
THE NA TI O NAL NEWSPAPER OF THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY
MAY 5, 2008
Poorism: The economics
of exploitation
1 Travelers in search of authentic experiences are touring the world’s most
[ BRACING FOR FARE HIKES ]
Airline woes now
starting to ripple
through industry
n otorious slum areas. Do their dollars truly benefit the communities they visit?
2
BY MICHELLE BARAN PAGE 16

1. A resident of Dharavi, the massive slum area of Mumbai, India.

2. Reality Tours and Travel says 80% of its profits go to a nongovernmental organization that aids

Mumbai’s poorest communities. 3. Victoria Safaris offers visits to some of the most notorious slums in Nairobi, Kenya.

By Lester Craft

Mounting turmoil in the airline sector is creating ripple effects across much of the travel industry. Agents, corporate buyers, tour operators and others are feeling the pinch of growing disruptions and uncertainty as they warily eye the potential fallout from expected capacity cuts and fare hikes.

Virtually the entire U.S. airline business has entered a phase of deep uncertainty in recent weeks on multiple fronts:

• Even as Delta and Northwest seek a merger, the remaining major carriers have commenced a complicated minuet of possible alliances and mergers.

• Niche players Frontier, Aloha and Eos have fallen into bankruptcy as sky-high oil prices continue to inflict severe damage to the sector’s finances.

See AIRLINES on Page 34

WORLD BEAT

100 galleries Hilton to debut Amadeus will at Hong Kong 3 hotels this place 4 new

International year in Costa vessels on Art Fair. Rica. Europe rivers. P. 20 P. 28 P. 26

[ JOINS RESPONSE TO APPEALS COURT RULING ] ACTE wants law governing laptop seizures

By Dan Luzadder

The Association of Corporate Travel Executives said last week that it would join other privacy groups asking Congress for legislation protecting the privacy of travelers carrying laptops across U.S. borders.

The move follows a federal court ruling upholding searches and seizures of laptops. ^On ^April ²¹^, ^the ^Ninth ^Circuit ^Court ^of ^Ap-peals in California ruled that the federal gov- ^— ^Susan ^Gurley, ^ACTEernment has the right to inspect the contents of laptop computers and other electronic devices carried by international travelers entering the U.S., even without the “reason-

able suspicion” test normally required under federal law.

The ruling prompted a warning from ACTE that corporations and their business

‘We are asking Congress to hold hearings regarding these arbitrary searches.’

travelers should limit the amount of proprietary data on laptops, PDAs and other devices when they cross U.S. borders. It also warned

that personal data, including photographs, finances and e-mail, are subject to examination by Customs and Border Protection inspectors at any U.S. border station.

Susan Gurley, ACTE’s global executive director, said immediately after the ruling was announced that the issue was likely to surface again in other courts or in Congress.

“In a time of heightened international security, it will take a brave Congress to rule that parties may not be subject to suspicionless searches,” she said.