Go With The Australia Travel Specialist

Australia is a world away -- literally. That means there's a lot riding on having your trip go off without unforeseen problems. You don't want to get halfway there only to have a connection fail or some other headache show up.

So yes you could go with any travel website but doesn't it make more sense to go with a site that knows Australian travel and can still get you cheap flights. Visit Travel.com.au for deals on qantas airlines flights, as well as other major airlines. Not only do you get deals on Qantas but how many other travel sites can get you deals on singapore airlines, as well.

You can also visit the site for cruises, hotels -- even travel insurance. If you are traveling to or from Down Under, isn't better to go with a travel site that speaks Australian?

This post was sponsored by your friends at travel.com.au.

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Virgin America, VH1 Take Flight With On-Demand Music Video

Airline Virgin America and music video channel VH1 say that they have partnered to offer the first domestic, on-demand music video library on the next generation carrier's New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Las Vegas routes.

The Virgin America-VH1 music video library, available on the Red inflight entertainment system, includes videos from the most popular artists and genres featured on VH1 networks,
including Maroon 5, Shakira, John Legend, Lily Allen, Kelly Clarkson, Nelly Furtado, Mika and others.

The inflight music library is expected to expand to up to 50 music videos, including erformances featured on VH1 Classic and VH1 Soul networks. Soon Virgin travelers will also be able to make music video playlists and preferences inflight through Virgin America's Red inflight entertainment system, Virgin says.

All music videos are free of charge to every guest on every Virgin America flight, the airline adds.

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Despite Recent Severe Weather, Travelers Blame Airlines Most for Flight Delays

A majority of air travelers have been delayed within the past three months -- and they are holding the airlines responsible, according to a new survey focused on consumer perceptions of the causes for air travel delays.

The survey was conducted by market research firm TNS and was based on interviews August 16-19 with 2,500 members of the TNS US online panel. Respondents were screened for past month travel and past three-month air travel.

Just this month, a Federal Aviation Administration report named June 2007 one of the worst travel months in U.S. history. At the same time, the Department of Transportation stated that the first half of 2007 was the worst for air travel delays in 13 years, when the department first began keeping statistics. The TNS study reveals that among those who expect to travel over the Labor Day holiday, 30 percent plan to travel by air. Despite the delays, the Air Transport Association expects 15.7 million passengers will fly over the Labor Day Weekend -- a 2.6 percent increase over last year. As the already busy skies become increasingly crowded this
holiday weekend, consumers can only hope that airlines will be prepared to meet the demand.

"What's interesting is that consumers are now blaming the airline itself for their travel delays more often than they blame the obvious culprits -- weather, increased summer air traffic, or both," says Tim Gohmann, senior vice president, Travel & Leisure, TNS North America. "Airlines have the opportunity to address the contributing factors such as overbooking and mechanical failure and win back some of the trust of consumers. Consumers, on the other hand, should approach Labor Day weekend prepared to face the same delays they have experienced throughout the summer."

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US Air Cargo Security Could Be Improved, Investigators Say

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have taken a number of actions designed to secure inbound air cargo, but these efforts are still largely in the early stages and could be strengthened, according to a new government report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

GAO is the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress.

"For instance, TSA completed a risk-based strategic plan to address domestic air cargo security, but has not developed a similar strategy for addressing inbound air cargo security, including how best to partner with CBP and international air cargo stakeholders," GAO says. "In addition, while TSA has identified the primary threats to inbound air cargo, it has not yet assessed inbound air cargo vulnerabilities and critical assets. Moreover, TSA’s air cargo security rule incorporated a number of provisions aimed at enhancing the security of inbound air cargo. This final rule also acknowledges that TSA amended its security directives and programs to triple the percentage of cargo inspected on domestic and foreign passenger aircraft."

TSA continues to exempt certain types of inbound air cargo transported on passenger air carriers from inspection, GAO found. Further, TSA inspects domestic and foreign passenger air carriers with service to the United States to assess whether they are complying with air cargo security requirements, but currently does not conduct compliance inspections of all air carriers transporting inbound air cargo, it says. Moreover, TSA has not developed performance goals and measures to determine to what extent air carriers are complying with security requirements.

"In addition, CBP recently began targeting inbound air cargo transported on passenger and all-cargo aircraft that may pose a security risk and inspecting such cargo once it arrives in the United States," GAO says. "TSA and CBP, however, do not have a systematic process in place to share information that could be used to strengthen the department’s efforts in securing inbound air cargo, such as the results of TSA air carrier compliance inspections and foreign airport assessments."

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Small Communities Reliant on Subsidies for Air Service, GAO Finds

Congress established two key programs to help support air service to small communities —the Essential Air Service (EAS) providing about $100 million in subsidies per year and the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) that provides about $20 million per year in grants.

EAS subsidies support air service to many small communities that would likely not have service if EAS subsidies are discontinued. Since 1997, funding for EAS has increased from $25.9 million in 1997 to $109.4 million in 2007 and the number of communities has generally increased. The federal government is spending a median of about $98 per passenger, with subsidies ranging from about $13 to $677 per passenger.

That is according to a new US government report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which is the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress.

Concerns exist about the costs of the program, particularly given the federal government’s long-term structural fiscal imbalance, GAO says. In addition, according to industry representatives, the number of air carriers flying aircraft suitable for EAS communities may decrease, raising concerns about the availability of appropriate aircraft to provide small community air service in the future, it adds.


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Safety, Other Issues May Arrive With New Airliner

The size of the new A380 airliner poses some potential safety challenges for U.S. airports. As a result, airports expecting A380 service may need to modify their infrastructure or impose operating restrictions, such as restrictions on runway use, on the A380 and other aircraft to ensure an acceptable level of safety, according to a new US government report.

In addition, increased separation between the A380 and other aircraft during landing and departure is also required because research data indicate that the air turbulence created by the A380’s wake is stronger than the largest aircraft in use today, says the report, issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). GAO is the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress.

Airbus S.A.S. (Airbus), a European aircraft manufacturer, is introducing the A380, expecting it to enter service late this year. The A380 will be the largest passenger aircraft in the world, with a wingspan of about 262 feet, a tail fin reaching 80 feet high, and a maximum takeoff weight of 1.2 million pounds. The A380 has a double deck and could seat up to 853 passengers.

The impact of A380 operations on air capacity is uncertain, GAO says.

The A380 was designed, in part, to help alleviate capacity constraints faced by many large airports in the United States and around the world by accommodating more passengers and freight on each flight than any aircraft currently in use.

"However, potential operating restrictions and the increased separation requirements imposed to ensure the safety of the A380 and other aircraft at airports and during flight could reduce the number of flights that airports can accommodate," the report says. "The extent to which possible operating restrictions, increased separation, and gate utilization impact capacity would depend on the time of day, the number of A380 operations, and the volume of overall airport traffic."

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FAA Continues To Face Challenges in Air System Reform

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continues to have hurdles it must overcome to come up with a new-generation air system for U.S. aviation to deal with crowded skies, according to a new government audit.

Congress in 2003 authorized a Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) and requires the office to operate in conjunction with multiple federal agencies, including the departments of Transportation, Commerce, Defense, and Homeland Security; the FAA; NASA; and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

JPDO is responsible for coordinating the related efforts of these partner agencies to plan the transformation to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), a fundamental redesign of the national airspace system. FAA will be largely responsible for implementing the policies and systems necessary for the new system, while safely operating the current air traffic control system.

Among the challenges JPDO faces are institutionalizing the interagency collaboration that is so central to its mission, developing a comprehensive cost estimate, and addressing potential gaps in research and development for NextGen, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). GAO is the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress.

"In transitioning to NextGen, FAA faces several challenges. Although FAA has taken several actions to improve its management of current air traffic control modernization efforts, institutionalizing these improvements will require continued strong leadership, particularly since the agency will have lost two of its key agents for change by September 2007," GAO says. "Costs are another challenge facing FAA as it addresses the resource demands that NextGen will likely pose, while continuing to maintain the current air traffic control system. Finally, determining whether it has the technical and contract management expertise necessary to implement NextGen is a challenge for FAA."

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