Search

The article offers information on the International Air Transport Association's New Distribution Capability (NDC). Topics discussed include information on the travel agencies adopting third-party technology solutions to implement NDC; views of the Ninan Chacko, chief executive officer at the Travel Leaders on the benefits to the customers by the implementation of the NDC.

The article provides an answer to a question concerning convertion of independent contractors (ICs) to employees in the U.S.

The article provides an answer to a question regarding special exceptions with cruise lines under the general law of contracts in the U.S.

The article provides an answer to a question of whether the value of a complimentary resort stays should be reported as income on federal tax returns, higlighting the importance of determining whether freebie trips are taxable to prevent scrutiny from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The author reflects on the plight of local health departments which he claims have also been badly affected by the economic crisis in the U.S. The author stresses that these local health departments are vital as they ultimately preclude more expensive medical care by encouraging evidence-based prevention. He asks service providers to reach out to cash-strapped local health departments and look for ways to collaborate on prevention as public health is everybody's responsibility.

The article presents a reader's inquiry on the factors which can lead to U.S. federal government's power to revoke its citizen's passport while traveling to abroad.

The article provides an answer to a question of providing legal assistance in selling a European tour operator company to U.S. consumers.

The article provides an answer to a question related to the U.S. federal government policy and decisions that push smaller travel agencies out of the government contracting market.

The article presents answers to a question about the ways in which the government procurement policies limit opportunities for travel agencies.

The article provides an answer to a question on challenges faced by foreigners seeking to own a corporate agency in the U.S. such as getting the required visa from the State Department, agency ownership policies of American Refugee Committee (ARC) and legal obstacles.

The article provides an answer to a question of selling air travel fares and packages at low cost by travel agency.

The article provides an answer to a question about the proposed Transparent Airfares Act in the U.S.

An interview with Mark Pestronk, a lawyer specializing in travel law in the U.S., is presented. Topics discussed include fraud by independent contractors (ICs), credit card chargebacks, and cash collection by ICs and employees. Also mentioned are global distribution system, medical insurance, and the issue of sexual harassment in the industry.

The article presents an answer to a question concerning a client's right to cancel under the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) three-day cooling-off rule.

The article presents an answer to a question of whether global distribution system (GDS) vendors can cut agent incentives in response to the expiration of GDS participation agreements with several major U.S. airlines in 2013.

The article provides an answer to a question about the fines that the U.S. Department of Transportation imposes on various airlines and travel agencies for violating the full-price disclosure policy.

The article answers a question on the implementation of the full-price rule of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

The article presents an answer to a question about the term "quote" used in the revised full-fare advertising rule of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

The article provides an answer to a question related to the U.S. Department of Transportation's full-fare advertising rule.

The article provides an answer on the question on the legality of the receipt of over 10,000 dollars in cash by a travel agency and how to report it to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) if needed, among others.

The article provides an answer to a question about the potential complications facing a travel agency if it hires a co-owner of an agency whose other owner has been engaging in fraudulent ticketing in the U.S.

The article presents an answer to the question of states' contractor criteria.

The article presents an answer to a query on U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules on sending 1099 forms.

The article presents an answer to a query on how Global Distribution Systems (GDS) contract would be affected if the U.S. encourages travel agencies to use Direct Connect.

The article provides an answer to a question about a new law governing disclosure of codesharing arrangements in the U.S. and its implication for travel agencies.

The article provides an answer to a question about the constitutionality of airport searches and seizures for security reasons in the U.S.

The article provides an answer to a question of what is the most important issue that the U.S. Department of Transportation should address in 2011.

The article provides an answer to a question on what will happen when the full-content agreements between major U.S. airlines and global distribution systems (GDS)vendors expire in 2011.

The article presents an answer to a question on the adoption of the regulation which would require airlines to incorporate their customer service plans into contracts of carriage by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

The article reports on the settlement of a case wherein the plaintiff blames Air France for the death of his husband on board the company's airplane on the way to the U.S. Carmelita Llorera accused Air France's overbooking policies as the cause of her husband's death. She, her husband and their daughter was forced to fly home when they were removed from a flight. She states that Air France acted unreasonably and failed to offer them an option. The case was settled before it was to go to court.

The article responds to an inquiry about the voluntary "Customer Service Plans" adopted by U.S. airlines to prevent Congress or the Department of Transportation from regulating how the airlines must treat passengers. The author suggests that the Customer Service Plans were just public-relations exercises that airlines could ignore at will, with no consequences.

The article provides an answer to a question about discrimination against employees on the basis of religion in the United States.

The article provides an answer to a question on the Americans with Disabilities Act and its laws regarding the discrimination of overweight people and anti-gay remarks at work.

The article answers a question concerning the pro-consumer proposals of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

The article discusses information on the Secure Flight program that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will launch in 2008. It is inferred that nonterrorist will not be able to find it easy to get off the list for extra screening under the program. A new redress program had been designed for the Secure Flight scheme and other DHS screening programs that have been previously launched. The procedures are appended to the program's proposed regulations.

The article discusses how travel agencies in the U.S. can pursue business travel of federal government contractors. Information is presented on government-contracting regulations in line with this type of business. It describes the difficulty of finding subcontracting opportunities. The author advises agencies to subscribe to FedBizOpps to find out what companies win government contracts.

The article answers a question on labor laws in the U.S. As long as the employee works fewer than 40 hours during the whole week, no federal law requires extra pay for evening or weekend work, and no federal law requires employers to provide paid vacation days, paid sick days, paid family leave, paid medical leave or paid holidays.

The author addresses the minimum-use clause for the GDS rules. He mentions that every GDS contract had a minimum clause until 1992. He cites the reasons why the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) outlawed all minimum-use clause. He stresses the need for agency groups to file a DOT complaint before the other vendors imitate Worldspan and agencies can no longer risk using multiple systems.

The article explains the international rebating law. The U.S. Congress has never repealed the law prohibiting rebates on international air fares, and the U.S. Transportation Department has never changed its regulation prohibiting the practice. The airline deregulation did not change the law against international rebating because of the nation's agreements with foreign countries required the status quo.

The author offers advice on minimizing or eliminating federal estate or gift taxes for travel agencies in the U.S. The gift tax is 45% of the amount of the company worth over $1 million. He urges married owners of travel agency or companies to divide the gift to avail the $2 million lifetime gift exemption. He suggests to break down the corporate stock into smaller units and give one unit each to reduce its value.

The article provides an answer to a query about the legality of throwing old files in a Dumpster. Storage companies throughout the U.S. have been informing their storage tenants, including travel agencies, that the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA) law requires proper destruction of consumer information and that merely throwing it in the trash is not proper destruction. Therefore, the law does not impose any safeguards on the information until one is ready to dispose of it.

This article offers advice on travel agent arbitration in the U.S. and the California Seller of Travel law. A travel agent do not need a travel agent arbiter's permission to add a mandatory-arbitration clause in the contract. Every host contractors in California falls under the California Seller of Travel Law even if they charge upfront or renewal fees and even if they market the program to people with no prior travel experience.

The article focuses on the proposed purchase of Worldspan by Travelport. It is said there is a possibility that the U.S. government and the European Union will approve the acquisition. There are several reasons for the author's optimism that the merger will be approved, including the interest of regulators in foreseeable harm to consumers.

The article explores the options available for a tourist from the U.S. who was injured in Mexico to sue the responsible party in a U.S. court or in Mexico. It offers information on the role of judges in Mexico in deciding the liability and damages in personal injury cases. Tourists who are injured or killed in Mexico is compensated in the same manner and in the same amount as a day laborer who is injured or killed on the job.

The article answers a question on ways the airlines can legally keep the taxes and other government fees being paid by a traveler as part of a nonrefundable ticket. None of the U.S. tax and fee laws gives the traveler any right to force the airline for a refund. The judgment in Harrington versus Delta Air lines, in which the airline refused to refund facility charges, held that travelers cannot sue for breach of contract. Airline contracts could be required to be changed to mandate refunds.

The article focuses on the growth of involuntary bumpings in airlines in the U.S. There was a 33% increase in involuntary denied boardings over the second quarter of 2005 according to statistics released by the U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT). Agencies are said to be not required by rules of DOT to give travelers any notice about the possibility of being bumped.