What else is going on in the world of travel tech? A round-up of other stories from across the industry.
- GuestLogix is a fan of the Southwest Airlines-Airtran Airways merger. Southwest, which is expanding its fleet with an order for 208 Boeing 737 aircraft, opted to sign a multi-year pact with GuestLogix as the airline will continue to use the GuestLogix Buy-on Board merchandising technology. And, the renewal includes AirTran, as well, GuestLogix says.
- In a way, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism is playfully turning Chanukah into a festival of flights, instead of merely the Festival of Lights. The tourism body plans to activate a microsite on December 20, for the first night of the holiday, and it will enable site visitors to kindle virtual candles for each night of the eight-night holiday. As each candle is lit, the tourism board will provide information on tourism to Israel, including information about its cultural institutions and museums. When the holiday finishes, people who’ve registered and lit candles on all eight nights are entered to win a free trip to Israel on El Al.
- Facebook didn’t canvass airport bars or airline lounges necessarily, but the company determined by monitoring Facebook check-ins and those made through third-parties location services using its API, that Los Angeles Airport is the most social airport. Among its top 10, Sydney Airport (7) and Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport were the only airports outside of the US.
- Norwegian trip planning startup Stay.com unleashed a string of new features this week. The DIY platform [launched in June 2010, TLabs Showcase - Stay.com] now lets users compile their guides by incorporating tips and recommendations from those in their various networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as being able to share the final trip plan back out various social media platforms. Alongside the original PDF printing service, users can download individual (and available offline) guides for destinations to Android or iPhone devices.