The Week in Travel Tech - Facebook Agents, Devilish Apple and Ironic Aussies

What you missed on Tnooz this week, Sunday 30 May to Saturday 5 June 2010:

Story of the week:

• Facebook makes everyone a travel agent with Facebook Questions

Top three most commented articles:

• The iPhone is The Devil’s Instrument
• Is the new Australia ad campaign wonderfully and intentionally ironic, waiting for viral stardom?
• Humans drool, technology rules, or vice versa?

Controversial topic of the week:

• China blocks Foursquare on Tiananmen Square anniversary

TLabs:

• TLabs Showcase – Checkfront
• Will the sun shine on holiday this week? Great Google Map mashup will tell you

Stats:

• UK Travel Site Crunch: Data Week End May 29 2010
• US Travel Site Crunch: Data Week End May 29 2010
• Hong Kong Travel Site Crunch: Data Week End May 29 2010
• Australia Travel Site Crunch: Data Week End May 29 2010

And the rest (most recent first):

• Kayak introduces advertising into its iPhone app
• Goby launches iPad app to tap into trip planning impulses
• Six ways to use social media and search to handle a crisis
• TRX upgrades corporate booking tool with TripIt, Facebook prompts
• Tourism authorities starting to acknowledge Gulf of Mexico oil spill
• Do consumers REALLY trust travel companies when they face such confusing information?
• EasyJet fits volcanic ash detector technology to aircraft
• I-Spy scoops Radisson Edwardian digital media account, plans social push
• Revealed: first details of Kayak booking assistant
• Metaio aiming to boost destination content in augmented reality
• Everbread, Radixx and Ypsilon unite for airline fare technology deal
• GDS Bitesize – service news, agreements, products from Amadeus, Travelport and Sabre
• Connection, not costs, is driver behind landmark Air France-JetStar interline
• LaHood puts new focus on bag fees while settlement docs near testing stage
• Everytrail unveils guide marketplace, Ruba urges users to join
• American Airlines tests YouTube as a business to business channel
• Tar balls from oil spill threaten Pensacola Beach
• US Airways adds Gogo Wi-Fi
• Avis tops new Social Media Popularity Index for car rental
• Online travel booms in India as web visits soar, Expedia-Travelocity enjoying the ride
• A HomeAway addition — real estate deal with Realogy
• Inoqo admits using Twitter for hotel deals is not easy, scraps old business model
• Family reunion as Expedia and Microsoft launch travel browser for Internet Explorer
• Sabre Travel Network makes Twitter debut with tease about new Red solution
• Guestcentric joins travel industry oil spill relief effort
• Expedia increases its stake in China online travel agency eLong
• Ladies and gentlemen, start your Zipcar IPO
• Shock stats: Americans searching twice as much as Brits for World Cup flights
• North American, European corporations feel consumer pain on ancillary fees
• Jetstar airline to trial iPad hire with passengers
• Ryanair shows ancillary revenue is yet the complete winner for airlines
• Art, technology and trip planning mashup for YourTour
• Tourism Australia crowd-sources for new travel inspiration site

Last Week in Travel Tech:

• Secret Masterplans, Inspiration and Diller speaks

Notices:

• Explore the Tnooz TSoftware store
• Node biographies and articles
• Tnooz on a Map