October 2006
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National News Average gas price drops 11 cents a gallon in a week
Gasoline prices continued to tumble, almost free-falling toward levels not seen in five months. The nationwide average for regular was $2.618 a gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration. That was 10.9 cents lower than a week earlier. Mike O'Connor, president of the Virginia Petroleum, Convenience and Grocery Association, says $2 gasoline "is more likely than unlikely" if the Gulf of Mexico isn't hit by hurricanes and if there isn't a flare-up of tensions in oil-producing regions. In many areas, prices averaged less than $2.30, according to AAA.
Travel Web sites aren't just for booking flights and rooms anymore. Airlines and hotels are teaming with retailers to give bonuses in mileage credits and loyalty points to travelers who buy merchandise while booking travel at the Web sites. United, American, Delta and Aloha airlines say they each have 150 or more retailers offering goods at their Web sites and providing frequent-flyer credits. InterContinental Hotels, owner of the Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza brands, has 200 such retailers, and Marriott, 170.
Last year, 48 million Americans headed into the woods, and the numbers are expected to rise more than 20 percent over the next five years as time- and budget-crunched families look for inexpensive ways to spend time together, says Newsweek. Outdoor opportunities don't end with Labor Day. Autumn means uncrowded campgrounds and cooler weather (and fewer mosquitoes). And, of course, there's great fall foliage from the Pacific Northwest to the Appalachian Trail. Making sure travelers get the same kind of experience at all of a chain's locations is a growing challenge for the hotel industry, which is going through a big shift. Hotel chains from Marriott to Hilton are selling off properties to third-party owners so they can focus on making more money from management fees. That's putting greater responsibility for the brands' reputations in the hands of outsiders. And it's also sparking a wave of reflaggings—switching them from one brand to another. Since 2001, the name plates on 7,600 U.S. properties have changed—that's about one in every six hotels, compared with one in every seven during the previous five years, according to Smith Travel Research. As a result, hotel companies are trying all kinds of tactics to keep their properties in line, including undercover inspectors. Move over Travelocity, Expedia and Orbitz. A new generation of travel Web sites is emerging and they're looking to revolutionize the online purchase of airfares. They use what is called "predictive technology." No crystal balls are involved—the sites mine and analyze historical airfare prices so consumers will know better when to push the button and buy. John Bray, vice president of advisory services at the travel research firm PhoCusWright, said travel technology visionaries "have been saying for some time, 'We've got to create our own iPod for the travel industry.'" The new sites, he said, are evidence that "we're now seeing the beginning of these killer applications emerging." The Washington Post checks out and rates four of the new sites—forecast.com, farecompare.com, flyspy.com and kayak.com.
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