Air China’s new internet booking system created by Amadeus, has resulted in a 52% growth in online bookings.  The new system allows users to book in their own languages, and currencies.

Read more on e-Travel Blackboard

On May 26, 2008, regulations restricting solicited “word-of-mouth” marketing online became effective in the UK. The regulations stipulate that companies or organisations that hire people to market their services must always be clear that they are being paid to promote a service or product. This means that marketers and bloggers can no longer pose as consumers and offer biased opinions to would be fellow consumers. Continue reading this post…

In a first-ever summer forecast for foreign travel, AAA expects 25.1 million Americans will be travelling internationally this summer, an increase of 2.6 percent over the 24.5 million who were estimated to have traveled overseas last summer. 

Unfortunately, not enough of these travellers will be making it to Africa. China and India are set to see significant increases. Continue reading this post…

Yesterday Google leaked quality score variable in search results for advertisers, which included big corporations like Honda Motor Company and Hewlett Packard.  Immediately below each sponsored search result were 3 separate variable names and values. 

Values shown included Pscore, mCPC and thresh as shown in the above picture. 

Google has the world watching them and small mistakes like this soon travel around the world.  No travel related cases have been reported, but it might simply have been that it was not picked up. 

Reports are that it appears on the international Google sites e.g. .co.za and .co.uk but this cannot be confirmed.  It appears as if they have very quickly resolved the issue.

Anyone pick it up? 

Go to Search Engine Journal to read more.

Nationwide has voluntarily suspended flights for financial reasons. 

“Our cash-flow has become critical and as a result we have decided to voluntarily cease all flight operations until further notice,” said chief executive Vernon Bricknell.

“We apologise to our loyal customers for any and all inconveniences experienced.”
Quoted on IOL.co.za, Bricknell points towards 30% fuel prices increase, their grounding last year and their failure to secure investment from a BEE consortium.

Their website has no notice of the suspension.

Comair, through a joint venture with telecommunications company, Altech, has diversified into a mobile Internet industry. The mobile service is called Kulula Connect, which promise affordable Internet connections using 3G technology.