Luxury Accomodations are Increasingly Available in Once Remote Locations.
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Plaza de Armas, Cusco, Peru. Photo Credit: Christophe Meneboeuf

Contents

Airbus Catapult • American Airlines’ Bad News • Marriott in Cusco • Travel Briefs • Travel InfoGraphics • What Kids Learn from Travel

Airbus Envisions the Future: Airliners to be Launched by Fuel Saving Catapults

Airbus has for some time now been rolling out a far-out, science fiction-like vision of aviation’s future. A recent addition suggests using fuel saving catapults to launch airliners. Military aircraft have been doing this off aircraft carriers for decades, so why not?

Airbus

Bad News around American Airlines

Experts are warning travelers against flying on American as flight delays and cancellations are rising due to labor strife. The company, which is in bankruptcy, has cancelled hundreds of October flights.

Los Angeles Times

American Airlines expects to layoff about 4,400 employees but is sending layoff warning notices to more than 11,000.

Wall Street Journal

JW Marriott Luxury Hotel Opens in Cusco Peru

Not long ago, a visit to the environs of the lost city of Machu Picchu was viewed as a pursuit of hardy adventure travelers. This image of rough and ready tourists has dwindled in recent years as 4 and 5 star hotels have opened in Cusco, the gateway to Machu Picchu. These hotels cater to the demands of affluent travelers who prefer comfort with their adventures. The opening of a new luxury JW Marriott hotel ends any remaining pretense that one must endure hardship to experience this particular destination. Rooms feature supplemental oxygen to counter the effects of the 11,200 foot altitude and amenities include a lavish spa where guests can “Experience the rejuvenating benefits of ancient Inca techniques…”

Marriott

Travel Briefs: Recent News Items of Significance

1. Despite earlier predictions, the iPhone 5 does not support NFC and the travel-related use cases that are envisioned for it. This article discusses the implications and concludes it’s not a big deal. Tnooz
2. American Airlines gains approval to use iPads on the flight deck to replace all onboard paper-based reference manuals, saving 35 lbs. and $1.2M of fuel across all of its planes annually. The Next Web
3. Delta and American Airlines confirm support for Apple’s Passbook. Skift
4. Driven by fuel and ticket surcharges, airline ticket sales rose 4.85% during the first eight months of 2012. Skift
5. U.S. budget airlines lowering the cost of flying to Latin America and the Caribbean. New York Times Travel
6. Half of Expedia’s hotel bookings may come via mobile within two years says general manager Joe Megibow. Skift
7. Hotwire: European hotel prices are down dramatically this autumn. Los Angeles Times
8. Travelocity launches last minute booking iPhone app. Skift
9. China is blocking foreign tourists from visiting Tibet until further notice. Travel Weekly
10. Travel and Tourism contributed around 9.2% of China’s GDP in 2011. TravelDailyNews Asia-Pacific
11. 300 cruise ships ranked; best deals are in Europe. The Telegraph
12. Following a common pattern, year over year visitors to the UK fell in July, despite the Olympics. The Telegraph
13. Travel Traction conference offers five lessons for new travel startups. Tnooz
14. From the not-surprised department: FAA is slow and bureaucratic: NYTimes Bits Blog
15. Survey shows that so many passengers are neglecting to turn off their cellphones already that if there were any truth to the idea that electronic devices impair navigation, planes would be crashing all the time. Wall Street Journal
16. Knowledge Graph enables Google searches for destination city attractions. Skift

InfoGraphics

1. Your Tech Habits and Travel Style. Check out this Expedia MediaSolutions Infographic to see what kind of traveler you are. Business Insider
2. Google Maps: Popular Summer Searches by Country. Tnooz

Travel Aspirations: What Kids Learn from Travel:

• “…that people are good. Humankind is basically kind and generous and giving and welcoming – not like one would believe from watching the nightly news.”
• “The world is our classroom and our travels are our textbook.”

Vagablogging