UPDATE: A few minutes after posting the story below about how the TSA was using pressure tactics to get KLM blogger Steven Frischling to comply with a subpoena, two TSA agents visited his home again and took his hard drive, with his consent, Frischling says. Travel blogger Steven Frischling, a self-employed photographer who also writes the Flying With Fish and KLM blogs, says two TSA agents delivered a Dept. of Homeland Security subpoena to him Dec. 29, two days after he published the Christmas Day TSA security directive and warned him they would contact KLM over the issue if he didn't comply with the subpoena and that this would end his ability to work with the airline industry. Frischling, speaking a day after the visit by two TSA agents to his Connecticut home, says their implied threat was that he would be considered a security risk if he didn't turn over his e-mails and computer hard drive and failing to do so "would sever my ability to work with the airline industry."... Read More

To coincide with the mammoth Tnooz Predictions 2010 article, Tnooz asked people around the industry to gaze into their own crystal balls to forecast some of the key developments for the next 12 months. The third of this five-part series features Rock Blanco (president of Prime Numbers), Mat Orrego (chief executive of Cornerstone Information Systems) and Alan Minton (vice president of marketing and customer solutions of Cornerstone Information Systems).... Read More

A major Distributed Denial of Service in North America last week is being played down by Expedia, one of the sites reported to be affected in the aftermath of the attack. The problem occurred on Wednesday 23 December when a DDoS hit DNS provider UltraDNS, part of the Neustar brand, causing problems for Amazon, Wal-Mart, Linden Labs and Expedia. Users across a number of states in the USA were said to be without web services for a number of hours during what was one of the busiest final web shopping days before the Christmas holidays.... Read More

Most popular travel websites in the UK for the week ending December 26 2009. Data includes Top Ten travel search terms and the Top Ten Agency, Airline and Destination/Accommodation sites.... Read More

Most popular travel websites in the US for the week ending December 26 2009. Data includes Top Ten travel search terms and the Top Ten Agency, Airline and Destination/Accommodation sites.... Read More

Perhaps the Obama administration needs to come up with a travel-security stimulus plan. In the aftermath of the Christmas Day terrorism incident onboard Northwest flight 253, the U.S. Travel Association called on Congress to take leftover monies from the country's economic stimulus plan and to use it for the immediate implementation "of screening techniques that strengthen security, balance privacy and improve traveler facilitation." The development came as several other travel industry organizations, including the Business Travel Coalition, the National Business Travel Association and the American Society of Travel Agents, chimed in about the security issue. Specifically, U.S. Travel says whole-body imaging (WBI) and increased use of bomb-sniffing dogs seem promising, but the association adds that while privacy issues related to WBI have been aired, detailed analysis is needed regarding its "security benefits, effect on wait times and any potential of reducing travelers' hassles at security checkpoints."... Read More

To coincide with the mammoth Tnooz Predictions 2010 article, Tnooz asked people around the industry to gaze into their own crystal balls to forecast some of the key developments for the next 12 months. The second of this five-part series features Barry Smith (co-founder of Skyscanner) and Chris Carmichael (manager for ba.com and mobile at British Airways).... Read More

To coincide with the mammoth Tnooz Predictions 2010 article, Tnooz asked people around the industry to gaze into their own crystal balls to forecast some of the key developments for the next 12 months. Kicking off this five-part series are Jim Davidson (chief executive of Farelogix) and Bob Diener (co-founder of GetARoom and ex-president of Hotels.com).... Read More

While some European airlines and Air Canada were detailing new TSA-imposed restrictions in response to the Christmas-morning terrorism incident onboard Northwest Airlines flight 253, there was scant information on the TSA website two days later about the new wrinkles other than to say that, "The Department of Homeland Security immediately put additional screening measures into place -- for all domestic and international flights -- to ensure the continued safety of the traveling public." The primary security changes visible to the public -- at least for international flights bound for the U.S. -- were that passengers would be restricted to one carry-on bag and would be subject to longer screening times. There were unconfirmed reports that passengers on inbound international flights, at least, would not be allowed to wander about the cabin, grab items from overhead bins one hour prior to landing, or place blankets on their laps, as suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab allegedly did.... Read More

Fresh from the Eurostar incident just ten days ago, you might expect major airlines and the large transatlantic hubs in Europe to be using every communication strategy available to warn passengers about the inevitable delays this week. Following the alleged failed bomb attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam Schipol to Detroit on Christmas Day, flights between Europe and the US are being delayed as extra security measures are put in place. Screening at check-in side is also slowing things down considerably in what is a busy period as passengers return home from Christmas visits or prepare for New Year's Eve trips - for example, there are around 100 transatlantic flights every day from the UK alone, mostly from London Heathrow.... Read More

What you missed on Tnooz this week, Sunday 20 to Saturday 26 December 2009. Read on to see the most commented articles, the most controversial topic, and every other article this week...... Read More

This is not a 2010 prediction, but a certainty: Many more travel planning, research and metasearch websites are planned for 2010. This crowded field promises to get more crowded. For example, Goissimo.com, a U.K. start-up travel planning and metasearch site, announced Dec. 24, that its several-week-old beta has been going well and it will launch full-throttle in January, adding that "it is set to revolutionise online travel search and will lead the way into the new decade for a new era of preference-based travel choice for consumers."... Read More

Say what you like about "promotional vacations" - trips where you have to sit and listen to a sales pitch - Rooms101 deserves a pat on the back for a rather amusing promotional clip. Using that well worn, but often dangerous, tactic of mocking your competitors, Rooms101 has animated a fight between its mascot Mr Trip Deal against Travelocity's Roaming Gnome and Priceline's The Negotiator. Given the size of its competitors, Rooms101 probably needs more than a YouTube video clip to send the company on its way - but no harm in trying.... Read More

Thomas Cook is busily re-arranging its technology requirements following the BlueSky saga earlier this year, with IBM looking like the latest victim of a turbulent few months. Tnooz understands that IBM's position as Prime Contract Holder for the Globe project to overhaul Thomas Cook's tour operating reservation systems has ended earlier than expected. IBM handled all the wider IT logistics for the Globe project and worked closely with BlueSky before the company controversially went into administration in September 2009... Read More

OK, so I am really comfortable with email. I have been an Outlook user since I beta’d the first office suites when I was at Microsoft with the Office 1997 version. So here we are more than ten years later and I still prefer it over all the other tools I have tried and abandoned. Now its Office 2010 beta. It’s pretty useful and has some nice new features.... Read More